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Jim Jones' the Peoples Temple was formed in Indianapolis, Indiana during the late 1950s. After several scandals and investigations, Jones decided that by creating a utopian community in Guyana, he could further cement his absolute power over his members far away from the intervention of US authorities or worried members' relatives. In 1974, he leased 300 acres of land from the Guyanese government and members of the People's Temple started the construction of Jonestown. Jones then went back to California before he encouraged all his followers to move to Jonestown in 1977. Jonestown's population increased greatly from 50 members in 1977 to over 900 at its peak in 1978.
Many of the Peoples Temple members believed that Guyana would be, as Jones promised, a paradise. Instead, everyone (including children) ended up raising food and animals six days a week from seven in the morning to six in the evening, often when the temperature was as hot as 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Meals for the members consisted of nothing more than rice and beans while Jones ate meat and other refrigerated foods separated from the others. Medical problems such as severe diarrhea and high fevers struck half the community in February 1978. Members considered to be serious disciplinary problems were imprisoned in a 6 by 4 by 3 foot plywood box. Members who attempted to run away were drugged to the point of incapacitation. Armed guards patrolled the compound day and night to ensure that Jones' orders were followed. Children, surrendered to communal care, were made to address Jones as "Dad" and were only allowed to see their parents briefly at night. Jones was called "Father" or "Dad" by the adults as well.
Local Guyanese, including a police official, related horror stories about harsh beatings and a "torture hole," a well into which Jones had "misbehaving" children thrown in the middle of the night. Jones had terrifed the children by making them believe that there was a monster living at the bottom of the well, where in fact it was Jones' henchman who pulled and tugged their legs as they descended into the well. Older children were said to have been tied naked and electrical shocks would be administered to their genitalia. Guyanese officials had attempted to investigate these allegations but they were denied entry to the compound.
On Tuesday November 14, 1978, Congressman Leo Ryan flew to Georgetown, Guyana, along with a team of 18 to investigate charges by relatives of the members and escaped members allegation that human rights were being violated daily, people were being held against their free will, had all their money and passport taken and held, and, most disturbingly, rehearsals of mass suicide were being conducted.
It was later reported that Jones had run rehearsals in how to receive Ryan's delegation, to convince them that everyone was happy and in good spirit. On the night before Ryan's arrival Jones warned everyone, with the exception of a few trusted people, not to speak to Ryan's party. Some were angry and saw the Congressman's visit as trouble brought in from outside. Few quietly complained of the dire situation within the compound.
When Jones learned about some of his followers' reactions and that some of them wished to leave, he was angry and believed that those who wanted to leave the community would "lie" and destroy Jonestown. Jones and many other members of the Peoples Temple saw themselves as a family that had the right and the duty to stay together. Like most families they felt that they had the duty to defend themselves against people who tried to take away their members. At first Jones was angry, but then was reassured when other members told him it was actually a compliment that out of over 1,000 people only a few dozen wished to leave. Jones then gave them permission to leave, some money and their passports. Jones also told them they would be welcome to come back at any time.
Because more people were leaving than was expected and the limited amount of seats available on the Cessna, Ryan was going to send the first group to Georgetown and stay behind with the rest when Don Sly, a member of the Temple, possibly acting directly under Jones' orders, attacked the congressman with a knife. Although he wasn't hurt in the attack, he realised that the visiting party and the defectors were in danger. Ryan's party and 16 ex-Temple members left Jonestown and reached the nearby Port Kaituma airstrip at 4:30pm, where they planned to use two planes to fly to Georgetown, the capital of Guyana. At the last minute, Larry Layton, a fanatic follower demanded to join the group. The rest of the defectors voiced their suspicions about the motive for Larry joining the group but Ryan insisted that anyone who wanted to go would go.
Before the Cessna took off, Layton took out a gun and started shooting at the passengers. He killed two people, including defector Monica Bagby before his gun was taken away by another defector. Jones' armed guards, or "Red Brigade," then emerged in a tractor pulling a wagon, pulled up within 30 feet of the Otter, and proceeded to open fire while circling the plane. Leo Ryan, three journalists, and one 18-year-old Jonestown defector were killed in the five minute shooting, which was captured on camera. Camera operator Robert Brown was among the dead while Jackie Speier was injured. The Cessna was able to take off and fly to Georgetown, leaving behind the gunfire-damaged Otter. They carried with them a filmed footage of the surprise attack, a first glimpse of Jonestown for the outside world.
Shortly after the shootings, Jones decided to start the mass suicide, as he knew that the Guyanese Defence Force would be coming for him once they got word of the shootout at the airstrip. Jones had the mass suicide recorded on a cassette tape in which it would seem there were only a few people who were reluctant to go through with the suicide, but they were convinced otherwise by other members and Jones himself.
Two metal buckets of grape Flavor Aid laced with Valium and cyanide were brought into the assembly hall and the mixture was dispensed in small paper cups. Babies and children were the first ones to ingest the mixture as it was squirted into their throats with a syringe. The elderly followed, and then the adults. Many blindly drank it even after watching their children die. The rest had the mixture poured down their throats after resisting drinking. Bodies also bore the marks of hypodermic needles with which the poison was injected. Some sources assert there were injections into unwilling victims, although the numbers vary widely. The precise circumstances are the focus of a number of conspiracy theories.
Those who tried to hide were tracked down and killed by Jones' armed guards but some survivors did manage to escape into the jungle. Jones' only natural son, Stephan Jones, who happened to be away during the suicide asserted in an interview that people were probably not coerced but wanted to remain loyal to the group, its ideals and did not want to be seen as a traitor. Jones himself was killed by a gunshot to his head. Whether the trigger was pulled by himself or by a disgruntled member wasn't clear. Hours after news of the mass suicide got out, local authorities found 913 of the 1,110 inhabitants dead, including 276 children.
