P 041800Z DEC 78
FM ALEXANDRIA (89-102) (P)
TO DIRECTOR (89-4286) PRIORITY
BALTIMORE PRIORITY
MIAMI PRIORITY
SAN FRANCISCO (89-250) PRIORITY
BT
UNCLAS
RYMUR, 00: SAN FRANCISCO
Reference Miami teletype to Alexandria, November 30, 1978.
On December 1, 1978, Michael F. Byrne, staff writer for International Medical News Group (IMNG), Rockville, Maryland, home address – [deleted], Arlington, Virginia, advised that Doctor [name withheld], M.D., practicing in Rockville, Maryland, contacted IMNG during January or February, 1978, in connection with his assistance given to the Peoples Temple (PT) in Jonestown, Guyana, via ham radio operator, [name withheld], Potomac, Maryland. [name withheld], as a staff writer, was assigned to do a medical story concerning Jonestown. Byrne, through [name withheld], ham operator, Potomac, Maryland,
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contacted Jonestown sometime during February, 1978, and conversed with Patty (LNU [last name unknown]), a teenager and PT member. Patty (LNU) described activity in Jonestown as being extremely ideal and voiced no complaints. Byrne understood there were approximately 1200 members at Jonestown at the time and the main concern voiced by Patty (LNU) was that there appeared to be some lack of medical knowledge among PT members, thus the contact through ham operators to medical doctors. Byrne requested that he visit Jonestown and this request was denied with no particular reason given.
Several weeks later Byrne requested a brochure from the PT in San Francisco, California, and he subsequently contacted the PT and conversed with (FNU) Brown. Byrne requested that he write a story regarding the PT and also provide photo coverage of the PT in Jonestown which never did evolve.
Byrne later contacted the Guyana Embassy in Washington, D.C., for the purpose of making arrangements to Jonestown, however, again this visit never did evolve.
Byrne wrote a story on Jonestown regarding the contact with the medical doctors via ham operators for the National
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Enquirer at Lantana, Florida, which was published sometime during the spring of 1978. A [Name withheld] for National Enquirer, told Byrne that he had sent to reporters to Jonestown, time unknown, and they reported that conditions were unfavorable.
Byrne had only the one conversation with a PT member in Jonestown, stated above, and could offer no further pertinent information regarding conditions just prior to the Jonestown massacre.
Baltimore, at Rockville, Maryland: will locate and interview Dr. [Name withheld] regarding his telephone (radio) conversation with members of PT in Jonestown.
Miami, at Lantana, Florida: will interview [Name withheld], National Enquirer, regarding his knowledge of conditions in Jonestown.
Armed and dangerous.
BT