RYMUR Section 13 – Serials 971-1070

The FBI’s investigation into the events of November 18, 1978 focused upon the assassination of Leo Ryan and any actions of members of Peoples Temple which may have shown evidence of a conspiracy related to that assassination. Code-named RYMUR – short for Ryan Murder – the investigation yielded 2750 serials totalling more than 10,000 pages, eventually separated into 42 large sections.

This page includes the contents of Section 13, including serials 971-1070. Most are dated during the last week of November and first two weeks of December 1978.

The table below lists each document by serial number, the number of pages within each serial, the date the serial was generated, the federal agency originating the serial, and a brief description. Each entry then includes the PDF and the text of the serial. Additional notes appear at the bottom of the page.

A listing of abbreviations used in the RYMUR documents – including FBI field offices and State Department embassies – is here.

In citing these documents, each serial should open with the official designation of “RYMUR 89-4286.” As an example, Serial 1036 would be cited as “RYMUR 89-4286-1036.”

Section 13 contains approximately three dozen administrative memos from the RYMUR investigation, most of them with variations of language found in Serial 1015:

Salt Lake [FBI office] indices negative regarding James Warren Jones, DOB May 13, 1931 or 1933, aka Jim Jones; the People’s Temple of Christian Disciples of God, and Congressman Leo J. Ryan of California.

The memos were likely written in response the instructions in Serial 999 and Serial 1001. They are contained in this Administrative Memo PDF, but were not individually transcribed.

