[Editor’s note: The text for this document was released in 2014 by the now-defunct Wikileaks website at https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1978GEORGE03853_d.html. This URL may be available through the Wayback Machine.]
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GEORGE 03853 220750Z
ACTION SCS-06
INFO OCT-01 ARA-11 ISO-00 H-01 CA-01 L-03 SSO-00 NSCE-00 /023 W
——————006046 220758Z /17
O 220545Z NOV 78
FM AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC NIACT IMMEDIATE 8133
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE GEORGETOWN 3853
E.O. 11652: N/A
TAGS: CASC OREP
SUBJECT: PEOPLE’S TEMPLE SURVIVORS UPDATE
REF: GEORGETOWN 3821
1. ADDITIONAL SURVIVING MEMBERS OF THE PEOPLE’S TEMPLE ARRIVED IN GEORGETOWN FROM PORT KAITUMA TONIGHT. THEY ARE:
DALE PARKS
BRENDA PARKS
TRACY PARKS
GROVER DAVIS
HYACINTH THRASH
CHRIS O’NEAL
JIM BOGUES
STILL REMAINING IN PORT KITUMA, BECAUSE OF SHORTAGE OF SPACE ON AIRCRAFT, IS ODELL RHODES. TO OUR KNOWLEDGE, HE IS THE ONLY VERIFIED REMAINING SURVIVOR OF PT OUTSIDE OF GEORGETOWN. THOSE LISTED ABOVE JOINED THE GROUP AT EVE LEARY POLICE STATION (REFTEL).
2. LIMITED SPACE AT EVE LEARY PROMPTED A DIVISION OF THE EVE LEARY GROUP. TEN MEMBERS (PARKS FAMILY, O’NEAL, STANLEY CLAYTON, ROBERT PAUL AND HYACINTH THRASH) MOVED TO HOTEL COMRADE’S
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INN (TELEPHONE 62159). ALL HAVE SIGNED SUBSISTENCE STATEMENTS.
3. A SEPARATE GROUP IS BEING DETAINED RPT DETAINED AT EVE LEARY. THEY ARE:
LARRY LAYTON
TIMOTHY J. CARTER
MICHAEL J. CARTER
MICHAEL J. PROKES
4. WE HAVE BEEN UNOFFICIALLY RPT UNOFFICIALLY INFORMED THAT LARRY LAYTON WILL BE ARRAIGNED TOMORROW AND CHARGED WITH MURDER, ATTEMPTED MURDER, AND RELATED CHARGES. HE HAS NOT BEEN SEEN BY A CONSULAR OFFICER, PRESUMABLY BECAUSE HE HAS NOT ASKED TO SEE ONE. MORE ON THIS BELOW HOWEVER.
5. THE OTHERS DETAINED -THE CARTERS AND PROKES- HAVE BEEN SEPARATED BECAUSE OF ANXIETY ON THE PART OF THE ORIGINAL EVE LEARY GROUP. THE LATTER GROUP FEELS THAT THE THREE WERE DEEPLY INVOLVED IN THE AIRPORT AND/OR MASS SUICIDE EVENTS. IMPRESSION OF CONSULAR OFFICER VISITING EVE LEARY THIS EVENING IS THAT THEY ALSO MAY BE CHARGED, AND SEPARATION IS NOT DUE SOLELY TO VERY REAL ANIMOSITY OF ORIGINAL EVE LEARY GROUP. THEIR LEGAL STATUS, HOWEVER, IS NOT RPT NOT CLEAR AT THIS MOMENT.
6. CONSULAR OFFICER ARRIVED AT EVE LEARY TO SEE NEWLY ARRIVED GROUP FROM PT KAITUMA JUST AS CARTER BROTHERS AND PROKES WERE BEING REMOVED TO THE “LOCK-UP”. TIMOTHY CARTER, KNOWN BY THE OFFICER, SHOUTED OUT THAT THEY HAD NOT BEEN ALLOWED TO CONTACT EMBASSY, DID NOT KNOW WHY THEY WERE BEING LOCKED-UP, ETC. THE POLICE OFFICER IN CHARGE (THIS WAS AT 10 PM LOCAL TIME) SUGGESTED AN OFFICIAL MEETING WITH THEM TOMORROW, BUT AT LAST AGREED TO PRO-FORMA MEETING TONIGHT. PRIVACY ACT AND SUBSISTENCE AGREEMENTS WERE SIGNED, NOK INFO TAKEN, FOOD PROVIDED, ETC.
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BUT DETAILED INTERVIEW WAS NOT ATTEMPTED. FACILITIES AT THE LOCK-UP WERE NOT SUITABLE AND AT THAT HOUR NO POLICE OFFICIAL EQUIPPED TO DISCUSS CHARGES WAS AVAILABLE. CONSULAR OFFICER ASSURED CARTERS AND PROKES THAT A MORE DETAILED DISCUSSION WOULD BE HELD TOMORROW.
7. AFTER CARTERO/PROKES INTERVIEW CONSULAR OFFICER IMPRESSED AGAIN ON AVAILABLE POLICE THE REQUIREMENT THAT A CONSULAR OFFICER BE CONTACTED AT THE REQUEST OF ANY AMERICAN CITIZEN ARRESTED OR HELD BY POLICE. LAYTON WILL THREFORE BE VISITED TOMORROW WHEN NEXT CALL ON CARTERS AND PROKES IS MADE.
8. NEXT OF KIN DATA NOT ALREADY PROVIDED IN REF MSG ARE:
PT CARTER, TIMOTHY J.
NOK F.E. CARTER (FATHER)
206 W 42ND STREET
TEL (208) 376-2620
PT CARTER, MICHAEL J.
SAME AS ABOVE
PT PROKES, MICHAEL J.
NOK MARK PROKES (MOTHER)
ADDRESS 1701 CONCORD AVENUE, MODESTA CA
TELEPHONE 209 523-0666
PT O’NEAL, CHRISTOPHER
NOK JAMES O’NEAL (FATHER)
ADDRESS YYP LESLIE ST #52 UBIAK, CA 95482
PT DAVIS, GROVER (CORRECTING INFORMATION PROVIDED BY TELCON PREVIOUSLY)
NOK JERI AND JEAN DAVIS (DAUGHTERS)
ADDRESS 6727 RAINIER AVE SO #121 SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98119
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TELEPHONES 206 722-2774 AND 206 226-0984
THEY SHOULD BE ASKED TO NOTIFY L.C. DAVIS, THERI [THEIR] BROTHER, WHOSE ADDRESS AND TELEPHONE NUMBER WERE APPARENTLY INCORRECTLY PROVIDED BEFORE)
9. EVE LEARY GROUP IS NOW ASKING WHEN AND HOW THEY MAY LEAVE BUT ARE STILL WILLING TO COOPERATE FULLY WITH POLICE. DISCUSSIONS WITH THE POLICE REGARDING THEIR PLANS WILL BE HELD TOMORROW BEFORE EMBASSY MAKES ANY SUGGESTIONS REGARDING REPATRIATION.
BURKE [U.S. Ambassador John Burke]
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