[Editor’s note: This document was released both as a State Department cable as part of its 1981 FOIA release, and as Serial 1636 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/1978STATE319334_d.html. This URL may be available through the Wayback Machine.]
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STATE 319334
ORIGIN L-01
INFO OCT-01 SS-14 ISO-00 JUSE-00 ARA-10 FBIE-00 NSCE-00 SSO-00 INR-05 INRE-00 CIAE-00 NSAE-00 H-01 CA-01 SCS-01 /034 R
DRAFTED BY JUSTICE:M.ABBELL:L/ARA:T.FORTUNE:JV
APPROVED BY L – L. M. MARKS
ARA – J. BUSHNELL
DESIRED DISTRIBUTION
FBI (J. INGRAM), JUSTICE (ABBELL)
——————061043 192341Z /62
O 192312Z DEC 78
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 319334
LIMDIS
E.O. 12065 12065: GDS 12/19/84 (MARKS, LEE M.)
TAGS: CASC, OREP (RYAN, LEO), GY
SUBJEC,: REQUEST BY FBI TO REMOVE FROM GUYANA MATERIALS TAKEN BY CONSULAR OFFICERS FROM JONESTOWN
REFS: (A) GEORGETOWN 4315; (B) STATE 304925
1. EMBASSY IS AUTHORIZED TO RELEASE TO THE FBI MATERIALS NOW IN CONSULAR CUSTODY OF EMBASSY WHICH FBI REPRESENTATIVE IDENTIFIES AS BEING OF POTENTIAL EVIDENTIARY VALUE. AS NOTED IN REF (B), 22 U.S.C. SECTION 1175 (BEGIN UNDERSCORE) ET SEQ (END UNDERSCORE) DOES NOT PRECLUDE USE OF MATERIAL IN CONSULAR CUSTODY FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT PURPOSES OR CIRCUMSCRIBE INVESTIGATIVE AUTHORITY OF FBI. DEPARTMENT HAS RECEIVED REQUEST FROM DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FOR
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ACCESS TO THIS MATERIAL. ACCESS MAY BE GRANTED EITHER WITHIN OR OUTSIDE THE CONSULAR DISTRICT OF GEORGETOWN
2. IN ORDER FOR FBI INVESTIGATION TO PROCEED EFFECTIVELY, IT IS NECESSARY THAT DOCUMENTS AND TAPES IN CUSTODY OF U.S. CONSUL BE RETURNED TO U.S. FBI ESTIMATES THAT COPYING SEVEN CARTONS OF TAPE RECORDINGS IN POSSESSION OF EMBASSY WOULD TAKE AT LEAST TWO MONTHS IN GUYANA WITH PORTABLE EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE FOR PURPOSE. SAME TAPES COULD BE COPIED IN FBI LAB IN WASHINGTON IN 2-1/2 TO 3 WEEKS WITH A MARKEDLY HIGHER QUALITY OF REPRODUCTION. FBI FURTHER ADVISES THAT COPYING MORE THAN SEVEN CARTONS OF PEOPLE’S TEMPLE DOCUMENTS IN POSSESSION OF EMBASSY WOULD TAKE APPROXIMATELY FOUR MONTHS WITH MANPOWER AND EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE IN GUYANA, BUT COULD BE ACCOMPLISHED IN FBI LAB IN APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS WITH SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER QUALITY COPIES.
3. IN VIEW OF NECESSITY OF RETURNING THIS MATERIAL TO THE U.S., EMBASSY IS REQUESTED TO MAKE THE FOLLOWING PROPOSAL TO GOG ASAP. ALL DESIGNATED MATERIALS WOULD BE TRANSPORTED TO U.S. USG WILL PROVIDE COPIES OF ALL TAPES AND DOCUMENTS TO GOG AS SOON AS THESE ARE AVAILABLE. GOG LAW ENFORCEMENT REPRESENTATIVES WOULD BE WELCOME TO COME TO WASHINGTON TO WORK WITH FBI IN CONNECTION WITH REPRODUCTION OF TAPES AND DOCUMENTS. PRESENCE OF GOG REPRESENTATIVES DURING REPRODUCTION PROCESS AND TRANSPORT OF REPRODUCED MATERIALS BACK TO GUYANA MAY BE SUFFICIENT FOR EVIDENTIARY CHAIN OF CUSTODY PURPOSES IN CONNECTION WITH GUYANESE LEGAL PROCEEDINGS. AS NECESSARY, USG WILL MAKE ORIGINALS OF SUCH MATERIALS AVAILABLE TO GOG IN CONNECTION WITH COURT PROCEEDINGS IN GUYANA.
VANCE [Secretary of State Cyrus Vance]
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