0 250230Z NOV 78
FM MEMPHIS (89-110) (P)
TO DIRECTOR (89-4286) PRIORITY
COLUMBIA PRIORITY
SAN FRANCISCO (89-250) PRIORITY
BT
UNCLAS
RYMUR, 00: SAN FRANCISCO
Re Memphis notice calls to FBI HQ and San Francisco 11/24/78 and 11/25/78.
On the evening of 11/24/78 attorney Mark Lane contacted the Memphis office and indicated he was concerned that an individual by the name of [deleted] had been allegedly retained by the People’s Temple to burglarize his home and that he had been interviewed by two FBI agents on the prior day and Lane never advised. According to Lane this information came from a CBS correspondent. Investigation at Memphis revealed that [name deleted] a W/M [white male] born [information deleted] is currently
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incarcinated [incarcerated] at Shelby County Jail Memphis, Tenn. on a bad check charge. He has been in jail since 10/12/78. [name deleted] denies any contact or knowledge of Lane having People’s Temple or Rev. Jim Jones. [name deleted] stated the first knowledge he had was a call from his mother on the evening of 11/23/78 wherein his mother advised him a CBS correspondent had indicated [name deleted] name was found along with some of personal belongings of Rev. Jones in Guyana.
[name deleted] further indicated he was contacted by a [name deleted] who identified himself as a correspondent for ABC and spoke to him on the phone. [name deleted] was told by the jail personnel that a [name deleted] ABC News had called and ask if they had a [name deleted] at that location. Since that time [name deleted] from the CBS affiliate in Memphis has spoken to him and indicated that his name was found among the belongings of Rev. Jones along with others. [name deleted] is unable to furnish any information as to his name being involved but does recall approximately two weeks ago a young female called the jail and identified herself as being from the Department of
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Human Resources to the jail personnel. [name deleted] spoke to this female on the phone but advised that she did not identify herself as being from the Department of Human Resources during his conversation but asked him if he knew a [name deleted]? She also asked him if he would be willing to go into an attorney’s office here in Memphis and whether he would be able to take photographs.
[name deleted] told her that he couldn’t go anywhere while he was in jail and that he was not going to discuss it with her until he got out of jail. [name deleted] indicated he has no knowledge if there is any connection between this and his name being involved in the People’s Temple but vehemently denies any implication with Rev. Jones or the People’s Temple.
[name deleted] stated he did know a [name deleted] but has not seen him for several years and only knew him as a fellow inmate.
On 11/25/78 an interview was conducted at the residence of attorney Mark Lane by ASAC Richard B. Blay, SA [name deleted] and Secret Service agent [name deleted]. Lane indicated immediately that he has a client who is willing and anxious to talk about the matters involving Rev. Jones and the People’s Temple but that imunity [immunity] must be granted prior to her being made available for
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interview. Lane indicated his client had sole custody and control of seven million dollars belonging to the People’s Temple. Lane was asked if he knew the location of Terry Buford but indicated he could not offer a response until the imunity question had been resolved. It was suggested to Lane that one could conclude that this was his client and he acknowledged this could be a logical conclusion. Lane indicated he is presently working on a complete diary which will have all of his knowledge of the situation in Guyana and the People’s Temple. He stated he would be willing to make a copy of this available upon its completion which he anticipated would be sometime during the evening of Sunday 11/26/78.
He offered as soon as it is completed he would contact ASAC Blay and make it available. Lane stated he had called the People’s Temple in San Francisco the previous evening to advise them that he did not want to be harrassed nor did he want anyone bothering his loved ones. He stated his knowledge of the actions by Rev. Jones and the People’s Temple was stage one of a four stage master plan. He stated stage one was the mass murder or
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suicide of the people which has occurred in Guyana. Stage two was for all leadership members of the People’s Temple to condemn these actions. Stage three was to kill all the defectors from the People’s Temple and stage four was to kill public officials. Lane denied knowledge of any specific list of people who would be killed.
Lane indicated that a reporter Gordon Lindsay did an 88 page report on Rev. Jones and the People’s Temple. He indicated that this is a very accurate portrayal of the situation that existed, however, the editor of the National Inquirer [Enquirer] had questioned of its accuracy and therefore did not print it. Lane suggested that this report would offer excellent background information on the operation of the commune at Jonestown. Lane also indicated that Rev. Jones had three million dollars in his cabin and in newspaper accounts he has retd [read] only a half million has been found. Lane also mentioned two ships belonging to the People’s Temple that had considerable cash aboard them.
Lane stated that he has not read any information where the
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second ship has been located. Lane also indicated that he felt that attorney Charles Garry was aware that Jones was dangerous as he indicated that a radio transmission had been monitored between Jones and Garry. Stated that this conversation on 10/6/77 Jones indicated he was going to kill everyone in Jonestown. Lane reiterated that he had heard there was a hit list for people to be assassinated but is not aware of the identities of any people on the hit list. Lane indicated that he would answer any questions regarding this matter and suggested that once the diary was read that he would be willing to answer any question opposed [posed]. Lane also suggested that members of the Peoples Temple in San Francisco would be able to offer invaluable information to assist in this investigation.
Contact will maintained with Lane to obtain a copy of the diary.
FBI HQ will be kept advised of all impertinent [pertinent] developments.
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