[Editor’s note: This document was released both as a State Department cable as part of its 1981 FOIA release, and as Serial 1320 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/1978STATE320589_d.html. This URL may be available through the Wayback Machine.]
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STATE 320589
ORIGIN ARA-15
INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 /016 R 66011 DRAFTED BY:S/S-O:BRAMSEY
APPROVED BY:S/S-O:SVALERGA
——————086845 210628Z /20
O 210551Z DEC 78
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
INFO RUEKJCS/ SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2468
JCS WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2091
USCINCSOUTH IMMEDIATE
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FOL GEORGETOWN 4399 SENT ACTION SECSTATE INFO BERN PANAMA DEC 20, 1978
QUOTE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE GEORGETOWN 4399
E.O. 12065: NA
TAGS: CASC, GY, PEOPLES TEMPLE
SUBJ: PROTECTION OF U.S. INTERESTS VIS-A-VIS PEOPLES TEMPLE ASSESTS IN GUYANA.
REF: STATE 319402
1. UPON RECEIPT REFTEL AMBASSADOR OBTAINED APPOINTMENT WITH FOREIGN MINISTER RASHLEIGH JACKSON IN ORDER TO PRESENT HIM WITH THE NOTE, TEXT OF WHICH HAD BEEN FURNISHED IN REFTEL. AMBASSADOR REVIEWED ORALLY WITH THE FORMIN THE PRINCIPAL POINTS OF THE NOTE, EMPHASIZING PARTICULARLY THE USG INTEREST IN MAKING CERTAIN THAT THE NOTE WAS BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF ALL APPROPRIATE AGENCIES WITHIN THE GOG. AS ANTICIPATED FORMIN JACKSON DID NOT APPEAR TO BE WILLING OR PREPARED TO
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DISCUSS SUBSTANCE OF NOTE. HE PROMISED THAT IT WOULD BE STUDIED WITHIN THE GOG BY ALL INTERESTED ELEMENTS OF THE (#)
2. AMBASSADOR ALSO INFORMED JACKSON (WHO, IN THE ABSENCE OF MINISTER HAMILTON GREEN, IS CHAIRMAN OF THE GOG CABINET-LEVEL COMMITTEE ON JONESTOWN) THAT THE HELICOPTER SUPPORT THAT HAD BEEN PROVIDED DURING DURING THE LAST MONTH, WOULD BE WITHDRAWN IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS.
3. EMBASSY WOULD DRAW THE ATTENTION OF THE DEPARTMENT TO THE FACT THAT REFTEL DOES NOT ADDRESS THOSE PORTIONS OF GEORGETOWN 4316 DEALING WITH PT ASSETS IN GEORGETOWN INCLUDING THE RESIDENCE IN LAMAHA GARDENS, THE VARIOUS CRATES ON THE DOCKS, AND THE MOTOR VESSEL “CUDJOE” WHICH IS NOW BEING HELD IN GEORGETOWN BY THE GOG. AS DEPARTMENT IS AWARE, CONSULAR SEALS WERE PLACED ON VARIOUS PEOPLES TEMPLE CRATES DISCOVERED ON THE DOCKS SINCE THE INCIDENT AT JONESTOWN. WE HAVE NOT AS YET ATTEMPTED TO ASSERT ANY CONTROL OVER THE PEOPLES TEMPLE-OWNED RESIDENCE IN LAMAHA GARDENS, VEHICLES WHICH MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH IT, OR THE PEOPLES TEMPLE-OWNED MOTOR VESSEL. WE ARE PROBABLY APPROACHING THE MOMENT WHEN MR. FORTUNE SHOULD RETURN TO GEORGETOWN TO ASSIST AND ADVISE US ON THE QUESTIONS.
4. PLEASE ADVISE.
BURKE[.] UNQUOTE
CHRISTOPHER [Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher]
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