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[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at
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anytime you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
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please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website this series on jonestown deals with
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horrific events the series deals with mass murder and suicide of men women and children as well as other abuses the
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episodes are graphic and distressing especially episode three there will not be suitable for all listeners please use
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your discretion at 10:30 a.m. on November 18th 1978 congressman Leo Ryan woke in Jones town's guest house after
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quickly finishing his breakfast Brian and his staff Oh jackie speier immediately began interviewing more
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residents about their life in Jonestown at 11:00 a.m. a flatbed truck arrived carrying the congressman's media
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entourage several journalists a cameraman salmon and producer they had been refused accommodation in Jonestown
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so instead spent the night in the nearby village of Port Kojima as marceline Jones took them on their pre planned a
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tour of the commune they walked past several seemingly harmless sites a group of girls practicing a dance routine boys
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playing basketball in children crowded around a television set watching a movie but something about the regimented
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perfection of each event seemed off that felt as though these random moments weren't organic or real but meticulously
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scripted it was clear to Ryan and his delegation that there was something sinister occurring beneath the cheery
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facade in Jonestown the journalists peered into one of the residential cottages and saw the cramped layout of
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the bunk beds noting that each bunk was personalized with a few spares belongings photos and crafts and a book
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at most as congressman Ryan and his journalists wondered the grounds they interviewed residents along the way they
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asked candid questions about their happiness if they are free to leave and if they wanted to go back to America
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responses were always overwhelmingly positive one woman told the reporters she's never been happier in her life
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a teenage girl confidently explained if she wanted to leave she was free to go another girl said she would never be
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returning to America she wanted to stay in Jonestown with her friends forever [Music]
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after the tour congressman Ryan and his delegation met again with Jones towns leader Reverend
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Jim Jones Jones said adjacent to the journalists and their cameras wearing the same clothes as he had the night
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before reporter Don Harris questioned Jones about the Bleak rumors emanating from Jones town about residents
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mistreatment and imprisonment Jones denied the rumors and assured the group his people were happy to break the
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deception of positivity and happiness Harris handed Jones the crumpled handwritten note he was given the night
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before by Vernon Gosney the message read dear congressman please help us get out of Jonestown Jones read
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the note nonchalantly before handing it to one of his aides he said people play games friends they'll lie a lie what can
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I do about lies are you people gonna leave us I just beg you please leave us we won't bother nobody
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anyone who wants to get out of here can get out of here we have no problem about getting out of
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here they come and go all the time Edith Parks an elderly Jonestown resident watched Jones confidently smirk
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as lies poured from his mouth Edith was a longtime People's Temple member and had been with Jones since its
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inception in the 1950s she knew better than most how far Peoples Temple had fallen into an organization of abuse
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fear and control Edith followed by her family of seven marched up to congressman Ryan's staffer Jackie Speier
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and said we want to leave Jones approached the parks family and begged them to stay offering them their
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passports and $5,000 if they remained in the settlement for another week or two the parks family considered the offer
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but they were concerned it was a trap they feed Jones would brutally punish them and possibly kill them the moment
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that congressman left Jonestown Jerry parks the older Jones you held us here as slaves and now we are getting here
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reporter Tim riemann quote as the potential defectors began gathering up their belongings MBC conducted an
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interview with Jim Jones in the pavilion as the interview went on Jones grew more
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and more tense I think it was sinking in if it hadn't already that this visit was
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not going to play well outside Jonestown Jones was asked if it was true he had security guards armed with guns to
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control his followers James replied no no nobody came to see people with guns of strictly prohibited
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guns you don't have to shoot me because the media smear does it I've given my life for people serving people as news
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of the parks family defection spread throughout Jonestown other residents peered out from behind doorways and
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huddled together exchanging looks of concern and anxious whispers reporter Tim Reid Ehrman quote within the hours
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it became clear that more people wanted to come in and the tension just radiated
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out from Jones and those groups of potential defectors the whole place was paralyzed as time went on probably about
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a dozen people had stepped forward and they were insistent on leaving by 3:00 p.m. 14 defectors indicated a desire to
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leave Jonestown defectors collected their few personal belongings and climbed on the back of the flatbed truck
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that would take them to the port Cojimar airstrip other residents swore at them and threatened them one of the defectors
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was handed a note from the crowd that read keep your damn mouth shut Vernon Gosney whose handwritten note to
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the congressman kicked off the events unfolding that day approached his young son and told him he was leaving Vernon
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Gosney quote I thought my son is black and he's going to be subject to the racism of the United States government
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and I thought that Jonestown was the better place for him to be I didn't know I was confused I met with my son briefly
