[173], Jones was found dead lying next to his chair in the pavilion between two other bodies, his head cushioned by a pillow. [113], On April 11, 1978, the Concerned Relatives distributed a packet of documents, including letters and affidavits, that they titled an "Accusation of Human Rights Violations by Rev. [206][207], The sheer scale of the event, as well as Jones' socialism, purported inconsistencies in the reported number of deaths, allegedly poor explanation of events related to said deaths, and existence of classified documents[208] led some conspiracy theorists to suggest CIA involvement. The name of the settlement became synonymous with the incidents at those locations.[3]. On 18th November 1978, over 900 men, women and children lost their lives at Jonestown, a remote settlement established by the People's Temple in northern Guyana. See production, box office & company info, Self - author of 'The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple', Self - author of 'Hearing the Voices of Jonestown', Self - journalist, San Francisco Chronicle, Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple, Ministry of Evil: The Twisted Cult of Tony Alamo, Atlanta's Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children. Several people fell into the river, suffering injuries. Ryan stated that none of the 60 relatives he had targeted for interviews wanted to leave, the 14 defectors constituted a very small portion of Jonestown's residents, that any sense of imprisonment the defectors had was likely because of peer pressure and a lack of physical transportation, and even if 200 of the 900+ wanted to leave, "I'd still say you have a beautiful place here. [205] The case has not been solved. [71][72] Armed guards patrolled the area day and night to enforce Jonestown's rules. [35] Jones saw Jonestown as both a "socialist paradise" and a "sanctuary" from media scrutiny. [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. [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. And "His hatred of racism, sexism, elitism, and mainly classism, is what prompted him to make a new world for the people a paradise in the jungle. Chilling interviews with Peoples Temple survivors along with newly declassified archival material offer . [52] After Jones arrived, however, Jonestown life significantly changed. He also said. To learn whether the rumours coming from the jungle were true, California congressman Leo Ryan travelled to Guyana. "[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. We were told that the liquid contained poison and that we would die within 45 minutes. [28] Jones also thought that Guyana was small, poor, and independent enough for him to easily obtain influence and official protection. [51] Jonestown's population was slightly under 900 at its peak in 1978. The press exposes the dark side of Jones, causing a mass exodus to Jonestown. In 1984, former Temple member Tyrone Mitchell, who had lost both of his parents and five siblings at Jonestown, fired upon students at a Los Angeles elementary school from his second-story window, killing two people and injuring twelve; Mitchell then turned his weapon on himself and committed suicide. [citation needed], In late February 1980, Al and Jeanne Mills (co-founders of the Concerned Relatives) and their daughter Daphene were shot and killed execution style in their Berkeley, California home. In the summer of 1977, Jones and several hundred Temple members moved to Jonestown to escape building pressure from San Francisco media investigations. Because of the defectors departing Jonestown, the group grew in number and now an additional aircraft was required. On at least two occasions during White Nights, after a "revolutionary suicide" vote was reached, a simulated mass suicide was rehearsed. 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. Country: USA "Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle" documentary, crime and news show produced in USA and released in 2018. After several exchanges in which Jones argued that a Soviet exodus would not be possible, along with reactions by other Temple members hostile to Miller, she backed down. [165] Such an act had been planned by the Temple before and, according to Jonestown defectors, its theory was "you can go down in history, saying you chose your own way to go, and it is your commitment to refuse capitalism and in support of socialism. On 18th November 1978, over 900 men, women and children lost their lives at Jonestown, a remote settlement established by the People's Temple in northern Guyana. [165] As more Temple members died, eventually the guards themselves were called in to die by poison. [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. [209][210][211] including a Soviet-published book a decade later. 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. The Jonestown project quickly begins to implode. [198] Paroled in 2002, he is the only person ever to have been held criminally responsible for the events at Jonestown. [146] Al Simon, a Native American Temple member, attempted to take two of his children to Ryan to process the requisite paperwork for transfer back to the United States. [112], Still, others remained loyal. [201] George Gallup stated that "few events, in fact, in the entire history of the Gallup Poll have been known to such a high percentage of the US public". [105], On October 2, 1978, Feodor Timofeyev, consul for the Soviet Union in Georgetown, visited Jonestown for two days and gave a speech. [135][136] Those defectors included the wife and son of Jonestown's head of security, Joe Wilson. [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. [109][110], On February 17, 1978, Jones submitted to an interview with San Francisco Examiner reporter Tim Reiterman. What were their ages? [73] The community had a nursery at which 33 infants were born. By what name was Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle (2018) officially released in Canada in English? But the Peoples Temple was the cult-uber-ales, which ended in the murder-suicide of almost a thousand of its members; and even this is mostly on the record, including live action footage taken as Jones's followers shot and killed a U.S. representative. (2 episodes, 2018) 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. 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. 