[Editor’s note: This document was released both as a State Department cable as part of its 1981 FOIA release, and as Serial 671 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/1978GEORGE04060_d.html.]
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GEORGE 04060 011857Z
ACTION ARA-15
INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 SCS-06 CA-01 CIAE-00 INR-10 NSAE-00 INRE-00 FBIE-00 SY-05 SYE-00 PA-02 TRSE-00 MCT-02 USSS-00 H-02 AID-05 SS-15 SSO-00 NSCE-00 DODE-00 JUSE-00 L-03 HEW-06 ICAE-00 OC-06 CCO-00 /079 W
——————050856 011901Z /50
O 011855Z DEC 78
FM AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC NIACT IMMEDIATE 8304
UNCLAS GEORGETOWN 4060
E.O. 11652: N/A
TAGS: CASC, GY, (PEOPLE’S TEMPLE)
SUBJECT: REPATRIATION OF REMAINING SURVIVORS
REF: ELLICE/GISE TELECON 12/1/78
1. EMBASSY HAS STILL HEARD NOTHING (AS OF 1430 L [local]) CONCERNING RELEASE OF MORE SURVIVORS.
2. MANY SURVIVORS, NOW MORE CALM AND LESS DEPENDENT ON OUTSIDE GUIDANCE THAN AT FIRST, ARE ARRANGING FOR FRIENDS AND RELATIVES TO PRE-PAY RETURN AIRFARE ON PAN AM. WE SUGGEST YOU TELL INQUIRING RELATIVES TO DO LIKEWISE IF IT IS WITHIN THEIR MEANS.
3. IF EACH OF THOSE THAT MIGHT FLY OUT ON SOME YET-TO-BE-ARRANGED U.S. MILITARY FLIGHT ARE GOING TO BE EXPECTED TO REPAY THE TOTAL COST OF THE MISSION DIVIDED BY THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS THE AMOUNT WILL PROBABLY BE STAGGERING. WE EXPECT THEM TO DECLINE THIS OPTION, IF IT IS OFFERED, IN FAVOR OF PAN AM.
4. WE WILL OF COURSE NOTIFY YOU, HEW [Health, Education and Welfare], AND THE FBI AS SOON AS WE KNOW OF ANY TRAVELLERS.
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BURKE [John Burke, U.S. Ambassador to Guyana]
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