[Editor’s note: This document was released both as a State Department cable as part of its 1981 FOIA release, and as Serial 1246 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/1978GEORGE04326_d.html. This URL may be available through the Wayback Machine.]
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GEORGE 04326 01 OF 02 181731Z
ACTION ARA-15
INFO OCT-01 EUR-12 ISO-00 CIAE-00 INR-10 NSAE-00
INRE-00 SCS-06 CA-01 H-01 L-03 SY-05 SYE-00
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O 181515Z DEC 78
FM AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8488
INFO AMEMBASSY BERN IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY CARACAS IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY PANAMA IMMEDIATE
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E.O. 12065: NA
TAGS: OREP, UR, GY, CDES, PINT
SUBJ: DOCUMENTS COVERING BEQUEST OF PEOPLES TEMPLE ASSETS TO USSR.
REF: GEORGETOWN 4317
1. FOLLOWING ARE TEXTS OF FOUR LETTERS INTRODUCED AS EVIDENCE BY GOG [GOVERNMENT OF GUYANA] DECEMBER 17 AT CORONER’S INQUEST INTO THE JONESTOWN MURDERS/SUICIDES. THE FIRST DOCUMENT IS A COVERING LETTER TO AN OFFICER OF THE SOVIET EMBASSY IN GEORGETOWN EXPLAINING THE BEQUEST; THE NEXT TWO ARE LETTERS TO OFFICERS OF THE BRANCHES OF TWO SWISS BANKS IN PANAMA DIRECTING THE DISPOSITION OF ASSETS; WHILE THE LAST DOCUMENT IS WHAT PURPORTS TO BE THE HOLOGRAPHIC WILL OF PEOPLES TEMPLE MEMBER MARIA KATSARIS ASSIGNING AN ACCOUNT IN VENEZUELA WHICH APPARENTLY SHE CONTROLLED TO THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE USSR. THE FIRST THREE LETTERS ARE SIGNED BY ONE ANNIE J. MCGOWAN, A PEOPLES TEMPLE MEMBER WHO PERISHED AT JONESTOWN WHO WAS APPARENTLY SIGNING AFFAIRS FOR THE ACCOUNTS IN
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PANAMA:
2. LETTER NO. 1 QUOTE:
NOVEMBER 18, 1978
MR. FEDOR TIMOFEYEV, CONSUL
48 CHANDRA NAGAR STREET
PRASHAD NAGAR
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA
DEAR COMRADE TIMOFEYEV,
THE FOLLOWING IS A LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING ALL OUR ASSETS WHICH WE WANT TO LEAVE TO THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS. ENCLOSED IN THIS LETTER ARE LETTERS WHICH INSTRUCT THE BANKS TO SEND THE CASHIERS CHECKS TO YOUR [YOU]. I AM DOING THIS ON BEHALF OF PEOPLES TEMPLE BECAUSE WE, AS COMMUNISTS, WANT OUR MONEY TO BE OF BENEFIT FOR HELP TO OPPRESSED PEOPLES ALL OVER THE WORLD, OR IN ANY WAY THAT YOUR DECISION-MAKING BODY SEES FIT.
THERE ARE TWO BASIC ACCOUNTS WHICH ARE IN FIXED TIME DEPOSITS. ONE IS LOCATED IN SWISS BANK CORPORATION, P.O. BOX 3370, PANAMA 4, PANAMA. IN THIS ACCOUNT ARE TWO DEPOSITS. ONE IS FOR $557,000.00 AND IT IS ON A THIRTY DAY ROTATION SO IT CAN BE WITHDRAWN ALMOST IMMEDIATELY WHICH THE LETTER OF INSTRUCTION SO INSTRUCTS. THE OTHER IS FOR $1,486,000.00 AND IT MATURES ON JULY 6, 1978 SO AT THAT TIME YOU SOULD (SIC) [SHOULD] RECEIVE A CASHIERS CHECK FOR THAT AMOUNT. THE OTHER ACCOUNT IS LOCATED IN THE UNION BANK OF SWITZERLAND, P.O. BOX 6792, PANAMA 5, PANAMA. IN THIS ACCOUNT ARE SEVEN FIXED TIME DEPOSITS. THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF AMOUNTS AND DATES DUE (NOT INCLUDING INTEREST EARNED):
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$300,000 • MAY 31, 1979
$200,000 • JULY 5, 1979
$1,623,000 • JULY 25, 1979
$1,000,000 • AUG. 21, 1979
$82,536 • AUG. 29, 1979
$1,036,000 • SEPT. 21, 1979
$1,000,000 • JULY 20, 1979
THE ACCOUNT NUMBER FOR THE ACCOUNT AT UNION BANK OF SWITZERLAND IS 121-00-191A. THE ACCOUNT NUMBER FOR THE ACCOUNT AT SWISS BANK CORPORATION IS $3357.
