{"id":113326,"date":"2022-01-30T17:27:15","date_gmt":"2022-01-31T01:27:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/?page_id=113326"},"modified":"2022-02-01T15:54:35","modified_gmt":"2022-02-01T23:54:35","slug":"q937-summary","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/?page_id=113326","title":{"rendered":"Q937 Summary"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary prepared by Fielding M. McGehee III. If you use this material, please credit The Jonestown Institute. Thank you.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

To read the Tape Transcript,\u00a0click here<\/a>. Listen to MP3 (Pt. 1<\/a>,\u00a0Pt. 2<\/a>).
\nTo return to the Tape Index, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

FBI Catalogue<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jones Speaking<\/p>\n

FBI preliminary tape identification note: <\/strong>None<\/p>\n

Date cues on tape:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Late 1977 (soon after Charles Garry\u2019s trip to Jonestown<\/a>)<\/p>\n

People named:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Public figures\/National and international names:<\/em>
\nAndrew Young, US Ambassador to UN
\nCharles Garry, Temple attorney
\nJoe Mazor, private detective<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Temple adversaries; members of Concerned Relatives:<\/em>
\nWalter Jones (by reference)
\nDorothy James (mother of Shanda James, by reference)
\nHoward and Beverly Oliver (by reference)
\nGrace Stoen<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jonestown residents:<\/em>
\nMary Black
\nNancy Clay
\nIrene Edwards
\nDavid George
\nGabrielle George
\nPhilip George
\nTom Grubbs (speaks<\/strong>)
\nShanda James (by reference)
\nMarceline Jones (speaks<\/strong>)
\nMichael Jones
\nStephan Jones
\nVincent Lopez (speaks<\/strong>)
\nBruce Oliver (by reference)
\nWilliam Oliver (by reference)
\nEva Pugh
\nJim Pugh
\nCharlie Touchette
\nJoyce Touchette
\nRichard Tropp
\nLarry Tupper
\nNeal Welcome<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bible verses cited: <\/strong> None<\/p>\n

Summary:<\/strong><\/p>\n

(This tape was transcribed by Heather Shannon. The<\/em> editors gratefully acknowledge her invaluable assistance.)<\/em><\/p>\n

While undated definitively, the tone of this recording of a Peoples Rally in Jonestown sometime in late 1977 is quite different from the increasingly-chaotic community meetings of the following year leading up to November 18. There are moments when Jim Jones loses his temper, and instances when people are called upon the floor for seemingly petty offenses, but for the most part, it depicts a community trying to establish itself as a permanent and healthy presence.<\/p>\n

The major migration into Jonestown is complete by now, but Jones is still selling the place, using a carrot-and-stick approach. The stick is what life was life back in the States: in addition to terrible economic conditions and the general lack of will for people to resist what\u2019s being done to them, there are specific horrors of the Ku Klux Klan marching in the streets, and concentration camps already set up. As for the carrot, they have a beautiful community that has the full support of the national government, they are far enough away that disgruntled relatives and other enemies can\u2019t reach them, they have such excellent health care that no one \u2013 not even the diabetics \u2013 has died in the months they\u2019ve been there.<\/p>\n

And the results should be apparent to everyone. Everyone is thriving, and those who were in trouble in the U.S. have changed and become productive. \u201cAnd that\u2019s what Jonestown means,\u201d Jones says. \u201cThat\u2019s what communism means. Only Jonestown father and communism can bring that change.\u201d The response of the crowd gathered before him is enthusiastic and optimistic.<\/p>\n

There are things they need to watch out for, though. Jones wants everyone to be aware of what the community needs to survive. That means they need to know the cost of food, how much food it takes to feed everyone, and what they need to do to produce it themselves. They also need to careful in consumption. People shouldn\u2019t be denied what they need, but wasting food is counter-revolutionary, a betrayal of the cause.<\/p>\n