Serial
# of Pages
Date
Office of Origin
Description
PDF
Text
Admin. Memos 43 various various Administrative Memos, Sections 13 PDF Text
971 5 12/8 FBI-LA Interview with former member of PT PDF Text
972 2 12/8 FBI-New Rochelle FBI to contact provider of cyanide in New York PDF Text
973 5 12/8 FBI-New Rochelle Newspaper article re: New York provider PDF Text
974 3 12/8 FBI-LA HAM operators report contacts with JT PDF Text
975 1 12/7 AmEmb Port of Spain German embassy asks for assistance in ID’ing nationals in JT PDF Text
976 2 12/8 FBI-SF Summary: Grand jury; Charges dismissed against dead members PDF Text
977 3 12/9 State Identification of bodies PDF Text
978 6 12/9 FBI-WFO Summary: FCC tapes; contents of Ryan briefcase; interview with PT member PDF Text
979 1 12/9 FBI-SF [RYMUR administrative memo] PDF Text
980 11 12/9 FBI-LA Interview with National Enquirer reporters PDF Text
981 2 12/9 FBI-ME Witness connects Lane and Buford PDF Text
982 2 12/9 FBI-SF Justice considers request for immunity PDF Text
983 4 12/8 FBI-SF FBI details allegations against eight shooters at PK airstrip PDF Text
984 3 12/7 AmEmb Georgetown TV crews in Guyana tracking PT assets PDF Text
985 6 12/9 State Text of NYT story on death tape PDF Text
986 1 12/8 AmEmb Georgetown State Dept correction to statement on Ryan trip PDF Text
987 1 12/7 AmEmb Bridgetown Albatross still in Barbados PDF Text
988 1 12/10 FBI-SF Survivor appears before grand jury PDF Text
989 1 12/9 AmEmb Georgetown Report of preliminary hearing on Amos murder PDF Text
990 1 12/11 USSS Assessment of assassination threat PDF Text
after 990 1 12/5 DOJ-Civil [RYMUR administrative memo] PDF Text
991 3 12/11 DOJ-Civil DOJ pursues claims against PT for recovery of expenses [Duplicate of 1221] PDF Text
992 1 12/11 FBIHQ FBI to report to mother [912] that daughter not on death list PDF Text
993 2 11/24 FBIHQ [RYMUR administrative memo] PDF Text
994 3 11/26 FBIHQ No criminal records of Layton, Beikman found; survivors might leave Guyana PDF Text
995 14 11/25 FBI-ME Mark Lane names suspect in alleged break-in PDF Text
996 11 11/23 FBI-DL Individuals claim mercenary plot on JT [Duplicate of 159] PDF Text
997 2 11/26 AmEmb Georgetown [Dupe of 419] PDF Text
998 7 11/27 FBIHQ Interview with military personnel at JT cleanup PDF Text
999 2 11/24 FBIHQ Instructions to agents conducting interviews PDF Text
1000 1 11/24 FBIHQ [RYMUR administrative memo] PDF Text
1001 6 11/22 FBIHQ FBI summarizes its version of 11/18 for investigation PDF Text
1002 5 11/28 FBI-SF Summary: Lane/Ryan correspondence/PT burns records [Duplicate of 1630] PDF Text
1003 3 12/1 FBI-BA Bullets recovered from PK shooting victims PDF Text
1004 1 11/24 AmEmb Georgetown Sherwin Harris to return to US PDF Text
1005 2 11/24 AmEmb Georgetown [Dupe of 1004] PDF Text
1006 2 11/30 FBIHQ Autopsy protocols [dupe of 733] PDF Text
1007 2 12/1 AmEmb Georgetown [Dupe of 668] PDF Text
1008 2 11/29 Amconsul Winnipeg [Dupe of 691] PDF Text
1009 10 12/2 FBI-ME Interview with Mark Lane [Dupe of 706] PDF Text
1010 6 12/1 FBI-LA [Dupe of 693] PDF Text
1011 14 12/1 FBI-SJ [Dupe of 796 and 840] PDF Text
1012 4 11/30 FBI-SF [Dupe of 694] PDF Text
1014 4 11/22 FBI-LA FBI records of Jim Jones in Los Angeles PDF Text
1033 1 11/22 FBI-Houston FBI attempts to interview parents of L. Schacht PDF Text
1036 2 11/23 FBI-DE Detroit FBI identifies PT relatives, not “targeted” for interview PDF Text
1041 1 11/23 FBI-BT Butte FBI office to follow up PT connection to Montana PDF Text
1049 3 11/22 FBI-IP Background info on early years of Jim Jones PDF Text
1051 2 11/23 FBI-WFO Sacramento FBI locates threatening letter to Leo Ryan, not PT related PDF Text
1052 2 11/23 FBI-LA Dymally’s support for PT rumored to be extorted PDF Text
1053 2 none FBIHQ Private citizen letter to FBI condemns treatment of PT PDF Text
1054 2 none FBIHQ Private citizen letter to FBI condemns treatment of PT PDF Text
1054x 2 11/20 White House Private cable urges more action on PT PDF Text
1054×1 2 11/20 FBI-Knoxville Audiotapes forwarded to FBI for duplication PDF Text
1056 1 11/24 FBI-AX Alexandria FBI identifies family with relatives in PT PDF Text
1057 1 11/28 State Jonestown survivor asks permission to stay in Guyana PDF Text
1058 2 11/29 FBIHQ Summary: NBC video now on videocassette PDF Text
1059 1 11/29 FBIHQ FBI to interview Odell Rhodes about Schacht PDF Text
1060 4 11/30 FBIHQ Summary: ID of dead; rolls of film discovered; elderly survivors interviewed PDF Text
1061 1 12/1 FBIHQ [RYMUR administrative memo] PDF Text
1062 3 12/2 FBI-IP Protected source makes wild allegations about PT PDF Text
1063 5 12/2 FBI-SC Former members speak of hit list, firearms acquisition, drugs PDF Text
1064 6 12/4 FBIHQ Summary: Body ID; autopsies; Buford; survivors; interviews re: hit list PDF Text
1065 2 12/4 AmEmb Georgetown [Dupe of 839] PDF Text
1066 2 12/4 FBI-Tokyo [Dupe of 847] PDF Text
1067 6 12/4 FBI-BQMRA Arrangements for interviews of JT survivors returning to US PDF Text
1068-0 3 12/4 FBI-BQMRA Interviews of elderly JT survivors, intro PDF Text
1068-1 4 12/1 FBI-BQMRA Interviews of elderly JT survivor Satterwhite PDF Text
1068-2 3 12/3 FBI-BQMRA Interviews of elderly JT survivor Thrash PDF Text
1068-3 2 12/3 FBI-BQMRA Interviews of elderly JT survivor Young PDF Text
1068-4 3 12/1 FBI-BQMRA Interviews of elderly JT survivor Davis PDF Text
1068-5 6 12/1 FBI-BQMRA Interviews of elderly JT survivor Godshalk PDF Text
1068-6 4 11/30 FBI-BQMRA Interviews of elderly JT survivor Campbell PDF Text
1068-7 5 12/1 FBI-BQMRA Interviews of elderly JT survivor Brooks PDF Text
1069 3 12/5 FBI-SF Background info on Schacht PDF Text
1070 1 12/5 FBI-SF Witness lists three PT members in SF PDF Text

The pdf of the complete section is here. It should be noted that this document is unique to this site, based upon the FBI’s official release of documents in 2014 and augmented with additional documents. The additional documents include: those released by the State Department; those released through the litigation of McGehee et al v. Justice; and those released by the FBI in 2001 but not included in the later release.

The information released in these serials may change as the FBI releases additional information pursuant to ongoing litigation under the Freedom of Information Act.