[Editor’s note: The text for this document was released in 2014 by the now-defunct Wikileaks website at https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1978PORTO03354_d.html. This URL may be available through the Wayback Machine.]
UNCLASSIFIED
PAGE 01
PORT O 03354 221627Z
ACTION ARA-15
INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 INR-10 /026 W
——————015428 222123Z /75
P 221625Z NOV 78
FM AMEMBASSY PORT OF SPAIN
TO USINFO WASHDC PRIORITY
INFO SECSTATE WASHDC 3263
AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
UNCLAS PORT OF SPAIN 03354
FOR PGM/RC, AR
E.O. 11652: N/A
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION
1. PRESS PLAY ON GUYANA TROUBLES CONTINUES HEAVY ALTHOUGH THERE ARE SOME INDICATIONS IT MAY NOW BE BEGINNING TO SUBSIDE. FOCUS SHIFTING TO SEARCH FOR ESCAPEES, PREMEDITATED SUICIDE PLANS, AND UNSYMPATHETIC PROFILE-ANALYSES OF JONES’ PERSONALITY WHICH NOW CONVINCINGLY ESTABLISHED AS PSYCHO-FANATIC.
2. CONSIDERABLE ATTENTION GIVEN BY BROADCAST MEDIA TO GOG CLAIMS THAT “RECOMMENDATIONS FROM PROMINENT AMERICANS” WERE KEY PERSUASIVE FACTOR IN ITS DECISION TO PERMIT ESTABLISHMENT OF JONESTOWN COMMUNE. SOME REPORTS WERE ACCOMPANIED BY INDIVIDUAL AMERICAN DENIALS THAT THEY HAD IN FACT ENDORSED JONES’ CULT.
ASKEY [Dennis Askey, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Embassy, Port-of-Spain]
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