[Editor’s note: This is a State Department cable that was included in the FBI’s 2009 RYMUR release of documents under the Freedom of Information Act. It was not included in the State Department’s own release, but we have included identifying information for it using the agency’s designations.]
0 R 262040Z NOV 78
FM AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
TO RUEHSE/USSS WASHDC/ID-FIB NIACT IMMEDIATE
INFO RUEHFB/DIRECTOR FBI
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8219
RUEBWJA/INS NEW YORK
BT
UNCLAS GEORGETOWN 3949
E.O. 11652: N/A
TAGS: CASC (PEOPLE’S TEMPLE)
SUBJECT: Departure from Guyana of Miguel de Pina, People’s Temple member
1. Miguel de Pina departed Timehri Airport at 1 PM local time aboard Pan Am flight 228. Mr. de Pina was among the group of People’s Temple members who were at the Lamaha Gardens headquarters at the time of the mass suicide/murder at Jonestown. Mr. de Pina is being allowed to leave Guyana by local authorities because he is in failing health and because they are apparently satisfied that he had nothing to offer that would assist in their investigation into the deaths of Sharon Amos and her children at the Lamaha Gardens house.
2. No other People’s Temple members in Guayana [Guyana] on Saturday 18 November 1978 have been clear to leave Guyana by local authorities.
3. Mr. de Pina’s ETA in New York roughly 6 PM EST.
4. For INS New York: Please advise airport operations that Miguel de Pina will be arriving without a passport today, 26 November 1978 aboard Pan Am flight 228 from Georgetown, Guyana. He is the bearer of a valid US passport, no. G1850216 issue San Francisco, CA on 7/13/76, expires 7/12/81. The passport shows that Miguel de Pina was born September 29, 1894 at Cape Verde [handwritten insertion “Portugal”]. Physical description given as 5’8”, gray hair, brown eyes. Mr. de Pina does not have his passport in his possession because it was included in a group of some 800 passports seized by the Guyanese authorities at Jonestown for use in their investigation of the mass suicide/murder.
Burke [John Burke, U.S. Ambassador to Guyana]
BT
#3949