[Editor’s note: This document was released both as a State Department cable as part of its 1981 FOIA release, and as Serial 1423 of the FBI’s RYMUR release.
[The State Department FOIA release of 1981 made substantial deletions in this cable. Some of the withheld material was included in the FBI’s RYMUR release. It is designated below in red type. The portions of the RYMUR release which were withheld, but which are known to the editor, are indicated below in blue type.]
UNCLASSIFIED
PAGE 01
GEORGE 04437 261427Z
[Agencies receiving informational copy on PDF]
R 261211Z DEC 78
FM AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8557
UNCLAS GEORGETOWN 4437
DEPT PLEASE PASS FBI HEW USSS ALL WASHDC
E.O. 12065: NA
TAGS: CASC, GY (PEOPLE’S TEMPLE MEMBERS)
SUBJ: STATUS REPORT
REF: GEORGETOWN 4095
1. The following is a run-down on the surviving members of the People’s Temple in Georgetown, their legal status, and their departure plans:
A. Arrested: Lawrence [Laurence] (Larry) Layton, Charles Beikman, Stephan Jones.
B. Free to leave the country:
1) Paula Adams – will stay in Georgetown until conclusion of trial. She plans to purchase her own airline ticket.
2) [name deleted] [MaryAnne Casanova] – travel plans indefinite, but has prepaid tickets.
3) [name deleted] – travel plans indefinite. He was scheduled to leave Georgetown on December 21, 1978, but changed his mind. Embassy has his ticket, purchased with repatriation funds.
4) [name deleted] young man temporarily in the care of [name deleted] (see above). He has a prepaid ticket.
5) [name deleted] – will leave as soon as Pan Am airlines can arrange for FAA marshals to company. Unless relatives send pre-
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paid tickets, he will require repatriation funds.
6) [name deleted] – travel plans indefinite. He plans to purchase his own ticket and to pay bills accumulated while he was on subsistence.
7) Diane [Dianne] Scheid – [daughter of MaryAnne Casanova] (see above), just released from hospital. She has a prepaid ticket.
8) Eugene Smith – will leave as soon as Pan Am airlines can arrange for FAA marshals to accompany. He has stated that he and [name deleted] (see above) understand difficulty of scheduling marshals over the holidays, and that staying until the new year is not a hardship. Unless relatives send prepaid tickets, he will require repatriation funds.
9) [name deleted] – travel plans indefinite. She has said she will pay for her own ticket.
10) [name deleted] – will remain in Georgetown until conclusion of trials. She plans to purchase her own airline ticket.
11) [name deleted] – whereabouts unknown.
C. Required by Guyana Police Department to remain in the country:
1) [name deleted] – at Lamaha Gardens
2) [name deleted] – at the Park Hotel. He has a prepaid ticket.
3) [name deleted] – at the Park Hotel. He has a prepaid ticket.
4) [name deleted] – at Lamaha Gardens.
5) [name deleted] – at Lamaha Gardens.
6) [name deleted] – at Lamaha Gardens.
7) Michael Prokes – at the Park Hotel. He has a prepaid ticket.
8) Joan Pursley – at Lamaha Gardens. She has a prepaid ticket.
9) Aurora Rodriguez – at Lamaha Gardens. She has a prepaid ticket.
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10) Michael Touchette – at Lamaha Gardens.
2. The following left via Pan Am PPA 228 on December 21, 1978:
Monica Bagby – required repatriation
[Deletion of a dozen names]
3. The Government of Guyana is, as of last weekend, bearing the room and board costs of those required to stay at the Park Hotel. Those at Lamaha (including [Casanova], Scheid, [name deleted], and Smith) are paying for themselves. [name deleted] indicated she had marital plans, and has now informed the embassy of her whereabouts.
4. Local Pan American office maintains that US sky marshals still required on flights carrying PT survivors. Dept. may wish to check this point with Pan Am New York.
BURKE
UNCLASSIFIED