[Editor’s note: TThe text for this document was released in 2014 by the now-defunct Wikileaks website at https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1978STATE293766_d.html. This URL may be available through the Wayback Machine.]
UNCLASSIFIED
PAGE 01 STATE 293766
ORIGIN H-03
INFO OCT-01 EUR-08 EA-06 NEA-07 IO-06 ISO-00 SS-15 SSO-00 NSCE-00 AID-01 /047 R
DRAFTED BY H:DJBENNET:MJB
APPROVED BY H:DJBENNET
S/S-O:JTHYDEN
——————093418 191851Z /50
O 191839Z NOV 78 ZFF4
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO AMEMBASSY PARIS NIACT IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY PRAGUE NIACT IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST NIACT IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST NIACT IMMEDIATE
USMISSION USBERLIN NIACT IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY BERLIN NIACT IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY BONN NIACT IMMEDIATE
USMISSION GENEVA NIACT IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY BERN NIACT IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY LONDON NIACT IMMEDIATE
AMCONSUL STUTTGART NIACT IMMEDIATE
AMCONSUL FRANKFURT NIACT IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY TEHRAN NIACT IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY AMMAN NIACT IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY JIDDA NIACT IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY RABAT NIACT IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY TOKYO IMMEDIATE
USLO PEKING IMMEDIATE
AMCONSUL HONG KONG IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY SEOUL IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY TAIPEI IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY MANILA IMMEDIATE
UNCLAS STATE 293766
E.O. 11652: N/A
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PAGE 02 STATE 293766
TAGS: OREP
SUBJECT: REP. LEO RYAN
1. PLEASE INFORM CODELS THAT CONGRESSMAN LEO RYAN (D. CALIF.) WAS SHOT AND KILLED EVENING NOVEMBER 18 AT PORT KAITUMA IN INTERIOR OF GUYANA.
2. RYAN HAD TRAVELLED TO GUYANA TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS BY CONSTITUENTS THAT RELATIVES WERE BEING HELD AGAINST THEIR WILL IN PEOPLES TEMPLE AGRICULTURAL COMMUNE, BELIEVED INHABITED BY AS MANY AS 1100 AMERICAN CITIZENS. RYAN AND FOUR OTHERS WERE SHOT AND KILLED, APPARENTLY BY PEOPLES TEMPLE MEMBERS, AS THEY SOUGHT TO DEPART WITH SOME COMMUNE MEMBERS. SEVERAL OTHERS IN PARTY INJURED.
3. FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME, BUT WILL BE HANDLED BY RYAN’S OFFICE.
VANCE [Secretary of State Cyrus Vance]
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