"Accusation of Human Rights Violations by Rev. Sensing the end, Jones triggered a tragic chain of events, forcing his followers to a dark conclusion. The story is based on the 2017 book by "Road to Jonestown" by Jeff Guinn. [112], Still, others remained loyal. [209][210][211] including a Soviet-published book a decade later. [213], In 1987, The Jonestown Carnage: A CIA Crime (1978) (Russian: - ) was published in the Soviet Union, claiming that group members were assassinated by CIA agents and mercenaries to prevent further political emigration from the U.S. as well as suppress opposition to the U.S. regime. This page was last modified 21:55, 9 January 2020. Jonestown became internationally infamous when, on November 18, 1978, a total of 909 [1] [2] people died at the settlement, at the nearby airstrip in Port Kaituma, and at a Temple-run building in Georgetown, Guyana's capital city. It follows the group's leader Reverend Jim Jones from his roots as a charismatic preacher and civil rights advocate in Indiana into a narcissistic demagogue who led the biggest mass suicide in U.S. history. [176] The brothers were given the task before the suicides began, and soon abandoned it when they realized what was about to happen; Tim Carter desperately tried to search for his wife and son, discovering his son in time to witness him being poisoned, and his wife killing herself in despair. Several people fell into the river, suffering injuries. [102][103][104], Although Jones, his executive partners, and congregation voiced their thoughts about moving their operation to the Soviet Union, Jones had a change of heart. [99], Sharon Amos, Michael Prokes, Matthew Blunt, Timothy Regan,[100] and other Temple members took active roles in the "Guyana-Korea Friendship Society", which sponsored two seminars on the revolutionary concepts of Kim Il Sung. [164] About 30 minutes after Marceline Jones' announcement, Jim Jones made his own, calling all members immediately to the pavilion.[161]. Moore and Layton were selected among those autopsied, in part, because of the urging of the Moore family, including Rebecca Moore, the sister of the two victims, who was not a Temple member herself.[182]. Tim Carter and his brother Mike, aged 30 and 20, and Mike Prokes, 31, were given luggage containing $550,000 in U.S. currency, $130,000 in Guyanese currency, and an envelope, which they were told to deliver to the Soviet embassy in Georgetown. Four other Temple members committed murder-suicide in Georgetown at Jones' command. Sociopolitical Documentary hosted by Shan Nicholson, Rhodes reported being in close contact with dying children.[169]. It is not clear if some initially thought the exercise was another White Night rehearsal. ", "Jonestown massacre + 20: Questions linger", "40 years after Jonestown massacre, ex-members describe Jim Jones as a 'real monster', "Demographics and the Black Religious Culture of Peoples Temple, in Peoples Temple and Black Religion in America, "The Demographics of Jonestown Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & Peoples Temple", "Transcript of Recovered FBI tape Q 642. He also stated that most present "quietly waited their own turn to die", and that many of the assembled Temple members "walked around like they were in a trance". [90], Jones' paranoia and drug usage increased in Jonestown as he became fearful of a government raid on the commune, citing concerns that the community would not be able to resist an attack. [27] For its Caribbean missionary post, the Temple quickly chose Guyana, conducting research on its economy and extradition treaties with the U.S.[27] In October 1973, the directors of the Temple passed a resolution to establish an agricultural mission there. [27] The plan listed various options, including fleeing to Canada or to a "Caribbean missionary post" such as Barbados or Trinidad. [144] When Harris handed Gosney's note to Jones during an interview in the pavilion, Jones stated that the defectors were lying and wanted to destroy Jonestown. [29] After the day's work ended, Temple members would attend several hours of activities in a pavilion, including classes in socialism. [38] The relatively large number of immigrants to Guyana overwhelmed the government's small but stringent immigration infrastructure in a country where immigrants had outweighed locals. Jim McElvane, a former therapist who had arrived in Jonestown only two days earlier, assisted Jones by arguing against Miller's resistance to suicide, stating "Let's make it a beautiful day" and later citing possible reincarnation. The book "The Road to Jonestown" by Jeff Guinn, The Last Podcast on the Left five part series from early 2018, and this four part tv series are all worth checking out. The name of the settlement became synonymous with the incidents at those locations. [76] In 1978, officials from the U.S. embassy in Georgetown interviewed Social Security recipients on multiple occasions to make sure they were not being held against their will. [27] He was skillful in presenting the Guyanese government the benefits of allowing the Peoples Temple to establish a settlement in the country. It was there that the abuse and misconduct at the heart of the People's Temple attracted the attention of the press, ruining Jones's public image. Someone who finds it will believe I am crazy or believe in the barbed wire that does NOT exist in Jonestown." [15][16] In doing so, the Temple preached that "those who remained drugged with the opiate of religion had to