[Editor’s note: The State Department FOIA release of 1981 withheld all names associated with the relatives of a Peoples Temple member 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/1978GEORGE00447_d.html. This URL may be available through the Wayback Machine.]
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PAGE 01 GEORGE 00447 031940Z
ACTION SCS-06
INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 CCO-00 PASO-00 /007 W
——————034914 040951Z /10
R 031856Z FEB 78
FM AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 6171
UNCLAS GEORGETOWN 0447
DEPT. FOR SCS
E.O. 11652: N/A
TAGS: CASC: (FORTSON, RHONDA)
SUBJECT: W/W: RHONDA FORTSON
DEPT. PASS TO: MRS. JONNETTA MATHIS
2014 W. 42ND PLACE
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90062
1. THE EMBASSY’S DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION AND STATE DEPARTMENT GUYANA DESK OFFICER HAD CONVERSATION WITH YOUR DAUGHTER, RHONDA FORTSON, ON FEBRUARY 2, 1978 AT THE PEOPLE’S TEMPLE AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY. SHE APPEARED IN GOOD HEALTH AND SAID SHE WAS HAPPY WITH HER LIFE AT THE PEOPLE’S TEMPLE AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY. SHE ALSO SAID SHE HAD SENT YOU A LETTER ABOUT A WEEK AGO.
2. THIS WAS THE THIRD VISIT THAT EMBASS OFFICERS HAVE MADE TO JONESTOWN WITHIN THE PAST TWO MONTHS. WHILE ALL OF THE COMMUNITY’S YOUNGER PEOPLE APPEAR TO BE INVOVED IN AGRICULTURAL WORK, THEY APPEAR TO BE DOING SO WILLINGLY. WE HAVE SEEN NO EIVDENCE THAT PEOPLE APPEAR TO BE PHYSICALLY EXHAUSTED OR RUN DOWN BY THIS WORK. YOUR DAUGHTER SAID SHE WOULD TRY TO WRITE TO YOU MORE OFTEN.
3. I HOPE THE ABOVE INFORMATION CLARIFIES SOMEWHAT
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PAGE 02 GEORGE 00447 031940Z
YOUR DAUGHTER’S SITUATION. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT THE EMBASSY IF YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS. AMERICAN EMBASSY GEORGETOWN, GUYANA BURKE AMERICAN AMBASSADOR
4. PRUVACY ACT AUTHORIZATION WAS GRANTED ORALLY BY RHONDA FORTSON FOR US TO PASS ON THE ABOVE INFORMATION TO HER MOTHER.
BURKE [U.S. Ambassador John Burke]
NOTE BY OC/T: GEORGETOWN 447 PASSED ABOVE ADDRESSEE.
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