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and I just hugged him I said goodbye to him Jim James approached Ghazni and warned
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him not to say anything to the lying reporters he also coolly told him that he was welcome back at Jamestown to
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visit his son anytime he wanted due to the unanticipated number of defectors Brian's staff went to the radio room and
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requested a second plane to attend port Khartoum airstrip congressman Ryan decided to stay in Jonestown one more
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night to continue interviewing residents to make sure no one else wanted to leave
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Vernon Gosney approached Ryan and warned him of the danger he was in quote congressman Ryan had no idea what
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he had walked into at all and it was apparent that he couldn't really conceive the level of danger that he was
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in Brian assured Ghazni that there was nothing to worry about stating the United States congressional
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shield protected him Don sly was a broad-shouldered ex-marine Jonestown resident he wept as he slowly walked up
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behind congressman Ryan clutching a knife tightly in his hand sly wrapped his arm around Ryan's neck pulled the
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congressman back press the knife to his throat and said [ __ ] you were going to die
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witnesses screamed in horror congressman Ryan struggled with his attacker before
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others grabbed slaw and forced him to the ground Brian's shirt was torn and smeared with
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blood but he was uninjured slide cut his own hand with a knife when being apprehended Jim Jones barely reacted to
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the assault simply saying I wish I had been killed Ryan ordered Jones to have Slye arrested James said does this
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change things Brian assured Jones that he wouldn't let the attack influence his overall
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impression of Jonestown which he maintained it was still very much positive however the attack convinced
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Ryan to leave immediately Brian collected his belongings and walked to the flatbed truck where his
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delegation and the Jamestown defectors were waiting as the truck prepared to leave one more defector emerged from the
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crowd Larry Layton wearing a long poncho granted the truck and insisted he wanted
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to leave to Brian's delegation was suspicious Layton had been a passionate advocate for Jones earlier at that same
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day other defectors were also uncomfortable as they knew Layton as one of Jones's most fanatical followers some
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had seen Jones speaking to Layton privately by the playground earlier that day their conversation ended with a hug
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defectors told congressman Ryan that Layton might be a spy sent by Jones but Ryan refused to deny passage to
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anyone who said they wanted to leave so they took Layton with them the truck pulled out of Jonestown and drove to
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port cut to him his airstrip arriving between 4:30 and 4:45 p.m. when the group reached the airstrip the wrong way
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was empty the two planes the group had radioed for were scheduled to be there but there were nowhere in sight while
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they waited the cameraman had his camera rolling Brian explained to the camera here just
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prior to leaving Jonestown several more residents approached him wanting to escape the commune but it was at that
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moment that Ryan was attacked by Don sly so he wasn't able to take down the names
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of those others who wanted to leave after an agonizingly long wait the first plane arrived at 5:10 p.m. followed by
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the second plane minutes later the group milled around the planes loaded their belongings and started the board berry
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Layton sat on the runway volumes forth his long poncho draped over his body he stared at the group without expression
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from the direction of Jamestown a red farm tractor with a trailer attached to rolled along the road and pulled up onto
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the side of the airstrip at parked less than 200 metres from the plains a few of
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Jones town's guards emerge from the tractor they slowly circled the plains and stared at the group reporter Don
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Harris said to the others I think we got trouble it soon became clear there wasn't enough seating on the two planes
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for all thirty people wanting to leave jamestown defectors were given priority as were the government officials and
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staff so the journalists had to argue amongst themselves as to who should volunteer to remain in Port Clyde Toomer
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to fly out the following day Larry Leighton who was still sitting on the runway by himself finally broke his
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trance and stood up he insisted to be seated on the first plane congressman Ryan agreed but first patted Layton down
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for weapons after finding nothing Bryan allowed latent aboard inside the plane were several other Jonestown defectors
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including a 12-year old girl at 5:20 p.m. the second planes engine rumbled to life on cue the tractor containing
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Jamestown's guards sped towards the planes stopping only ten meters away six armed men who were hiding in the
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tractors trailer rose up and left out onto the airstrip they lifted their guns and began firing indiscriminately at the
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crowd of planes as the bullets flew the crowd dispersed in a panic some ducked the cover behind the planes
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wheels those already in the planes attempted to shut the heavy doors as bullets flew inside
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others sprinted to the bordering jungle and dived into the thick shrubbery when the firing began Larry Layton turned in
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his plane seat and pulled out a 38 revolver he had hidden in his clothing he fired at three times that the other
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passengers around him they left from the doorway to escape two were wounded Layton they're named for the gun at his
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next target and pulled the trigger but it jammed the other passengers desperately wrestled the gun from Layton
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and punched him in the face out on the airstrip congressman Ryan yield or been shot he
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grasped his neck and ducked down by the front we one of the planes during the ambush NBC
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cameraman Bob Brown had his camera up and recording he filmed the gunman as they emerged from the trailer and began
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firing at the crowd then the film turned the static Bob was shot in the leg causing him to fall to the ground and
