[Editor’s note: This document was released both as a State Department cable as part of its 1981 FOIA release, and as Serial 64 of the FBI’s RYMUR release. The original State Department release withheld several names in this cable. They are indicated by red type below.
[The text for this document was released in 2014 by the now-defunct Wikileaks website at https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1978STATE295260_d.html. This URL may be available through the Wayback Machine.]
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
PAGE 01
STATE 295260
ORIGIN SCS-06
INFO OCT-01 ARA-11 ISO-00 CA-01 FBIE-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 PA-01 TRSE-00 MCT-02 INR-10 INRE-00 SY-05 SYE-00 USSS-00 H-01 AID-05 SS-15 SSO-00 NSCE-00 CCO-00 OC-06 JUSE-00 NSAE-00 ICAE-00 CG-00 DOTE-00 L-03 /067 R
DRAFTED BY CA/OCS/ MWHITE:DG
APPROVED BY ARA/ JBUSHNELL
S/S-O/JTHYDEN ——————002773 220409Z /64
O 220333Z NOV 78
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN IMMEDIATE
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE STATE 295260
E.O. 11652;N/A
TAGS: CASC, CDES (PEOPLE’S TEMPLE)
SUBJECT: DEPT. ASSUMPTION OF DEATH AND W/W NOTIFICATION RESPONSIBILITIES
1. DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN INFORMED BY SUZANNE JONES, ADOPTED ELDEST CHILD OF JIM JONES, LEADER OF THE PEOPLE’S TEMPLE, THAT HER BROTHER, STEPHAN JONES, HAS RELEASED TO GUAYANA AUTHORITIES THE NAMES OF APPROXIMATELY FORTY MEMBERS OF THE TEMPLE WHO HAVE SURVIVED AND WERE WITH HIM AT THE PEOPLE’S TEMPLE HEADQUARTERS HOUSE IN GEORGETOWN. PLEASE ATTEMPT TO OBTAIN A LIST OF SUCH MEMBERS AND REPORT THEIR WHEREABOUTS AND NAMES TO THE DEPARTMENT .
CHRISTOPHER [Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher]
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
NNN