Dec 21, 78 • 1600 • Georgetown-State • 4407

[Editor’s note: The text for this document was released in 2014 by the now-defunct Wikileaks website at https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1978GEORGE04407_d.html. This URL may be available through the Wayback Machine.]

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ACTION ARA-10
INFO OCT-01 SS-14 ISO-00 INR-05 INRE-00 CIAE-00 NSAE-00 SSO-00 NSCE-00 DODE-00 H-01 L-01 SCS-01 CA-01 /034 W
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O 211600Z DEC 78
FM AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8527
INFO AMEMBASSY PANAMA IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L GEORGETOWN 4407
LIMDIS
PANAMA FOR DCM DIKEOS

E.O. 12065: GDS 12/21/84 (BURKE, JOHN R.) OR-M
TAGS: CASC, OREP (RYAN, LEO), GY
SUBJ CPOSSIBLE EXISTENCE OF DIARY AND OTHER DOCUMENTS OF JIM JONES IN PANAMA.
REF: GEORGETOWN 4228.

RELIABLE LOCAL JOURNALIST SOURCE INFORMED EMBSSY DECEMBER 21 THAT TWO FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS WHO HAD GONE TO PANAMA TO OBTAIN PEOPLES TEMPLE DOCUMENTS, PRESUMABLY FROM MILITARY PERSONNEL WHO HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN EVACUATION OF BODIES, HAD RETURNED TO GEORGETOWN. THEY INFORMED HIM THAT THEY HAD HAD SOME SUCCESS AND HAD ACQUIRED APPROXIMATELY TWENTY-TWO DOCUMENTS; THE MORE IMPORTANT OF THESE THEY HAD ASKED AN ACQUAINTANCE, DESCRIBED AS A “STARLET,” TO TAKE DIRECTLY TO THE U.S. THEY OBSERVED TO OUR LOCAL SOURCE THAT THE U.S. MILITARY APPARENTLY HAD PUT A LID ON THEIR POTENTIAL CONTACTS AND THAT SEVERAL OTHER DOCUMENTS HAD APPARENTLY BEEN TURNED IN BY AMERICAN SERVICEMEN TO THEIR COMMANDS RATHER THAN RISK GIVING THEM TO THE

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JOURNALISTS.

BURKE [U.S. Ambassador John Burke]

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