[Editor’s note: This document was released both as a State Department cable as part of its 1981 FOIA release, and as Serial 417 of the FBI’s RYMUR release.
[The text for this document was released in 2014 by the now-defunct Wikileaks website at https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1978STATE299148_d.html.]
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PAGE 01 STATE 299148
ORIGIN ARA-15
INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 SSO-00 SCS-06 CA-01 L-03 SVC-00 FBIE-00 SS-15 CIAE-00 INR-10 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 ICAE-00 INRE-00 PA-01 TRSE-00 SY-05 SYE-00 USSS-00 H-01 JUSE-00 /058 R
DRAFTED BY ARA:AHEWITT:JE
APPROVED BY ARA:JABUSHNELL
S/S-O:TREYNDERS
——————090281 261926Z /14
O 261845Z NOV 78
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN IMMEDIATE
INFO CINCSOUTHCOM QUARRY HTS CZ IMMEDIATE
CINCMAC SCOTT AFB ILL IMMEDIATE
US REDCOM/RCJ2 MACDILL AFB FLA IMMEDIATE
USCINCARRED FT MCPHERSON GA IMMEDIATE
CDR 18TH AIRBORNE CORPS FT BRAGG NC IMMEDIATE
SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE IMMEDIATE 2129
JCS WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1728
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E.O. 11652: N/A
TAGS: CASC, GY
SUBJECT: PRESS INQUIRIES ON PEOPLE’S TEMPLE
1. PRESS HAS INQUIRED WHETHER AMBASSADOR [John] BURKE EVER MET WITH REVEREND JIM JONES OFFICIALLY OR SOCIALLY. CAN THE EMBASSY SUPPLY THIS INFORMATION? WE ARE AWARE FROM [Embassy Consul Richard] MCCOY OF A MEETING BETWEEN AMBASSADOR BURKE AND MRS. [Marceline] JONES BUT WOULD APPRECIATE THE DATE OF THAT MEETING.
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PAGE 02 STATE 299148
2. DID THE EMBASSY EVER RECEIVE A COPY OF THE SO-CALLED BLAKEY AFFIDAVIT EXECUTED IN CALIFORNIA JUNE 15, 1978? THE DEPARTMENT (SCS) WAS SENT A COPY, BUT ARA FILES DO NOT CONTAIN A COPY. MCCOY SAYS NO COPY WAS RECEIVED BY THE EMBASSY PRIOR TO HIS DEPARTURE ON AUGUST 5, BUT IT MAY HAVE BEEN RECEIVED THEREAFTER. IF THE AFFIDAVIT WAS RECEIVED BY THE EMBASSY, WAS IT DISCUSSED WITH THE GOG [Government of Guyana]?
CHRISTOPHER [Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher]
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