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his camera to shadow in the violent chaos the pilot of the second smaller plane accelerated gained quick speed and
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took off leaving the others behind the shooting lasted almost five minutes reporter Tim reader Minh was able to
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escape into the jungle quote the gunfire died down and there were several deliberate shots over the space of maybe
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a half minute and event there was silence after Ryan's delegation left change down
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with the defectors temple mother and Jim Jones's wife Marceline Jones made an announcement over the loudspeaker in an
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attempt to defuse the tension festering in the settlement Marceline told residents to rest in their cottages
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until dinner within minutes a deep gray cloud grew over Jamestown the wind began to hell
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palm trees whipped back as torrential rain flooded the commune turning the dirt paths into muddy rivers Jamestown
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resident Mike Proulx quote I've seen a lot of storms here before but never like this one it came out of nowhere
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congressman Ryan and his party had left a little while before suddenly it got very very dark and the wind came up like
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I've never seen it here it blew so hard that dust and stuff blew up in the pavilion so thick that you couldn't see
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it rained very hard and then it was just over the storm was followed by Jim Jones's
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commanding voice echoing over the loudspeaker it was now 5:00 p.m. and his voice was
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eerily calm whatnot whatnot everybody report to the pavilion immediately as residents filed into the pavilion they
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watched in solemn silence as a woman sang from the stage a song about being a freedom fighter twenty-five guards took
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position in a tight circle around the pavilion facing the crowd some carried loaded crossbows others carried rifles
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within 15 minutes Jim Jones appeared and climbed on the main stage he sat on his
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usual teal wooden slate chair this thing has stopped and left the stage Jones reached to his side and grab the
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microphone and casually clicked on a tape recorder how very much I've loved you how very
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much I've tried my best to give you the good life inside of all of that cried a handful of our people with their lives
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have made our life impossible there's no way to detach ourselves from what's happened today not only we're in a
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compound disparition not only are there those who have left and committed the betrayal of the century I was stolen
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children from others and then right now to kill them I thought they stole their children and
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we we are sitting here waiting on a powder keg I don't think this is what we want to do with our babies I don't think
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that's what we had in mind to do with our babies it was dead by the greatest prophets I'm time immemorial no man lay
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takes my life from me I lay my life down so to sit here and wait for work attacks
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if it's gonna happen on that airplane it's gonna make it a stiffy how long worst happened here almost happened the
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congressman is nearly killed here but you can't see people's children they can't take it off with people's children
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without expecting a violent reaction and that's not so unfamiliar to us either if
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we even if we were judeo-christian if we weren't communists the world the kingdom
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toughest violence in the violence so take it by force if we can't live in peace let us die in
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peace we've been so betrayed we have been so terribly betrayed a week tried and just check being off and said
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on or he said right this moment reject he said it's just only work one day it was worthwhile what's going to happen
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here in a matter of a few minutes is that one of those people on that plane is gonna gonna shoot the pilot I know
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that I didn't plan it but I know it's going to happen I'm gonna shoot that pilot and down comes that plane into the
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jungle and we had better not have any of our children left when it's over cause they'll parachute in here on us plane is
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I know how to tell you I've never lied to you I never have lied to you I know that's what's gonna happen that's what
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it intends to do and he will do it he'll do it or that being stopped the world it
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was many many pressures on my brain seeing all these people behave so treasonous it was just too much for me
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to put together but I now know what he was telling me and it'll happen if the plane gets in the air you mean so my
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opinion is that we become the children and we kind of seniors and take the push and like they used to take in ancient
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Greece a step over quietly because we are not committing suicide it's a revolutionary act we can't go back they
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won't leave us alone they're now going back to tell more lies which means more congressmen and there's
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no way no way we can survive it was at this moment Jones off at anyone with a dissenting opinion to step
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forward and speak up out of the crowd of hundreds that remained quiet 60 year old
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Christine Miller stood Christine had been convinced to visit Jones town after attending several people's temple
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services in Los Angeles she had previously expressed her unhappiness and not finding peace in Jonestown saying
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she felt like a bird locked in a cage Christine asked Jones if it was too late for them to escape to Russia
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Jones often said he would move the settlement to the pro-communist country if they livelihoods in Guyana were ever
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threatened James praised Christine for opposing him he called her a good agitator but he was quick to deny the
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possibility of escaping to Russia the country wouldn't take them he said it was no use
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they held no value to Russia suicide was their only option now I'm spending money
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yet didn't die I like to choose my own kind of death for a change I'm tired of being tormented to hell that's what I'm
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tired you know what your life in my hand I'm gonna tell you Christine without me
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life has no meaning and the best friend you'll ever have what I have to pay I'm standing with you Jarrah
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I'm sending those people they're part of me I can detach myself my attorneys just
