[Editor’s note: One of the subjects of this serial whose name is deleted is FCC Engineer J. Jerry Freeman, identified on page 296 of A Sympathetic History of Jonestown, by Rebecca Moore (Lewiston, N.Y.: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1985). The deleted information from the memorandum – designated by brackets – which is known to the editor has been indicated by red type.]
0 282320Z NOV 78
FM FBI NORFOLK (89-59) P
TO DIRECTOR FBI (89-4286) IMMEDIATE
BT
UNCLAS
RYMUR
Re Norfolk teletype to Bureau dated November 24, 1978, and Bureau teletype to all field offices dated November 22, 1978.
Review of Norfolk indices discloses that on September 11, 1977, [deleted name], sergeant, U.S. Air Force, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, advised the Norfolk FBI office that he had overheard suspicious shortwave radio broadcasts between five and six PM on September 10, 1977, being broadcast at approximately 14408 megacycles. It was [deleted name] opinion that these conversations dealt with a conspiracy of some sort and the involvement of the chartered airline flight in which
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something might happen to the aircraft. Subsequent investigation by Norfolk Division determined that the transmissions in question were between the Peoples Temple church, San Francisco, California, and unknown individuals in Venezuela. The call sign, [deleted] use during the transmissions was determined to be assigned to [deleted name], Redwood [likely Redwood Valley], California, and [deleted name], Redwood, California. Mr. [deleted name] [J. Jerry Freeman], engineer in charge, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Norfolk, Virginia, advised at that time that the FCC was investigating [deleted name] under FCC Investigative Case Numbers 77-W-502 and 77-R-71. [Freeman] further advised that to his knowledge, his agencry [agency], at that time, and not been able to determine the purpose or reason for the transmissions to Venezuela, and that the Washington FCC office had recorded most, if not all, of the transmissions and would make them available to the FBI if necessary.
Review of the transcripts of the transmissions recorded by Norfolk on September 10, 1977, copies of which have been furnished to San Francisco and WFO [Washington Field Office], discloses that these
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transcripts may be of value and identify past and present church members, in that they disclose several first names of individuals apparently residing in San Francisco and in Georgetown, Guyana. There are several references to a Sharon, which may be identical to Sharon Amos. All information concerning this investigation was previously furnished to WFO and San Francisco under the caption [deleted], Foreign Radio Transmission, September 10-11, 1977, San Francisco, California, to Venezuela; Miscellaneous-Information Concerning”, WFO File 62-11087, San Francisco file 62-7088. Pertinent information was also furnished to the Bureau by WFO under the same caption, and an [on] October 17, 1977, airtel from the Bureau to Norfolk captioned as above listed the Bufile number as 63-17034.
Leads. WFO and San Francisco Divisions. Review case entitled [deleted name], supra, for information which may be of lead value in this investigation.
In addition, WFO should consider obtaining a subpoena for the tapes currently in possession of FCC, Washington office, described above, and review FCC Investigative Case Numbers
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77-W-502 and 77-R-71 which may have information which relates to captioned case.
Armed & dangerous.
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