Serial 706

[Editor’s note: The duplicate of this serial at Serial 1009 – the text of which is here – contains no deletions. The additional information provided by that serial has been indicated by red type.]

0 202245Z DEC 78
FM MEMPHIS (89-110) (157-NEW) (P)
TO DIRECTOR (89-4286) IMMEDIATE
SAN FRANCISCO (89-250) IMMEDIATE
COLUMBIA PRIORITY
HOUSTON PRIORITY
BT
UNCLAS E F T O
RYMUR, (ME 89-119) (A).
DEMOCRATIC MIDTERM CONFERENCE, DECEMBER 8-10, 1978, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE; POSSIBLE CIVIL UNREST. 00: ME (ME 157-NEW)

Re Memphis teletype to Bureau and San Francisco captioned “RYMUR” dated November 29, 1978.

On November 29, 1978, Mark Lane, an attorney, was interviewed at his residence, [address deleted] [1177 Central Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee]. He furnished the following information regarding a client for whom he is seeking immunity. He declined to furnish any position or role the witness held in the People’s Temple (PT) for fear

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it would identify his client.

His client had no specific knowledge that trouble of any kind would occur during Congressman Ryan’s visit to Guyana. His client has specific knowledge of the acquisition, caching, licensing and shipment of weapons by PT members, but Lane would furnish no specific details. The client has direct knowledge about general conversations regarding threats to harm public officials, current and former PT members, resulting from persons attempting to expose the PT, infiltrate or induce members to leave the PT. His client has no knowledge concerning the compromising and/or corruption of public officials. His client possesses information concerning gathering or caching of monies. His client has information concerning contingency plans relating to mass murder and suicide. His client has personal knowledge regarding illegal activities on the part of Jim Jones and other members of the PT relating to money and guns and possibly other matters; however, Lane provided no specific details.

Lane said he would contact USA [United States Attorney] William Hunter or AUSA

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Robert Breakstone, San Francisco, California, possibly on the evening of November 29, 1978. He declined to furnish any information regarding the location of Terri Buford until such time as he can confer with the USA or the AUSA at San Francisco.

He met Dr. Lawrence [Laurence] Schacht in September, 1978, at Jonestown, Guyana, at which time Dr. Schacht gave him a thorough and complete examination. Lane understands from previous conversations with Jim and Marceline Jones that they met Schacht several years ago and at the time he was a drug addict. Schacht was rehabilitated from drug addiction through the efforts of Jones and the PT and was sent to medical school at the University of California, Irvine, California, and graduated number two or three in this class. Later conversation with Jones at Jonestown revealed Schacht was not licensed to practice medicine in Guyana. Lane was requested to investigate procedures for obtaining appropriate licensing in Guyana for Schacht. Lane contacted Hamilton Green, a ranking Guyanese official, and determined that if Schacht could routinely travel to Georgetown, Guyana, to practice under the supervision of licensed Guyanese physicians,

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he could possibly thereby receive his license. Lane communicated this information to PT officials and later was informed by his client that Schacht was not allowed to leave Jonestown under any conditions because the PT feared he would not return.

Lane knows nothing regarding Schacht’s employment background and could furnish no additional information regarding his involvement with the PT. Dale Parks, respiratory assistant in the clinic at Jonestown, who survived the shoot-out at Port Kaituma, Guyana, was an associate of Schacht at Jonestown.

On November 20, 1978, Schacht’s father and sister, who reside in Houston, Texas, and in New York City, called Lane from Houston and asked Lane if Lane believed his son was a poisoner, adding that he (the father) was very shaken by press coverage his son had received in Houston, Texas. Lane tried to put his son in the best possible light by advising Schacht’s father that his son was possibly engaged in mercy killing to prevent more painful deaths in view of the presence of armed guards. Lane could furnish no information regarding Schacht’s participation

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in the acquisition of cyanide poison, the extent of his participation in the conduct of the mass suicide, or his involvement, if any, in a conspiracy to kill Congressman Ryan.