be brought to enlightenment socialism. The last line, "We died because you would not let us live in peace," is written in different color ink. Chilling interviews with Peoples Temple survivors along with newly declassified archival material offer . [95] Jones made radio broadcasts stating "we will die unless we are granted freedom from harassment and asylum. No other specific reference is made to the events of the day. [105], On October 2, 1978, Feodor Timofeyev, consul for the Soviet Union in Georgetown, visited Jonestown for two days and gave a speech. [54][55] This also comported with the Temple's practice of gradually subjecting its followers to sophisticated mind control and behavior modification techniques borrowed from Kim Il-sung's Korea and Mao Zedong's China. "[198] Acquittal in a Guyanese court did not free Layton, who was promptly deported back to the U.S. and arrested by the US Marshals Service upon arrival in San Francisco. Jonestown massacre Encyclopedia Britannica Jonestown, (November 18, 1978), was the location of the mass murder-suicide of members of the California-based Peoples Temple cult at the behest of. [8][13], The Peoples Temple was formed by Jim Jones in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1955. ", which indicated to Reid that Mondale had a personal interest in Jones' well-being.[48]. According to Speier in 2006, reading the notes caused her and the congressman to realize that "something was very, very wrong. [190] A Guyanese government plane arrived the following morning to evacuate the wounded.[189]. [118], Jones' health significantly declined in Jonestown. [205] The case has not been solved. [49] Jones left the same night that an editor at New West magazine read him an article to be published by Marshall Kilduff detailing allegations of abuse by former Temple members. "[170], The poison caused death within five minutes for children,[171][161] less for babies, and an estimated 2030 minutes for adults. The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, better known by its informal name "Jonestown", was a remote settlement in Guyana established by the Peoples Temple, a U.S.-based cult under the leadership of Jim Jones. We were told that the liquid contained poison and that we would die within 45 minutes. [30][31][32], In 1974, after traveling to an area of northwestern Guyana with Guyanese officials, Jones and the Temple negotiated a lease of over 3,800 acres (1,500ha) of land in the jungle located 150 miles (240km) west of the Guyanese capital of Georgetown. Similarly, the end of the documentary seems to imply that our current political situation is similar to the fear and paranoia which led to Jonestown. ID'd", "1978 CULT FIGURE GETS LIFE TERM IN CONGRESSMAN'S JUNGLE SLAYING. [21], After Jones received considerable criticism in Indiana for his integrationist views, the Temple moved to Redwood Valley, California, in 1965. They were led to their deaths by cult leader Jim Jones, a charismatic preacher who turned into an egomaniacal demagogue. [39], Jonestown was held up as a benevolent communist community, with Jones stating: "I believe we're the purest communists there are. [190] It took several hours before the eleven wounded and others in their party gathered themselves together. The destination of this exodus was Cuba. [135][141][142] When Jones' adopted son Johnny attempted to talk Jerry Parks out of leaving, Parks told him, "No way, it's nothing but a communist prison camp. [44] In that meeting, Dymally agreed to pass on the message to the State Department that socialist Guyana wanted to keep an open door to cooperation with the U.S.[44] Dymally followed up that meeting with a letter to Burnham stating that Jones was "one of the finest human beings" and that Dymally was "tremendously impressed" by his visit to Jonestown. Shortly before the dump truck left, Temple loyalist Larry Layton, the brother of Deborah Layton, demanded to join the group. Jonestown, Jim Jones, Peoples Temple, BBC, Documentary. April 11, 1978. [56] Jones would often read news and commentary, including items from Radio Moscow and Radio Havana,[57] and was known to side with the Soviets over the Chinese during the Sino-Soviet split. Jim Jones grew up and established the People's Temple in rural Indiana. [65][66] Despite having access to an estimated $26million by late 1978,[67] Jones also lived in a tiny communal house, though fewer people lived there than in other communal houses. Jonestown's primary means of communication with the outside world was a shortwave radio. A work of investigative journalism that presents the theory that the Central Intelligence Agency employed the Reverend Jim Jones to administer a pharmaceutical field test in mind control and ethnic weaponry to a large test group, namely the . They're gonna shoot that pilot and down comes the plane into the jungle and we had better not have any of our children left when it's over, because they'll parachute in here on us. [155], Meanwhile, some passengers had boarded the larger Twin Otter. Many members of the Temple believed that Guyana would be, as Jones promised, a paradise or utopia. According to them, they talked their way past two armed guards and made it to the jungle, before eventually arriving in Port Kaituma. It was felt that the presence of the Stoens would unnecessarily antagonize Jones, and Harris wanted to remain in Georgetown because he hoped to spend time with his daughter Liane, who was staying at the Temples Lamaha Gardens headquarters there. His book is very good, and he is a fine Personality, but the film might have benefitted from bringing in other experts as well Obviously, there were very few survivors of the events in Guyana, and many of them are represented here. The Jonestown project quickly begins to implode. [92] A few days later, a second order was issued for John to be taken into protective custody by authorities. Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. [77] None of the 75 people interviewed by the embassy stated that they were being held captive, were forced to sign over welfare checks, or wanted to leave Jonestown. If you knew what was ahead of you if you knew what was ahead of you, you'd be glad to be stepping over tonight. [51], Bureaucratic requirements after Jones' arrival sapped labor resources for other needs. To do so, he stated that they were "skilled and progressive", showed off an envelope he claimed contained $500,000, and stated that he would invest most of the group's assets in Guyana. [86], Jones was known to regularly study Adolf Hitler and Father Divine to learn how to manipulate members of the cult. Using unreleased recordings, photographs taken by members of the People's Temple, previously classified FBI documents and new testimony from survivors and Jones's own family members, Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle investigates how and why this tragedy happened. [161] During this time, aides prepared a large metal tub with grape Flavor Aid, poisoned with diphenhydramine, promethazine, chlorpromazine, chloroquine, chloral hydrate, diazepam,[162] and cyanide. [218] In 1980, an investigation by the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence found no evidence of CIA activity in Jonestown. Directly after this, Jones stated that "the Red Brigade's the only one that made any sense anyway," and, "the Red Brigade showed them justice." Methods included imprisonment in a 6-by-4-by-3-foot (1.83m 1.22m 0.91m) plywood box and forcing children to spend a night at the bottom of a well, sometimes upside-down. Because of the defectors departing Jonestown, the group grew in number and now an additional aircraft was required. Neville Annibourne, representing Guyana's Ministry of Information; This page was last edited on 4 January 2023, at 09:14. [66] His house reportedly held a small refrigerator containing, at times, eggs, meat, fruit, salads, and soft drinks. Documentary that explores the circumstances that led to the deaths of more than 900 men, women and children in 1978 at the People's Temple in northern Guyana. more EPISODE 2 On the Run The press exposes the dark side of Jim Jones, causing a mass exodus to Jonestown. [43] In 1976, Temple member Michael Prokes requested that Burnham receive Jones as a foreign dignitary along with other "high ranking U.S. Jim Jones was an important part of the liberal political establishment in San Francisco, and helped elect Harvey Milk (who was never mentioned). [165], According to escaped Temple member Odell Rhodes, the first to take the poison were Ruletta Paul and her one-year-old infant. [169] Stanley Clayton also witnessed mothers with their babies first approach the tub containing the poison. Several defectors voiced their suspicions about Larry Layton's motives. [80], Jones made frequent addresses to Temple members regarding Jonestown's safety, including statements that the CIA and other intelligence agencies were conspiring with "capitalist pigs" to destroy the settlement and harm its inhabitants. [200] In February 1979, 98% of Americans polled said that they had heard of the tragedy. The group, which included Congressman Ryan's daughter Patricia, was involved in various personal, social and legal battles with a range of religious organizations, from The Family International and Scientology to David Koresh's Branch Davidians, where they were found to be influential on law enforcement's concerns for children in the eventual Waco siege in 1993. The buildings were mostly destroyed by a fire in the mid-1980s, after which the ruins were left to decay and be reclaimed by the jungle. [53] In mid-1978, after Jones' health deteriorated and his wife began managing more of Jonestown's operations, the work week was reduced to eight hours a day for five days a week. In response to reactions of seeing the poison take effect on others, Jones counseled, "Die with a degree of dignity. Members are captivated; his lust for power becomes unstoppable. "[159] Despite Garry's report, Jones told him, "I have failed." [citation needed], Just before the start of the final meeting in the pavilion, Garry and Lane were told that the people were angry with them. The Temple produced memoranda discussing potential places within the U.S.S.R. in which they might settle. In 2011, a memorial to them was erected at the cemetery. The following is a letter of instructions regarding all of our assets that we want to leave to the Communist Party of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. 