{"id":28301,"date":"2013-08-10T21:28:07","date_gmt":"2013-08-10T21:28:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alternativejonestown.com\/?page_id=28301"},"modified":"2021-10-22T11:02:01","modified_gmt":"2021-10-22T18:02:01","slug":"805a","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/?page_id=28301","title":{"rendered":"Q805a Summary"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

To return to the Tape Index, click here<\/a>.
\nTo read the Tape Transcript, click here<\/a>. To listen to MP3, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

FBI Catalogue:<\/b> Jones Speaking<\/p>\n

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

Date cues on tape:<\/b> Late spring\/early summer 1977, after AIM leader Dennis Banks met with David Conn, who claimed to work for Treasury Department and IRS<\/p>\n

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

Public figures\/National and international names:<\/i>
\nDeposed president of Chile Salvador Allende
\nAdolf Hitler<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

American Indian Movement leader Dennis Banks
\nDavid Conn, allegedly with Treasury Department and IRS
\nU.S. Sen. John Stennis (D-Mississippi)
\nMayersville, Mississippi mayor Unita Blackwell Wright (by reference)<\/p>\n

Leon Joly, March Air Force Base engineer (by reference)
\nThomas Dawsey, electronics engineer from Mississippi (by reference)<\/p>\n

Columnist Jack Anderson
\nGeorge Brown, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff<\/p>\n

U.S. Rep. Philip Burton (D-Calif.)
\nYvonne Golden, San Francisco educator (speaks)
\nCarlton Goodlett, publisher of San Francisco Sun-Reporter<\/p>\n

Amos Brown, minister at Third Baptist Church, San Francisco
\nKarl Irvin, president of Northern California Disciples of Christ
\nCecil Williams, minister at Glide United Methodist Church, San Francisco
\nTony Ubalde, United Methodist minister<\/p>\n

International Hotel organizer Joe Biones (phonetic)
\nSan Francisco community activist Enola Maxwell
\nSan Francisco activist Dennis Wade<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Temple adversaries; members of Concerned Relatives:<\/i>
\nNewspaper columnist Lester Kinsolving<\/p>\n

Temple members<\/i>
\nLaura Johnson (likely Laura Johnston)
\nMike Prokes<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Bible verses cited:<\/b> \u201cJesus cussed the money-changers out of the temple.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

This tape consists of two somewhat-related phone calls \u2013 one between Jim Jones and an unidentified acquaintance, and the second between Jones and Yvonne Golden, a black woman educator \u2013 a few months before Jones left for Guyana. The complete context of the telephone calls is unclear, especially since the first phone call begins before the recording, as are some of the events involving Peoples Temple which they do discuss. What does emerge is the sense of paranoia \u2013 some of it due to the tenor of the times, some of it due to recent events, some of it due to Jones\u2019 own worldview \u2013\u00a0which is gripping the activist community of San Francisco.<\/p>\n

Two recent and recognizable events do find voice in the tape. In November 1976, Temple members caught two men in a parked car eavesdropping on a lecture given to the Temple by Unita Blackwell Wright, the mayor of Mayersville,\u00a0 Mississippi and a civil rights activist. The Temple tracked down the men and identified them as communications experts working with U.S. Senator John Stennis (D-Mississippi). The discovery of this troubled Jones on many levels. While the spying could have just as easily been directed towards the activist mayor from Stennis\u2019 home state, it could also have been directed at the Temple, and that\u2019s what Jones apparently chose to believe.<\/p>\n

If it had been an isolated incident \u2013 or an innocent coincidence, as one of the \u201cspies\u201d said it was \u2013\u00a0it might have faded and become part of the Temple\u2019s list of grievances against the American power structure, a list which everyone else would have ignored. But a few months later, Dennis Banks, an activist with the American Indian Movement whose resistance to extradition from California was being championed by the Temple, claimed to have been approached by a man who said he could help with Banks\u2019 legal problems in return for a public denunciation of Jones. The man had identified himself as David Conn and said he worked for the Treasury Department and IRS. Other, less sinister explanations were floated about Conn\u2019s identify, his reasons for meeting with Banks, and the folder of \u201cdisparaging\u201d (as Banks described it) material about Jones which Conn read, but none resonated as well for Jones.<\/p>\n