WITH THE ENCLOSED LETTER YOU SHOULD HAVE NO DIFFICULTY IN RECEIVING THE CHECKS UPON THE ABOVE MENTIONED MATURITY DATES.
COOPERATIVELY YOURS,
/S/ ANNIE J. MCGOWAN
UNQUOTE
3. LETTER NO. 2. QUOTE:
NOVEMBER 18, 1978
RUDOLF KELLER
UNION BANK OF SWITZERLAND
P.O. BOX 6792
PANAMA CITY, PANAMA
DEAR MR. KELLER,
THE FOLLOWING ARE MY INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE ACCOUNT NUMBER 121-00-191A.
AS EACH DEPOSIT COMES DUE, PLEASE SEND A CASHIERS CHECK FOR THE AMOUNT PLUS THE INTEREST EARNED TO:
MR. FEDOR TIMOFEYEV, COUNSUL (SIC) [CONSUL]
48 CHANDRA NAGAR STREET
PRASHAD NAGAR
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA
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THE FOLLOWING IS THE LIST OF DEPOSITS AND MATURITY DATES WHICH I WANT CHECKS MADE OUT FOR AND SENT TO THE ABOVE PERSON.
MAY 31, 1979 • $300,000
JULY 5, 1979 • $200,000
JULY 25, 1979 • $1,623,000
AUG. 21, 1979 • $1,000,000
SEPT. 21, 1979 • $1,036,000
JULY 30, 1981 • $1,000,000 (THREE YEAR DEPOSIT)
AS I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DO MUCH TRAVELING RIGHT NOW, PLEASE SEE THAT THE ABOVE INSTRUCTIONS ARE FOLLOWING (SIC) [FOLLOWED] EXACTLY.
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INFO OCT-01 EUR-12 ISO-00 CIAE-00 INR-10 NSAE-00
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FBIE-00 JUS-01 SS-15 SSO-00 NSCE-00 USSS-00 /070 W
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FM AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8489
INFO AMEMBASSY BERN IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY CARACAS IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY PANAMA IMMEDIATE
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VERY TRULY YOURS,
/S/ ANNIE J. MCGOWAN
UNQUOTE
4. LETTER NO. 3. QUOTE:
NOVEMBER 18, 1978
ANDRE MENNET
P.O. BOX 3370
SWISS BANKING CORPORATION
PANAMA CITY, PANAMA
DEAR MR. MENNET,
THE FOLLOWING ARE MY INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING MY ACCOUNT NUMBER 3357 WITH YOUR BANK. WHEN THE FIXED TIME DEPOSIT FOR THE $557,000.00 COMES DUE, PLEASE SEND A CASHIERS CHECK INCLUDING THE INTEREST EARNED FOR:
MR. FEDOR TIMOFEYEV, CONSUL
48 CHANDRA NAGAR STREET
PRASHAD NAGAR
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GEORGETOWN, GUYANA
YOU CAN MAKE THE CASHIERS CHECK OUT TO MR. FEDOR TIMOFEYEV. WITH THE FIXED TIME DEPOSIT THAT IS DUE ON JULY 6, 1978 FOR $1,486,000.00 PLEASE ALSO SEND A CASHIERS CHECK ADDRESSED TO MR. FEDOR TIMOFEYEV. PLEASE ALSO INCLUDE INTEREST EARNED IN THIS CHECK ALSO.
/S/ ANNIE J. MCGOWAN
UNQUOTE
5. QUOTE:
11-18-78
I MARIA KATSARIS LEAVE ALL THE MONEY IN THE BANCO UNION DE VENEZUELA IN CARACAS TO THE COMMUNIST PARTY SOVIET UNION. THE PERSON TO CONTACT IS MR. HEDDERICH (SIC) IN THE MAIN BRANCH OF BANCO UNION. THIS IS MY FINAL WISH BEFORE I DIE.
/S/MARIA KATSARIS
WITNESS:
JIM MCELVANE
MARILOU (SIC) [MARILEE] BOGUE
UNQUOTE.
BURKE [JOHN BURKE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO GUYANA]
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