Q301 Summary

Summary prepared by Fielding M. McGehee III. If you use this material, please credit The Jonestown Institute. Thank you.

To read the Tape Transcript, click here. Listen to MP3 (Pt. 1, Pt. 2)
To return to the Tape Index, click here.

FBI Catalogue           Jones Speaking

FBI preliminary tape identification note: None

Date cues on tape:     Early April 1978, likely 4/7 (between April 3, completion of Carter trip to Africa, and Korea’s decision to cooperate with Senate)

People named:

Bible verses cited: None

Summary:

Jim Jones reads the news for a day in early April 1978. There are two parts to the newscast, but they are almost certainly from the same day.

Most of the newscast consists of fairly short items, although Jones does read a lengthier segment at its conclusion on the whereabouts of several men associated with the Vietnam War, including Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, Vietnamese government officials Nguyen Van Thieu and Nguyen Cao Ky, and CIA head William Colby.

As with almost all of these newscasts, the US is uniformly described as fascist, racist, imperialist, monopoly capitalist, or some combination of those. There are no laudatory descriptions of the Soviet Union, although that may be because – as Jones reports – “I’m unable to pick up a Soviet socialist station at this time, so we cannot confirm [this report] other than from imperialist broadcasting stations.”

Nevertheless, he concludes numerous items – especially those of economic hardships endured by Western governments – that the collapse of capitalism is near. In addition, he focuses on several stories involving nuclear weapons, ending each with a prediction of holocaust. “Dangerous situations that could lead to a nuclear war,” he says at one point. “In fact, these days, you wonder what couldn’t lead to a nuclear war.”

The only announcement directly affecting the Jonestown community is that Guyana’s Minister of Justice has asked for support of the upcoming national referendum. In the same conversation, the Guyanese official assured Jim Jones that no one would be extradited to the US, seemingly a real victory for the Temple’s leadership in its battle over the custody of John Victor Stoen.

Among the news items:

• Refugees flee Zaire; Zaire to receive foreign aid from China;
• Ethiopia offers amnesty to Eritrean rebels;
• Rhodesia bombs Mozambique;
• Some white settlers of Rhodesia urge negotiations with rebels;
• Chad invaded by Libya and Cuban troops;
• South Korea initially refuses to cooperate with Senate probe, leads to denial of food aid;
• Japan increases imports to stave off economic collapse;
• Split among Indian officials threatens future of ruling party;
• West German police kidnap Red Army terrorist from Bulgaria;
• Italy puts members of red
• France to abolish death penalty;
• British munitions industry criticized for shoddy equipment;
• Argentina soccer tournament boycotted by several nations;
• Pres. Carter presents gas rationing plan; Kuwait promises increases in oil prices;
• Carter’s trip to Africa criticized;
• Production of neutron bomb defended.

FBI Summary:

Date of transcription: 6/1/79

In connection with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s investigation into the assassination of U.S. Congressman LEO J. RYAN at Port Kaituma, Guyana, South America, on November 18, 1978, a tape recording was obtained. This tape recording was located in Jonestown, Guyana, South America, and was turned over to U.S. Officials in Guyana and subsequently transported to the United States.

On June 1, 1979, Special Agent (name deleted) reviewed the tape numbered 1B93-46. This tape was found to contain the following:

A recording of current events and a lecture on the current events by JIM JONES.

Differences with FBI Summary:

The summary is accurate and meets the FBI’s purposes.

Tape originally posted January 2020.