During the first telephone conversation, Jones bring up both the Wright and Banks incidents, in addition to his litany of atrocities committed by the U.S. government around the world and against black people within its borders. But the more immediate incident, one which may have triggered either or both of the phone call, is a series of anonymous letters which have denigrated and\/or threatened the leadership of progressive causes in the Bay Area. The letters have been skillfully planted \u2013\u00a0one minister receives a letter about acts committed by another minister \u2013 and they are taking their toll. \u201cI think he did believe it,\u201d Jones says about the effects of one poison pen letter. \u201cThat\u2019s one thing that \u2026 the enemy has, the CIA, the conspiracy, whatever in the hell it may be, those who want to break progressive non-violent forces working for change within society, they\u2019ve got\u00a0that<\/i>\u00a0going for them, there\u2019s a hell of a lot of paranoia, there\u2019s a great willingness to be cynical, and believe the worst about people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones has a particular candidate for the villain in the piece, though. Lester Kinsolving, a columnist for the\u00a0San Francisco Examiner<\/i>\u00a0whose relationship with Jones is mutually antagonistic, has been behind some of the wiretaps against the church, according to Jones (and, by extension, against some of the other causes in town who suspect that they are bugged). Jones said he even had proof of the taps, which had been provided by a telephone operator, but he was reluctant to press forward with charges because he was afraid of recriminations against the woman. Jones also accuses Kinsolving of bribery, and reminds the man he\u2019s speaking to that the columnist was dropped by the Washington press corps for his actions, and \u201cmaybe \u2026 that old columnist is back at us again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kinsolving and Jones seem to be at an impasse \u2013\u00a0a possible motive for this latest harassment \u2013 over what the columnist knows about the church. \u201cSo the sucker knows some things about us\u2026\u201d Jones says, \u201c[b]ut we had not heard him since we sued him.\u201d Instead of Kinsolving coming forward with what he knows and thereby risk legal reprisals, Jones speculates, \u201che has just chosen to make all these weird weird allegations against us.\u201d<\/p>\n

But whether it\u2019s Kinsolving or Senator Stennis or the Treasury Department or the phone company behind them, Jones adds, \u201cwe have conspiracies to deal with. I could name you 15 different conspiracies to progressives, or friends of ours in different organizations.\u201d<\/p>\n

He confesses to frustration with the conspiracies, and says they make him feel \u201cdamn hostile.\u201d But \u2013\u00a0despite what has been reported about him recently \u2013 he doesn\u2019t like guns, doesn\u2019t own a gun, and never has owned a gun. He says he\u2019s for complete gun control, even if he supports the Second Amendment\u2019s right to bear arms, especially as long as the Nazis in the U.S. has \u201cguns stashed away.\u201d Then, addressing himself directly to a larger audience, such as those who are bugging his line and who may detect a sign of Jones\u2019 weakness in his distaste for firearms, he adds, \u201cI\u00a0do<\/i>\u00a0want to say, if they ever come in here, we will fight to the last man and woman. We\u2019ve made up our mind. We\u2019re\u00a0not<\/i>\u00a0going to be carried away to no concentration camps<\/a>\u2026 I got a right to defend myself, if people come in here to try to hurt my children and hurt our people, I\u2019d rather die.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the identity of the conspirators remains unknown, even if Jones and his friend discuss the intrigues against them. Unable to come to conclusions about their identities, the two know the conspirators\u2019 motives: It\u2019s fear. \u201c[The conspiracy] can find characters like [Conn] who will try to destroy. But, let\u2019s expect that it will happen. Democracy\u2019s on its demise. The multinationals have so much technology that when the economics gets bad enough, we\u2019re all in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones\u2019 conversation with Golden covers some of the same ground, although their mutual concern is more about the anonymous letters arriving all over town. Golden seems more saddened than sickened by the hate mail directed at her. \u201cIt\u2019s so dumb,\u201d she says. The letter accuses her of working for something \u2013 \u201cwhat am I supposed to be working for?\u201d she ponders in mid-sentence \u2013 as she positions herself for some city post. \u201cIt really is stupid,\u201d she concludes.<\/p>\n

Jones offers her more evidence of the conspiracy. Two reporters got into trouble for doing their jobs in the exposing police, and when the newspaper didn\u2019t come to their assistance, the Temple did. \u201cBy God, they wasn\u2019t two days till we got threatened that if we did that, we\u2019d be smeared. I don\u2019t know who in the hell some of these people are, but I\u2019ll tell you there\u2019s a real conspiracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The danger from the government is directed in part at churches, Jones says at the end of the conversation. He quotes a\u00a0Newsweek<\/i>\u00a0magazine report about people trying to get conservatorship over their adult relatives. He then segues into the danger of deprogramming: \u201cSomebody could \u2026 put you away and run cold water over you, and completely take you away from life and liberty.\u201d<\/p>\n

The conversation ends with both Jones and Golden talking about their fatigue, their minor illnesses, and their need to get some rest. They sign off with expressions of affection for each other.<\/p>\n

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

Date of transcription: 3\/29\/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 3\/29\/79, Special Agent (name deleted) reviewed the tape numbered 1B68-12. This tape was found to contain the following:<\/p>\n

Phone conversations with JONES and some unknown persons and with YVONNE GOLDEN. Nothing was contained thereon which was considered to be beneficial to the investigation.<\/p>\n

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

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

Tape originally posted February 2005<\/b><\/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 return to the Tape Index, click here. To read the Tape Transcript, click here. To listen to MP3, click here. FBI Catalogue: Jones Speaking FBI preliminary tape identification note: None Date cues on tape: Late […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":27996,"menu_order":544,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-28301","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28301","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\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28301"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28301\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":111860,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28301\/revisions\/111860"}],"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=28301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}