Jones talks about the changes in disciplinary actions taken against miscreants, and how even that has improved. \u201cPublic humiliation\u2026 is a good form of discipline,\u201d he tells them. \u201cIt\u2019s better than boxing. It\u2019s better than spanking. We\u2019d rather compliment and humiliate, so that we can grow, than to get into physical violence with one another, wouldn\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n

But he wants to be sure the people know where all of this is coming from. \u201cWe oughta kiss<\/em> the ground, we oughta thank the principle bearer, our Father, every day for this chance,\u2026 \u2018cause there\u2019s never been a leader, Marxist-Leninist or anybody else that\u2019s ever sacrificed like I have to see that you<\/em> get what you need.\u201d<\/p>\n

In case they don\u2019t know what those sacrifices are \u2013 and he says their ignorance of that is on display right that moment \u2013 he goes on to detail some of them, especially those at the expense to his own health. He needs meat to maintain his \u201cbasic physical health,\u201d but he lets others have his portions. He needs diet colas to soothe his stomach, but they\u2019re too expensive, so he does without. : I don\u2019t have one damn convenience. You hear what I\u2019m saying?\u201d<\/p>\n

There are a few chinks in the Jonestown paradise which Jones addresses in an oblique way. He knows, for example, that if any of them wrote to their relatives in the States to ask for money to go home, their kin would comply. But here\u2019s his challenge: \u201cEvery one of you think you got a good relative tonight, write up and say \u2026 we\u2019re adopting a child, I want a hundred dollars to help with that child. \u2026 I dare you to ask them for a hundred dollars for one of those precious little babies, and see how sweet your mother fuckin\u2019, daddy fuckin\u2019 relative is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later in the tape \u2013 the elapsed time is unknown, since there are several edits \u2013 Jones does express anger at a couple of his followers. Coming back in from one of the edits, Jones seethes at a woman who needs to be excused to go to the bathroom. \u201cMy God, you go to lay your fucking hand in my face and see that you piss when I\u2019m struggling between being a father and a leader. Goddamn you, go piss.\u201d The crowd joins him in the criticism.<\/p>\n

In addition, belying his earlier remarks that the community has uplifted everyone, he calls a young man onto the floor for not appreciating what everyone has done for him. Others are questioned in a general sense on the depth of their commitment to their cause. \u201cYou better talk about being loyal to Peoples Temple,\u201d he calls out near the end of the tape. \u201cWe haven\u2019t come over here and found no panacea. We haven\u2019t found no goddamn panacea. We just got a lotta room. You understand what I\u2019m talkin\u2019 about?<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, you have<\/em> landed in Gloryland,\u201d he adds in conclusion. \u201cThis is a Promised Land to us. But that doesn\u2019t mean every fucker walks in here is part of that Promised Land.\u201d<\/p>\n

FBI Summary:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Date of transcription: 6\/27\/79<\/p>\n

In connection with the Federal Bureau of Investigation\u2019s investigation into the assassination of U.S. Congressman LEO J. RYAN at Port Kaituma, Guyana, South America, on November 18, 1978, a tape recording was obtained. This tape recording was located in Jonestown, Guyana, South America, and was turned over to U.S. Officials in Guyana and subsequently transported to the United States.<\/p>\n

On June 9, 1979, Special Agent (name deleted) reviewed the tape numbered 1B102-5. This tape was found to contain the following: JIM JONES conducting a \u201cPeople\u2019s Rally\u201d question and answer session.<\/p>\n

Differences with FBI Summary:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The summary is accurate and meets the FBI\u2019s purposes.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Tape originally posted\u00a0January 2022.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary prepared by Fielding M. McGehee III. If you use this material, please credit The Jonestown Institute. Thank you. To read the Tape Transcript,\u00a0click here. Listen to MP3 (Pt. 1,\u00a0Pt. 2). To return to the Tape Index, click here. FBI Catalogue\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jones Speaking FBI preliminary tape identification note: None Date cues on tape:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Late 1977 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":27996,"menu_order":617,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-113326","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/113326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=113326"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/113326\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":113382,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/113326\/revisions\/113382"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/27996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=113326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}