{"id":103503,"date":"2020-10-23T16:11:40","date_gmt":"2020-10-23T23:11:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/?page_id=103503"},"modified":"2026-04-25T11:25:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T18:25:48","slug":"may-15-1979-%e2%80%a2-2013-%e2%80%a2-state-georgetown-%e2%80%a2-123670","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/?page_id=103503","title":{"rendered":"May 15, 1979 \u2022 2013 \u2022 State-Georgetown \u2022 123670"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Editor\u2019s note<\/strong>: The text for this document was released in 2014 by Wikileaks<\/a>. It is also available through the Internet Archive<\/a>.]<\/em><\/p>\n

UNCLASSIFIED
\nPAGE 01
\nSTATE 123670
\nORIGIN ARA-15
\nINFO OCT-01 ADS-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 SSO-00 ICAE-00 INRE-00 PM-05 H-02 INR-10 L-03 PA-02 SP-02 SS-15 HA-05 TRSE-00 \/060 R
\nDRAFTED BY ARA\/CAR:R A MCCOY:KC
\nAPPROVED BY ARA\/CAR:J GRIFFITH
\n——————049382 152023Z \/62 <\/p>\n

O 152013Z MAY 79
\nFM SECSTATE WASHDC
\nTO AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN IMMEDIATE
\nUNCLAS STATE 123670 <\/p>\n

E.O. 12065 N\/A
\nTAGS: CGEN
\nSUBJECT: HFAC REPORT ON JONESTOWN TRAGEDY <\/p>\n

1. FOLLOWING IS VERBATIM TEXT OF SECTION I: INVOLVEMENT OF THE GOVERNMENT OF GUYANA. <\/p>\n

BEGIN TEXT: <\/p>\n

ON THE ISSUE OF PEOPLE’S TEMPLE INVOLVEMENT WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF GUYANA, THE STAFF INVESTIGATIVE GROUP RENDERS THE FOLLOWING INCOMPLETE FINDINGS (FOR FURTHER ELABORATION, SEE APPENDIX III-I IN CLASSIFIED VERSION ONLY): <\/p>\n

THERE IS EVIDENCE OF A STRONG WORKING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PEOPLE’S TEMPLE AND SOME OFFICIALS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF GUYANA, ESPECIALLY IN THE AREAS OF CUSTOMS PROCEDURES, OFTEN WITH CURSORY INSPECTION AT BEST. MANY SHIPMENTS WERE INSPECTED PERFUNCTORILY <\/p>\n

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\nPAGE 02 STATE 123670 <\/p>\n

OR NOT AT ALL. IT IS LIKELY THAT PEOPLE’S TEMPLE BROUGHT LARGE SUMS OF MONEY AND GUNS INTO GUYANA IN SUITCASES AND FALSE-BOTTOM CRATES AS A RESULT OF SUCH CUSTOMS INSPECTIONS. AS A MATTER OF FACT, SOME OF THESE CONCERNS WERE EXPRESSED BY GUYANESE OFFICIALS. <\/p>\n

— GUYANESE IMMIGRATION PROCEDURES WERE ALSO COMPROMISED TO THE ADVANTAGE OF PEOPLE’S TEMPLE ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, CHIEFLY IN TWO KEY AREAS. FIRST, PEOPLE’S TEMPLE MEMBERS WERE ABLE TO FACILITATE ENTRY OF THEIR OWN MEMBERS OR INHIBIT THE EXIT OF DEFECTORS BY HAVING ACCESS TO CUSTOMS AREAS AT TIMEHRI AIRPORT IN GEORGETOWN CLOSED TO ALL OTHER CITIZENS. SECOND, CLEARLY ARBITRARY DECISIONS WERE MADE TO CURTAIL THE VISAS AND EXPEDITE THE EXIT OF INDIVIDUALS REGARDED AS OPPONENTS OF PEOPLE’S TEMPLE. ONLY UPON THE STRENUOUS EFFORTS OF THE U.S. EMBASSY WERE SOME OF THESE DECISIONS ULTIMATELY REVERSED AND THEN AT THE LAST MINUTE. THERE ARE IN THE INVESTIGATIVE RECORD REPEATED CHARGES OF A SEXUAL LIAISON BETWEEN PEOPLE’S TEMPLE MEMBER PAULA ADAMS AND LAURENCE MANN, GUYANA’S AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES. IT HAS BEEN REPORTED THAT MS. ADAMS MADE TAPE RECORDINGS OF HER SEXUAL ENCOUNTERS WITH MANN. TRANSCRIPTS OF SOME OF THOSE TAPES WERE APPARENTLY MADE FOR MR. JONES AND PERIODICALLY TURNED OVER TO HIGH OFFICIALS IN GUYANESE GOVERNMENT. THERE IS ALSO EVIDENCE, INCOMPLETE AND INCONCLUSIVE, THAT UNKNOWN OFFICIALS OF THE GUYANESE GOVERNMENT MAY HAVE TAKEN ACTION TO INFLUENCE THE OUTCOME OF THE <\/p>\n

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\nUNCLASSIFIED
\nPAGE 03 STATE 123670 <\/p>\n

STOEN CUSTODY CASE PROCEEDINGS IN THE GUYANESE COURT SYSTEM. <\/p>\n

TESTIMONY FROM SOME WITNESSES SUGGEST THAT SUPPORT EXTENDED TO THE PEOPLE’S TEMPLE BY DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER OF DEVELOPMENT PTOLEMY REID WAS BORN OF AN IDEOLOGICAL COMPATIBILITY WITH AND ENDORSEMENT OF THE TEMPLE’S SOCIALIST PHILOSOPHY. WHILE SUCH SUPPORT WAS EXPLOITED IN THE SENSE THAT IT HAD THE ULTIMATE EFFECT OF FURTHERING PEOPLE’S TEMPLE OBJECTIVES, IT DID NOT APPEAR TO BE GENERATED FOR ILLEGAL REASONS. <\/p>\n

NOTE – IN REFERENCE TO THESE FINDINGS REGARDING THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE GOVERNMENT OF GUYANA TO THE PEOPLE’S TEMPLE, THE STAFF INVESTIGATIVE GROUP WAS PRECLUDED FROM CONFIRMING OR DISPELLING VARIOUS ALLEGATIONS BY THE REFUSAL OF THE GUYANESE GOVERNMENT TO MEET AND TALK WITH THE GROUP, PER CHAIRMAN ZABLOCKI’S REQUESTS OF MARCH 2 AND 16, 1979. (SEE APPENDIX II-E-1.) CONSEQUENTLY, TO OUR REGRET, SOME OF THE FINDINGS NOTED ABOVE MUST REMAIN PARTIAL AND INCOMPLETE. THERE IS NO DOUBT IN OUR MIND, HOWEVER, THAT OUR INABILITY TO INTERVIEW GUYANESE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS LEAVES THIS REPORT WITH A CONSPICUOUS VOID. <\/p>\n

END TEXT <\/p>\n

2. AMBASSADOR MANN HAS BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE ABOVE INFORMATION. <\/p>\n

VANCE [Secretary of State Cyrus Vance]<\/p>\n

UNCLASSIFIED
\nNNN<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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