914[193] of the 918 dead, including Jones himself, were collected by the United States military in Guyana, then transported by military cargo plane to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, a location that had been used previously for mass processing of the dead from the Tenerife airport disaster. Many contemporary media accounts after the events called the deaths a mass suicide. [177][178][179] Prokes and the Carter brothers soon ditched most of the money and were apprehended heading for a Temple boat at Port Kaituma. Guests at a large 1976 testimonial dinner for Jones included Governor Jerry Brown, Lieutenant Governor Mervyn Dymally, and California Assemblyman Willie Brown, among others. [74] After covering Jones for eighteen months for the Examiner, Reiterman thought it was "shocking to see his glazed eyes and festering paranoia face to face, to realize that nearly a thousand lives, ours included, were in his hands". [146], While most of the Ryan delegation began to depart on a large dump truck to the Port Kaituma airstrip, Ryan and Dwyer stayed behind in Jonestown to process any additional defectors. [182], Plastic cups, Flavor Aid packets, and syringes, some with needles and some without, littered the area where the bodies were found. Broadcast to mark the 40th anniversary of the Jonestown deaths. [11][12] Guards armed with guns and crossbows had been ordered to shoot anyone who attempted to flee the settlement as Jones lobbied for suicide. "State Explains Response to Cult Letters.". [57], Nothing in the way of film or recorded TV, shown on the commune's closed-circuit system, no matter how innocuous or seemingly politically neutral, could be viewed without a Temple staffer present to "interpret" the material for the viewers. Because it stood on poor soil, Jonestown was not self-sufficient and had to import large quantities of commodities such as wheat. [45] One Temple member, Paula Adams, was involved in a romantic relationship with Guyana's ambassador to the U.S., Laurence "Bonny" Mann. [74], For a year, it appears the commune was run primarily through Social Security checks received by members. So did everyone else. A syringe without a needle fitted was used to squirt poison into the infant's mouth, after which Paul squirted another syringe into her own mouth. [158], Jackie Speier, Sung, Dwyer, Reiterman, Anthony Katsaris, Boyd, Oliver, Krause, and Javers were the nine injured in and around the Twin Otter. Reiterman, Tim, "Peoples Temple's $26 million financial empire", Pear, Richard. [111] Reiterman's subsequent story about the Stoen custody battle prompted the immediate threat of a lawsuit by the Temple. [24] After the group's participation proved instrumental in the mayoral election victory of George Moscone in 1975, Moscone appointed Jones as the Chairman of the San Francisco Housing Authority Commission. Jonestown became internationally infamous when, on November 18, 1978, a total of 909[1][2] people died at the settlement, at the nearby airstrip in Port Kaituma, and at a Temple-run building in Georgetown, Guyana's capital city. [120], Jones often mentioned chronic insomnia; he would often say he went for three or four days without any rest. Confusingly, this mention came after the switch to 'White Night' had been made. Political scientist Janos Radvanyi cites the book as an example of Soviet active measures during the 1980s that "spread both disinformation stories and enemy propaganda against the United States", adding, "It's hard to imagine that anyone could believe so ridiculous a story". Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle HD CC Nonfiction 2018 $9.99 EPISODE 1 Making of a Madman Sadistic preacher Jim Jones forms The Peoples Temple after an unusual childhood. A tractor with a trailer attached, driven by members of the Temple's Red Brigade security squad, arrived at the airstrip and approached the Twin Otter. [48] Burnham also said that, when Deputy Minister Ptolemy Reid traveled to Washington, D.C. in September 1977 to sign the Panama Canal Treaties, Mondale asked him, "How's Jim? Forty-three years ago this week, over 900 people lost their lives in the Jonestown Massacre. [91] One drill lasted for six days. [38] Guyanese immigration procedures were compromised to inhibit the departure of Temple defectors and curtail the visas of Temple opponents. [223], In 2003, with the help of Gerry Gouveia, a pilot involved with the Jonestown cleanup, a television crew recording a special for the 25th anniversary of the event returned to the site to uncover any remaining artifacts. His followers soon realize it's not the utopia their leader promised. He also said. [217], In 1979, Joseph Hollinger, a former aide to Congressman Leo Ryan, claimed that Jonestown was a "mass mind control experiment" conducted by the CIA. This documentary does a nice job laying things out for a beginner. ", "FBI Summaries of Peoples Temple Tapes Q 155, Q 160, Q 190, Q 198, Q 200, Q 203 and Q 242. [46][47] Viola Burnham, the wife of the prime minister, was also a strong advocate of the Temple. This invariably meant damning criticisms of perceived capitalist propaganda in Western material, and glowing praise for and highlighting of MarxistLeninist messages in material from communist nations.[57]. [214][215], The bodies of over 400 of those who died are buried in a mass grave at Evergreen Cemetery in Oakland, California. Jones was called "Father" or "Dad" by both adults and children. [91] Jones would call "Alert, Alert, Alert" over the community loudspeaker to call the community together in the central pavilion. The lawyers were escorted to a house used to accommodate visitors. Pas : USA USA [188] Wielding a kitchen knife, Sharon first killed Christa, and then Martin. [197], Larry Layton, who had fired a gun at several people aboard the Cessna, was initially found not guilty of attempted murder in a Guyanese court, employing the defense that he was "brainwashed.
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