{"id":114831,"date":"2022-06-08T15:46:12","date_gmt":"2022-06-08T22:46:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/?page_id=114831"},"modified":"2025-12-12T11:40:49","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T19:40:49","slug":"transcript-notes-of-marceline-call-to-daughter-suzanne-september-1978","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/?page_id=114831","title":{"rendered":"Transcript, notes of Marceline call to daughter Suzanne, September 1978"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Editor’s note<\/strong>: This was the second of three conversations known to have taken place between Jim Jones’ wife Marceline and their adopted daughter Suzanne Jones Cartmell, during Marceline’s trip to the United States during the fall of 1978. Notes from the first are here<\/a>, from September 5, 1978. The third \u2013 and likely final \u2013 contact<\/a> between the two women occurred about a month later, on October 17, 1978.] <\/em><\/p>\n

BB-20-A-1 \u2013 A-3<\/p>\n

Transcript of Telephone Conversation between Marceline &\u00a0 Suzanne, Sept. 20<\/p>\n

S [Suzanne]:<\/strong> Hello.<\/p>\n

M [Marceline]:<\/strong> Hi, Suzanne.<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> Yea.<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> This is your mom.<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> Yea.<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> How are you doing sweetie?<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> O.K.<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> I just got into town a couple of days ago and wanted you to know I was here.<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> O.K.<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> Are you still planning on going down?<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> Yea, Grandma [Charlotte Baldwin] said that Dad said, and Dad mentioned also, that he wanted the trip postponed?<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> Yea, because I was coming back and I thought they could go down with me. You can go with me too.<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> Oh, O.K. When is that going to be?<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> I don’t know for sure how long, but I’m hoping it won’t be for more than 3 or 4 weeks that I’ll be here.<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> All right.<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> But having been here for such a short time, I can’t tell you for sure. I will give you enough notice. How much notice would you have to have?<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> Well, more than likely, it will be the third or fourth week in Oct?<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> Probably.<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> That’s when I can’t make it because I got a trip out of the State (or States) for a week and a half, clear through the first week in Nov.<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> What is this the third week in Sept?<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> Well, I’m going to be out of town all next week too.<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> O.K. well, let’s play it by ear. Last time I came here for three weeks and I stayed for five months, so I don’t plan anything.<\/p>\n

(They both laugh.)<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> Oh, my God.<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> It doesn’t mean you have to come with us or anything like that. I had to come back.<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> How come?<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> Charles Garry thought it would be good if I came back, the people see me, see that I am well, healthy, and all that kind of thing, mainly\u2026<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> Did any of the boys come with you?<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> No.<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> Oh. (An obvious letdown)<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> I came by myself. So grandma and grandpa were planning the 4th, but Dad, and I did too, felt it would be kind of foolish for them to be there when I am here.<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> Yea, because when I first talk to them, they said they had plans to go see you.<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> Yea.<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> Oh, O.K. I didn’t know.<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> This came up and Dad decided, not just him, it was decided, and Garry thought it was a good idea for me to come back for a while. Well, I’ll keep you posted. O.K. You’ll be gone all next week?<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> Yea. Well, O.K., so when we come back can I \u2013 can we meet for some \u2013 to talk?<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> Yea, sure.<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> O.K. I’ll call when I get back.<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> You do that, and I’ll meet you honey.<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> All right. Are you going back to Indiana? Or are [question mark inserted into text] coming out here?<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> I plan to go back that way.<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> You mean stop on the way.<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> Unless my plans change, but that’s the plan.<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> O.K., go through that way and just pick Grandma and Grandpa up and then just go on from there. I see.<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> All right.<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> Have you heard anything from Mike [Cartmell] down there?<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> No, have you heard anything?<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> No, I haven’t seen him or talk to him for ages.<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> I wonder where he is.<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> I called the bank and he wasn’t there. I don’t know if he was just off for the day, but they said he wasn’t there, that’s it, and you know, I didn’t want to leave any name or anything.<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> No, we haven’t heard anything from Mike down there. I wonder where he could be.<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> Well, I know his job was temporary, when he first got it. Well, I want to finish up on the divorce.<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> If there is any contact made, I’ll be sure to let you know. Are you all right?<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> I’m fine.<\/p>\n

M:<\/strong> O.K. well take care yourself honey, and when you get back, let me know and we can have a talk.<\/p>\n

S:<\/strong> O.K.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Sept. 25, 1978<\/p>\n

To: Jim<\/p>\n

From: Marcie<\/p>\n

Re: My analysis of Suzanne’s response.<\/p>\n

At first she was very reserved. I think she believed that my parents’ trip had been canceled and I had been sent here to keep her from coming. When I assured her that I was sent for other reasons as indicated on the write up of the conversation, she began to soften. There was almost a pleading in her voice when she asked if she and I could get together and talk. If it is all right with you, I thought I would meet her but I would be driven to pick her up to [by] my security. They would take us to a place of my choice that she would have no advanced knowledge of. She seemed disappointed that none of the boys had come with me. I can’t imagine what would make her think I\u2019d bring them back to this hell.<\/p>\n

She is going to be gone for a week and then she will call me. Unless I HEAR OTHERWISE, I will meet her as stated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[Editor’s note: This was the second of three conversations known to have taken place between Jim Jones’ wife Marceline and their adopted daughter Suzanne Jones Cartmell, during Marceline’s trip to the United States during the fall of 1978. Notes from the first are here, from September 5, 1978. The third \u2013 and likely final \u2013 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":88064,"menu_order":12,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-114831","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/114831","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=114831"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/114831\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":132987,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/114831\/revisions\/132987"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/88064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=114831"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}