Through his client, Lane is aware of the existence of contingency plans known as the Last Stand plans. The Last Stand plans included (1) mass suicide, (2) killing of defectors and aides of defectors, (3) killing of hostile reporters, and (4) killing of public officials in order to politicize the event in stage one.

To his knowledge, there was no standing list of public officials to be assassinated. The names were to be chosen at the time the plan was implemented. Selection of those to be eliminated was to be made without regard to their party affiliation or whether they had made public statements concerning the PT. Even those persons who made statements supporting the PT could be included among those chosen under the plan. Lane understands that this plan has been formulated for some time and that the principal PT members involved in the formulation of the plan were Tim Stoen and Sandy Bradshaw.

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Stoen has defected from the PT, and Bradshaw is in charge of the PT at San Francisco, where she reportedly resides at the present time. Stoen and Bradshaw did extensive research into the use of various poisons for the purpose of carrying out the above plans.

Lane has no knowledge of a prepared “hit list” but his client states it is common knowledge among PT members that journalists Lester Kinsolving, Marshall Kilduff, and Phil Tracy, as well as all defectors and aides to defectors, which he considers himself to be, are to be eliminated under the plan [Editorial note: Since the client was Terri Buford, the use of the male pronoun can be considered a ruse to shield her identity].

Jim Jones became personally angry with Lane because Lane counseled the members of the Parks family to leave with Congressman Ryan and his group as opposed to waiting one week at Jonestown before departing, as requested by Jones.

Lane reported that Sandy Bradshaw would be in charge of implementing the contingency plans. Lane feels that [name deleted] [Lee Ingram] of the PT basketball team at Jonestown, who with the members of his team was not in Jonestown at the time of Lane’s last visit because they were away to play a scheduled game

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with the Guyanese national team, is the type of person who would be involved in eliminating people under the plan. This is a personal observation, not based on any direct evidence. He has heard through an unnamed source that the PT basketball team has been involved in “sharpshooting not of the basketball type.”

In regard to the shipment of guns to Jonestown, Lane pointed out that he had never heard of the PT or Jones until about two and one-half months ago. In September, 1978, Lane visited at Jonestown and on this occasion observed it to be a pastoral community and saw no evidence of the presence of firearms. He did not hear any derogatory information regarding the PT until his client informed him of actual conditions within the PT about three weeks before the Ryan incident. It has been reported in the press that Charles Garry, a PT attorney, had encouraged members of the PT to obtain firearms for self-defense purposes. In his first visit to Jonestown, Lane commented to several people there that “anyone being in the jungle would be crazy not to have a rifle at least to protect himself from ocelots and snakes.” The Jonestown people replied they had no weapons at all but that

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they had been attacked by people from the bush and had no weapons to protect themselves.

Bureau and San Francisco note that when whereabouts of Terri Buford is learned, be certain the FBI office that covers that location take a Secret Service agent on the interview because of Secret Service urgent need to pin down “hit list” prior to the commencement of the Democratic mid-term conference, Memphis, Tennessee, December 8-10, 1978.

San Francisco, at San Francisco, (1) will, if not already done, locate and interview Sandra Bradshaw regarding the RYMUR conspiracy and implementation of additional steps in the Last Stand plans.

(2) Will attempt to obtain a list of PT members, their relatives, and former members, and their current and/or last places of residence.

(3) Will attempt to establish whether a prepared “hit list” exists and if so attempted to obtain the names thereon and furnish copy to Memphis office.

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(4) Will attempt to obtain photographs Sandy Bradshaw, Lee Ingram, Tim Carter, Michael Proest [Prokes], and in the other members or former members of the PT who might be involved in implementing the Last Stand plans, and promptly produce copies to the Memphis office.

(5) Will determine whether Mark Lane has contacted the USA, San Francisco, regarding the granting of immunity to his client (believed to be Terri Buford) and advise the Memphis office of results of negotiation between Lane and the USA. If Lane has not made contact, the USA should be requested to immediately initiate same by telephone so that our efforts to interview Lane’s client can move forward as quickly as possible. Lane’s Memphis telephone numbers are 901-726-1800 and 901-726-5093.

Armed and dangerous. Suicidal tendencies.

BT