[Editor’s note: The State Department FOIA release of 1981 withheld numerous names from this cable. They are denoted below in red type.
[The text for this document was released in 2014 by the now-defunct Wikileaks website at https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1978GEORGE00181_d.html. This URL may be available through the Wayback Machine.]
UNCLASSIFIED
PAGE 01
GEORGE 00181 131945Z
ACTION SCS-06 INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 ARA-14 /021 W
——————009562 132007Z /46
P 131423Z JAN 78
FM AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6025
UNCLAS GEORGETOWN 0181
DEPT FOR SCS AND ARA/CAR – TUMMINIA
E.O. 11652: N/A
TAGS: TAGS: CASC: (HOWARD, DORIS; JOHNSON, GARNETT; THOMPSON, VENNIE)
SUBJECT: W/W: DORIS HOWARD, GARNETT JOHNSON, VENNIA THOMPSON
TO: MRS. NELLIE DAVIS
155-39 MC KINLEY AVENUE
COMPTON, CALIFORNIA 90220
TELEPHONE NO. 213-770-1776
1. OUR CONSUL HAD PERSONAL, PRIVATE CONTACT WITH YOUR MOTHER, GRANDMOTHER AND COUSIN ON JAN. 11, 1978 AT THE PEOPLE’S TEMPLE AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY. THEY ALL APPEARED WELL AND SATISFIED WITH THEIR LIFE AT THE COMMUNITY. THE CONSUL NOTED THAT GARNETT’S HAIR HAD NOT BEEN CUT OFF FOR DISCIPLINARY REASONS. YOUR COUSIN TOLD THE CONSUL HE IS BUSY WITH SCHOOL AND SPORTS. HE IS ALSO LEARNING THE RUDIMENTS OF FARMING. MRS. HOWARD INDICATED SHE WAS NOT CERTAIN WHEN SHE WOULD BE RETURNING TO THE UNITED STATES.
2. THE CONSUL GAVE YOUR MOTHER YOUR LETTER AND MENTIONED YOUR CONCERN FOR THEIR WELL BEING. MRS. HOWARD EXPRESSED SURPRISE THAT YOU SHOULD BELIEVE THAT SHE, HER MOTHER AND YOUR COUSIN WERE BEING HELD AGAINST THEIR WILL. SHE EMPHATICALLY DENIED THESE ALLEGATION AND INFORMED THE CONSUL THAT SHE WAS VERY HAPPY AND CONTENT AT JONESTOWN.
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
PAGE 02 GEORGE 00181 131945Z
3. CONSUL ALSO PASSED YOUR GRANDMOTHER’S SOCIAL SECURITY CHECKS TO HER. AT THAT TIME HE ASKED ABOUT HER WELL BEING AND FUTURE PLANS. MRS. THOMPSON REPLIED THAT SHE WAS FEELING FINE AND WAS ENJOYING HER STAY IN JONESTOWN VERY MUCH. SHE ALSO DENIED BEING HELD AGAINST HER WILL AND EXPRESSED NO DESIRE TO RETURN TO THE UNITED STATES AT THIS TIME.
4. THE CONSUL MENTIONED TO YOUR MOTHER YOUR DESIRE TO VISIT HER AT JONESTOWN. MRS. HOWARD RESPONDED THAT SHE WOULD BE HAPPY TO SEE YOU. I HOPE THAT ABOVE INFORMATION CLARIFIES YOUR RELATIVES’ SITUATION AND THEIR PRESENT AND FUTURE DESIRES. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT THE CONSUL IF YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS. AMERICAN EMBASSY GEORGETOWN, GUYANA
5. PRIVACY ACT AUTHORIZATION WAS GRANTED ORALLY BY MRS. THOMPSON AND MRS. HOWARD TO PASS ON THE ABOVE INFORMATON TO THEIR RELATIVES.
BURKE [U.S. Ambassador John Burke]
NOTE BY OC/T: NOT PASSED ABOVE ADDEE
UNCLASSIFIED
NNN