Jonestown itself became a "ghost town" after 1978 and was mostly destroyed by a fire in the mid-1980s, after which the ruins were left to decay; as of 2004 there is little to mark the site of one of the most notorious mass suicides in history. |
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Dear People:
Remembering Jonestown
By Denice Stephenson
More than a quarter of a century after the fall of Peoples Temple, in which the world witnessed the devastating loss of over nine hundred lives—including those of Congressman Leo J. Ryan and several journalists—the tragedy of Jonestown continues to mystify. In a sensitive account that traces the rise and fall of the idealistic community movement that preceded the deaths at Jonestown, Denice Stephenson uses letters, oral histories, journal entries, and other original documents—many published here for the first time—to bring this inexplicable event into a very personal and human perspective.
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Seductive Poison:
A Jonestown Survivor's Story of Life and Death in the People's Temple
By Deborah Layton
Told by a former high-level member of the Peoples Temple and Jonestown survivor, Seductive Poison is the "truly unforgettable" (Kirkus Review) story of how one woman was seduced by one of the most notorious cults in recent memory and how she found her way back to sanity. From Waco to Heaven's Gate, the past decade has seen its share of cult tragedies. But none has been quite so dramatic or compelling as the Jonestown massacre of 1978, in which the Reverend Jim Jones and 913 of his disciples perished. Deborah Layton had been a member of the Peoples Temple for seven years when she departed for Jonestown, Guyana, the promised land nestled deep in the South American jungle. When she arrived, however, Layton saw that something was seriously wrong. Jones constantly spoke of a revolutionary mass suicide, and Layton knew only too well that he had enough control over the minds of the Jonestown residents to carry it out. But her pleas for help--and her sworn affidavit to the U.S. government--fell on skeptical ears. In this very personal account, Layton opens up the shadowy world of cults and shows how anyone can fall under their spell. Seductive Poison is both an unflinching historical document and a riveting story of intrigue, power, and murder.
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Hearing the Voices of Jonestown
By Mary McCormick Maaga
Almost 20 years ago--November 18, 1978--news media across the U.S. brought into the nation's living rooms pictures of mass suicides committed by members of Jim Jones's People's Temple in Jonestown, Guyana. Maaga, a United Methodist pastor, became interested in the events at Jonestown when she learned that the daughters of her mentors, Reverend John and Barbara Moore, had been members of the Temple and had died in Guyana. While Maaga began her research wanting to know how two daughters from such a committed Christian family could have become involved in the People's Temple. Maaga discovered that the media perception of Jones group as a cult of "crazies" who foolishly gave up everything in exchange for a dangerous and irrational new religion was not justified. She found instead a community whose earliest activities were marked by a desire for social justice, racial harmony and sexual equality. Maaga traces the beginnings of the People's Temple to 1954 when, as a student pastor at a Methodist Church in Indianapolis, Jim Jones became disenchanted with the segregated Christianity he experienced and began a social ministry. By the time the group moved to California, it was providing food, housing, quality medical care and fellowship to low-income blacks and whites. Maaga chronicles the decline of the People's Temple and Jones's psychological disintegration, which was brought on by drug abuse, and the desires of the members to see themselves as courageous martyrs. In the end, Maaga writes, the People's Temple was a contradictory movement based on deception, fabricated healings and the tyranny of charismatic authority fueled by a sincere desire to emulate Jesus and care for society's neediest members. Maaga's penetrating portrait of the Jonestown event will leave readers asking "How different am I from those who died at Jonestown?"
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Guyana Tragedy:
The Story of Jim Jones
VHS
An excellent overview of the events leading up to the Jonestown tragedy of 1978. The film starts with Jones as a child involved in preaching the gospel to anyone who will listen. The more disturbing aspects of Jones' childhood (including his torture and killing of small animals) are left unexplored. However, as the film progresses, we do get more of an idea of the sickness of the Reverend Jim Jones. His drug use, seduction of both male and female parishioners, staged "healings," questionable financial dealings, and vicious public castigation of Temple Members are all given due screen time. The cast is unbelievable for a TV movie -- Powers Boothe riveting as Jones, Veronica Cartwright excellent as his wife Marceline, as well as James Earl Jones, Colleen Dewhurst, Diane Ladd, Brad Dourif, Ned Beatty, LeVar Burton, Meg Foster, Randy Quaid, Brenda Vaccaro, and many others. Some may not like the compression of facts and events. Names are changed and characters are switched around. For instance, Tim and Grace Stoen (they are given different names in the film) were not shot at the airstrip in Port Kaituma, nor did Congressman Ryan spend the night at the Jonestown compound. There are also several key players who seem to be missing in the film: Deborah and Larry Layton, and Caroline and Annie Moore, for instance. However, the final suicide scene is absolutely harrowing. The dialogue is taken from the actual tape recording made at the suicide, and the director wisely chose to shoot the scene without any music. This gives it the feel of a documentary, and it is easily worth watching the entire movie just for this finale. Despite its rather free treatment of the facts surrounding the demise of the Peoples Temple, this film contains excellent performances and should be seen by anyone with an interest in this particular tragedy or cults in general.
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Salvation and Suicide:
Jim Jones, the Peoples Temple, and Jonestown
By David Chidester
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Beyond Jonestown:
Sensitivity Training and the Cult of Mind Control
By Ed Dieckmann
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