[Editor’s note: This document’s duplicate at Serial 726 include slight variations in withheld text, and while the differences are not substantive on the main, there are a few significant ones, including the identification of Jonestown victim Kathy Jean Purifoy on page 1 of the original; and the cities of Fresno, California and Liberal, Kansas as the homes of Rick Purifoy and the interview subjects on pages 8 and 9, respectively, of the duplicate.]
0 292200Z NOV 78
FM KANSAS CITY (89-304) P
TO DIRECTOR (89-4286) IMMEDIATE
BT
UNCLAS
RYMUR
Re Bureau teletype to Kansas City dated Nov. 28, 1978.
Interview of victim’s, Kathy Jean Purifoy, nee Richardson, parents set forth.
Mrs. [name deleted], nee [name deleted], described as white female, born [withheld], at Indianapolis, Indiana, [information withheld] hair brown, eyes brown, SSAN [withheld] and Mr. [name deleted], described AS Negro male, born [withheld], at Glasgow, Kentucky, [information withheld], SSAN [withheld], employed by [withheld], Liberal, Kansas. In addition victim have sisters [name deleted], at Danville, Indiana,
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[name deleted], Ukiah, California; and brother [name deleted], Indianapolis, Indiana, [information withheld].
The [names deleted] advised that they were previously charter members in the Peoples Temple Christian Church (PTCC) having joined the church in approximately 1955 or 1956. They advised the church did have a previous limited membership, however, at the time they joined was operated by the Reverend Jim Jones on North Delaware Street in Indianapolis, Indiana. They advised that prior to this time, Reverend Jones held meetings in other churches and inversed individual houses prior to moving to the North Delaware Street address. They advised that they moved with the church in June 1965 to Redwood Valley, California, wherein at which time the church set up new headquarters in Redwood Valley. They advised that to their knowledge at that time Reverend Jones had associations with congregations in Chicago, Hawaii, possibly New York and possibly Cincinnati.
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[names deleted] further advised that approximately 20 to 25 people moved from Indianapolis area to Redwood Valley, California, with the church and furnished the following names of previous numbers as they could recall them:
Jim and Eva Pugh, now deceased; Archie Ijames and family, current whereabouts unknown; Harold, Loretta, Rich and Edith Cordell, all now deceased except Harold, whose whereabouts is unknown; Jackie and Marvin Swinney of [information withheld] and Cleve and Helen Swinney, now deceased.
[names deleted] advised that at the time they joined the congregation, the basic attraction and continued attraction of Reverend Jones was his ability as a faith healer, and as a result they maintained a relationship and membership in the church until 1971. Mr. and Mrs. [names deleted] advised that they broke off from the church in 1971 for various reasons, including such things as being required to give everything to the church,
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accepting Reverend Jim Jones as an absolute authority or master. Among other things members were expected to do was to give 25 percent of all gross revenue before taxes to the church, they were required to show a budget to the church for approval[,] to present all personal bills to the church prior to paying.
[names deleted] advised that their daughter, Kathi Jean Purifoy, [information withheld], who now reportedly resides in Fresno, California, were married only one day before either been divorced or having the marriage annulled.
Kathi is described as Negroid female, born February 27, 1959, at Indianapolis, Indiana, Methodist Hospital, height 5’7″, weight 165 to 170 lbs., brown hair, brown eyes, had a small one inch scar near the hairline.
[names deleted] advised they have been in contact with the State Department and has been informed that Kathi has been tentatively identified based on the above physical description, plus the fact that she
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wore a unique Egyptian necklace. They advised they have received no additional word from State Department insofar as positive identification or claiming of the body.
[name deleted] advised that Kathi did not go to Guyanna [Guyana] with the original mission, however, only traveled to Guyanna in approximately late October, 1978, at which time she was reportedly called to bring medication to a dieing [dying] child on an extreme emergency basis. They now assume that Kathi after arriving in Guyanna was made to surrender her passport so that she could not return to the United States.
In regard to specific questions requested of the Bureau, Mr. and Mrs. [name deleted] advised they knew nothing of the visit of Leo Ryan to Guyanna or of any previous knowledge of a plot to kill Congressman Ryan, stating that they first heard this via T.V. news.
[name deleted] advised that they had no knowledge
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whatsoever of the Peoples Temple Christian Church ever purchasing any amount of firearms or any quantity of firearms. However, noted that Eva Pugh, now deceased, former church secretary, was at one time given a gun by Jim Jones for protection as she handled the church money. In this regard they further noted that they had heard stories of guns being fired around the church to scare some members of complying with the church policies.
[name deleted] advised they had no knowledge whatsoever of any firearms training ever received by any church members.
[name deleted] advised that they know of no previous threats being made by Rev. Jones or church officials to harm any public official or to harm any current or former members of the church. In this regard they advised that during brief time prior to the time they left the church, they did on one or two occasions see members beaten with a large belt, however, their only knowledge of these situations would involve several
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minor incidents. They did advise that Reverend Jones did emphatically state that any individual who left the church would suffer serious repercussions or even possibly death. They stated that they knew of no case where any ex-member suffered any physically repercussion as a result of leaving the church. They further advised that they never recalled any specific threats being made to members concerning exposure of church activities to outside individuals, however, stated they were all admonished not to say anything concerning church activities to anyone at anytime.
[name deleted] advised that they know no efforts whatsoever to infiltrate the church or by any efforts by any group to induce people to leave the church. They advised that only church members who have an admission card are allowed to attend the daily meetings and the guards at the daily meetings required each individual to have an admission card in their presence. They advised that any individual who was ever suspected
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of violating any of the church policies were immediately expelled from the church and as far as they know no effort was made to resolve whether or not the individual was or was not guilty of any alleged violation in this regard. Mrs. [name deleted] advised that Reverend Jim Jones claimed to be psychic and stated that he could determine through his own abilities who might not be sincere in their beliefs and actions within the church.
[name deleted] advised that other individuals they knew who had left the church since the time the church moved to California would have been the Purifoy family, Rick Purifoy and his parents who now reportedly live in [deleted] [duplicate at 726 releases city of “Fresno”], California; Jackie and Marvin Swinney, [information deleted] address unknown) [information deleted]. They advised Swinneys reportedly paid $3,000 to have their son returned from the Guyanna mission prior to the time of the massacre and suicide. Tim and Grace Stoen, an attorney in San Francisco, California, area.
Mr. and Mrs. [name deleted] advised that when they moved to Redwood Valley, California, in 1965 that they
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resided at [address deleted] until 1976, and in 1976 they moved to [address deleted], California, and in October, 1978, moved to [address deleted], [duplicate at 726 city portion of address as “Liberal”] Kansas.
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