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. The above bank accounts are located in the Bank of Nova Scotia in Nassau, Bahamas. [69][70] For some members who attempted to escape, drugs such as Thorazine, sodium pentathol, chloral hydrate, Demerol, and Valium were administered in an "extended care unit". During the Siege, Jones spoke to Temple members about attacks from outsiders and had them surround Jonestown with guns and machetes. Forty-three years ago this week, over 900 people lost their lives in the Jonestown Massacre. [202], The Cult Awareness Network (CAN), a group aimed at deprogramming members of cults, was formed soon after the Jonestown deaths. [114] In June 1978, Layton provided the group with a further affidavit detailing alleged crimes by the Temple and substandard living conditions in Jonestown. Jones was called "Father" or "Dad" by both adults and children. Jones. But there were some side stories I was waiting to hear about (like the Temple lawyers who spent the night hiding in the jungle during the massacre) that weren't touched on. ", "What was Peoples Temple's plan to move to the Soviet Union? This page was last modified 21:55, 9 January 2020. At the airstrip, Reiterman photographed the aftermath of the shootings. more EPISODE 2 On the Run The press exposes the dark side of Jim Jones, causing a mass exodus to Jonestown. [155], Meanwhile, some passengers had boarded the larger Twin Otter. The mass-murder-suicide took place just a year and a half after Jim Jones moved hundreds of his followers from California to a large plot of land outside Georgetown, Guyana. [93] The fear of being held in contempt of the orders caused Jones to set up a false sniper attack upon himself and begin his first series of White Nights, called the "Six Day Siege". [27] He was skillful in presenting the Guyanese government the benefits of allowing the Peoples Temple to establish a settlement in the country. 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 last line, "We died because you would not let us live in peace," is written in different color ink. [120], Audio tapes of 1978 meetings within Jonestown attest to Jones' declining physical condition, with the commune leader complaining of high blood pressure which he had since the early 1950s, small strokes, and weight loss of 30 to 40 pounds in the last two weeks of Jonestown, temporary blindness, convulsions, and, in late October to early November 1978 while he was ill in his cabin, grotesque swelling of the extremities. [176] The envelope contained two passports and three instructional letters, the first of which was to Timofeyev, stating: Dear Comrade Timofeyev, "[40] Jones' wife Marceline described Jonestown as "dedicated to live for socialism, total economic and racial and social equality. Jones had insisted his followers perform 'revolutionary suicide' by drinking poison - either voluntarily or by force. [119] Jones was said to be abusing injectable Valium, Quaaludes, stimulants, and barbiturates. [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. [45] One Temple member, Paula Adams, was involved in a romantic relationship with Guyana's ambassador to the U.S., Laurence "Bonny" Mann. Guyanese soldiers eventually found them. [98], In Georgetown, the Peoples Temple conducted frequent meetings with the embassies of the Soviet Union, North Korea, Yugoslavia, and Cuba. [98] He directed Temple members to write to over a dozen foreign governments inquiring about immigration policies relevant to another exodus by the Temple. [106] Jones stated before the speech, "For many years, we have let our sympathies be quite publicly known, that the United States government was not our mother, but that the Soviet Union was our spiritual motherland. [216], Although Jones used poisoned Flavor Aid, the drink mix was also commonly (mistakenly) referred to as Kool-Aid. - English narration. This has led to the phrase "drinking the Kool-Aid", referring to a person or group holding an unquestioned belief, argument, or philosophy without critical examination. Jonestown: Rebuilding my life after surviving the massacre. After escaping Jonestown, Rhodes arrived in Port Kaituma on the night of November 18, 1978. [63] All voice communications with San Francisco and Georgetown were transmitted using this radio, from mundane supply orders to confidential Temple business. [34], As 500 members began the construction of Jonestown, the Temple encouraged more to relocate to the settlement. [120], Reiterman was surprised by the severe deterioration of Jones' health when he saw him in Jonestown on November 17, 1978. Jones's excessive drug use, irrational behaviour and the isolation of his followers raised the alarm back home. [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. Docuseries looking back on the Jonestown Massacre on the 40th anniversary. Members are captivated; his lust for power becomes unstoppable. This idea seemed promising to the Burnham government, who feared a military incursion by Venezuela. [106] Following the visit, Temple members met almost weekly with Timofeyev to discuss a potential Soviet exodus. [188] Wielding a kitchen knife, Sharon first killed Christa, and then Martin. [8][13], The Peoples Temple was formed by Jim Jones in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1955. Several defectors voiced their suspicions about Larry Layton's motives. 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. [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. Director Actor Films # Ref. [190] Dwyer was grazed by a bullet in his buttock during the shootings. Rhodes, Clayton, Garry, and Lane were also brought to Georgetown. Therefore, it was as much a mass murder as a mass suicide. [27][28] Former Temple member Tim Carter stated that the reasons for choosing Guyana were the Temple's view of a perceived dominance of racism and multinational corporations in the U.S. [184], Moore also left a note, which in part stated: "I am at a point right now so embittered against the world that I don't know why I am writing this. [74], For a year, it appears the commune was run primarily through Social Security checks received by members. "[17][18] Jones had an interest in Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Adolf Hitler from a young age, and would later frequently praise Stalin and Vladimir Lenin as heroes. On October 24, 1983, Mann fatally shot both Adams and the couple's child, and then fatally shot himself. [111] Reiterman's subsequent story about the Stoen custody battle prompted the immediate threat of a lawsuit by the Temple. Lay down your life with dignity; don't lay down with tears and agony." Because it stood on poor soil, Jonestown was not self-sufficient and had to import large quantities of commodities such as wheat. [194] In many cases, responsibility for cremation of the remains was distributed to Dover area funeral homes. 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