{"id":78036,"date":"2018-02-05T15:45:19","date_gmt":"2018-02-05T23:45:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/?page_id=78036"},"modified":"2025-09-03T16:40:45","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T23:40:45","slug":"q573-summary","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/?page_id=78036","title":{"rendered":"Q573 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>. Listen to MP3 (Pt. 1<\/a>,\u00a0Pt. 2<\/a>).<\/p>\n

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

FBI preliminary tape identification note: <\/strong>One Hitachi C-60\/ Die or whatever for the caus\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Date cues on tape:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Between late 1976 and mid-1977 (Les Mathison still in Jonestown)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

Unknown names (some phonetic)<\/em><\/p>\n

Part 1:<\/strong>
\nRomaine
\nRonald
\nShaw
\nYonk<\/div>\n

Temple adversaries; members of Concerned Relatives:<\/em><\/p>\n

Part 2:<\/strong>
\nTerri Cobb Pietila [by reference]
\nWayne Pietila<\/div>\n

Jonestown residents, full name unknown:<\/em><\/p>\n

Part 2:<\/strong>
\nArnold [may be stateside member]
\nDavid
\nKaren [likely Layton, could be Harms]
\nMay<\/div>\n

Jonestown residents:<\/em><\/p>\n

Part 1:<\/strong>
\nPaula Adams
\nTom Bogue
\nSuzanne Jones Cartmell
\nJerry LivingstonPart 2:<\/strong>
\nPaula Adams
\nChuck Beikman
\nPhilip Blakey
\nJim Bogue (speaks)<\/strong>
\nJeff Carey
\nLiane Harris
\nJim Jones Jr.
\nMarceline Jones (speaks)<\/strong>
\nStephan Jones
\nLes Mathison (speaks)<\/strong>
\nTim Swinney
\nCharlie Touchette (speaks)<\/strong>
\nJoyce Touchette<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Bible verses cited:<\/strong> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 None<\/p>\n

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

This tape consists of two Peoples Temple meetings of the pioneers in Guyana. Side two was recorded between late 1976 and mid-1977, before the mass emigration of Temple members from the States, and while Jonestown pioneer Les Mathison is still in Guyana. It is likely side one was recorded about the same time.<\/p>\n

The first meeting has little context. Jim Jones talks with several unidentified Temple members in Guyana about some of the poisonous spiders and snakes they\u2019ll encounter in the jungle. Nevertheless, during the course of the short meeting, Jones raises the subject of revolutionary suicide on a couple of occasions, stating early that, in order to bring about socialism, \u201crevolutionary suicide has to be a part of your thoughts, at least.\u201d A few minutes later, near the end of the recording, he adds, \u201cif our dying for something gets somebody else awakened, you should be prepared to do that.\u201d There is only affirmation of the statements (including one person who says, \u201cIt\u2019d be fun to die anyway\u201d).<\/p>\n

In the second meeting, a number of Temple leaders \u2013 including both Jim and Marceline Jones \u2013 confront Les Mathison over his tentative decision to leave Guyana and return to the States, a decision he eventually followed through on. Mathison was an early pioneer and worked several years constructing Jonestown, but the differences with his comrades \u2013 and his comrades\u2019 differences with him \u2013 have proven insurmountable. While the meeting\u2019s purpose ostensibly is to persuade Mathison to stay, Jones notes halfway through the confrontation that, \u201cIt\u2019s just obvious you want to make a case to go home.\u201d<\/p>\n

The meeting reveals the tactics which the Temple used to try to keep people from leaving, although they are the same tactics used in catharsis sessions to vent and purge thoughts which were deemed detrimental to a member\u2019s character and to the Temple\u2019s cause. The starting point of the conversation is that people are accusing Mathison of \u201cexploding\u201d with anger when things don\u2019t go well; his first response is that everyone is mad at him. In the course of the 20-minute conversation, he is advised to let the criticism of him go, to recognize that he has everything he needs in Jonestown (so what more could he want), to accept responsibility for his actions, to stop being defensive, to respond to the charges against him (and when he does, to stop being defensive), and to stop being paranoid. Jones eventually gives Mathison a long lecture on his behavior, but the tape begins a gradual degradation at that point, and whatever response Mathison may have given is unintelligible, as are the last five minutes of the recording.<\/p>\n

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

Date of transcription: 3\/22\/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 March 3, 1979, Special Agent (name deleted) reviewed the tape numbered 1B47 #14. This tape was found to contain the following:<\/p>\n

JONES questions and answers format in which the following topics were mentioned:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Poisonious [Poisonous] insects in Guyana.<\/li>\n
  2. Revolutionary suicidal missions.<\/li>\n
  3. \u201cBlowing up Washington\u201d \u2013 example \u201cGet the job done\u201d<\/li>\n
  4. JONES: \u201cIf our dying for something gets somebody awakened, you should be prepared to do that, who gives a shit what history has to say about you.\u201d<\/li>\n
  5. Someone in the group offers, \u201cIt would be fun to die. I\u2019d rather die and get it over with.\u201d<\/li>\n
  6. The tape ends with JONES stating: \u201cWell, go friends, I\u2019ve said enough.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\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 2018.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/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 return to the Tape Index, click here. To read the Tape Transcript, click here. Listen to MP3 (Pt. 1,\u00a0Pt. 2). FBI Catalogue\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jones Speaking FBI preliminary tape identification note: One Hitachi C-60\/ Die or whatever […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":27996,"menu_order":361,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-78036","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/78036","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\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=78036"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/78036\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":131728,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/78036\/revisions\/131728"}],"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=78036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}