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detach my stuff no no no no no no I never detached my stuff from any of your troubles I've always taken your troubles
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right on my shoulders and I'm not gonna change that now it's too late I've been running too long not gonna
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change now maybe the next time you get to go to Russia the next time around that's what
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I'm talking about the nouns in the dissertation of judgment this is the revolutionaries it's a revolutionary
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suicide Council I'm not talking about the dull stuff destruction I'm talking about what we have no other role I will
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take your your call we will put it to the Russians and I can tell you the answer now because I'm a prophet call
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the Russians intelligence chief they'll take us bravely Christine continued to fight Jones for her life she compared
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the small number of people who defected that day to the larger population that remained and stayed loyal to Jones
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Christine said as long as there's life left there's hope that's my faith but it wasn't enough to sway Jones Christine
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then argued for the lives of Jones town's babies the crowd heckled her one woman mocked her for being afraid to die
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Jones told Christine that she'd regret it if she didn't die that day desperate to have Jones see reason for them all to
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live Christine asked him if he wanted to see John died she was referring to John
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stolen the little boy James claimed to be the biological father of the boy Jones
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kidnapped and rushed the Guyana before his ex temple mother could reclaim custody
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chines replied do you actually think I would put John's life above others he's not different to me than any of these
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children here come on stive tried to keep this thing from happening but I now did the will is the will of sovereign
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being that this happened to us and we lay down our lives in protests against what's been done and we lay down our
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lives to protest in what's being done the criminality of people a cruelty people who walk out of here today
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did you notice to walk down white people mostly white people walks I'm so grateful for the ones that didn't those
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who knew who they are there's no point there's no point to this we have we are born before our time
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they won't accept it and I don't think we should sit here and take any more time for our children to be endangered
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if they come after our children and we give them my children then our children will suffer forever
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[Applause] Christine Miller's opposing voice of reason became lost amongst the rambling
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audience suddenly the flatbed truck that took congressman Ryan and his delegation
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to port quite uma sped down the road followed by the red tractor and trailer carrying the six gunmen one of the
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guards rushed towards Jones wept onstage and whispered in his ear Giants turn to the crowd and announced
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flatly the congressman has been murdered [Music] why don't you see what a legacy the Red
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Brigades the only ones ever made in his tents anyway they invaded our privacy they came into our home named father
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dick thousand miles away the red brigade showed them justice congressman's dead [Music]
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please get us the medication that's simple simple there's no convulsions with it it's just simple just please get
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it before it's too late the gdf will be here I tell you get moving get moving get moving fifty people land out here
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though they'll talk to some of our children here they'll talk to our people don't dark earthy news we cannot have
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this are you going to separate yourself from whoever atop the Congress I don't know Scotty
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[Applause] a large steel drum was carried into the pavilion and placed on a table at the
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front hundreds of paper cups and syringes were piled next to the drum as Jones stuttered and slurred his way through
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his speech the drum was filled with grape flavored non carbonated soft drink Jonestown residents had drunk the liquid
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many times before under the order of Jones but in those past instances the liquid was harmless
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Jamestown's medical staff fronted by dr. Larry sharp began to measure out various
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liquid poisons and medications pouring large amounts into the VAT of grape juice potassium cyanide valium
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chlorohydrate and potassium chloride was third in turning the liquid Brown even as it was mixed before their eyes Jones
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towns residents couldn't believe that the VAT contained poison they convinced themselves that this was just another
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test to prove their loyalty to Jones they weren't really about the door nurses began tearing open syringe
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packets and dipping them into the VAT touring up the ground poison into their narrow tubes one of Tim Jones's
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mistresses Maria Kat Suri's helped prepare the poison drink she climbed onstage and whispered in Jones's ear
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Jones was overheard asking her if there was any way to make the drink taste less
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bitter Kat Suri's responded no Jones then asked her if it was quick kateri said yes it was supposed to be quick
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kat Suri's then turned to the crowd and ordered everyone to form orderly lines behind their table babies and children
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would be first then the adults katsura's instructed parents to keep children calm
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and told older children to reassure their younger siblings the first person to stand and approach the VAT was a
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woman in her late 20s calmly and deliberately she walked up to the drum of poison with her one-year-old baby in
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her arms taking a needle of syringe she filled the tube with poison and squirted the
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liquid into her baby's mouth she then consumed some for herself the mother walked out of the pavilion to
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the grassy field next door and sat down holding her baby clothes she rocked him gently as he began to scream hesitant
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mothers remained seated holding their babies tight initially polite nurses gently convinced mothers to hand over
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their babies when that didn't work they called over the armed guards who pried the babies from their frantic mother's
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arms and took them to the vet when the babies were poisoned they screamed and cried in agonizing pain cat sir is
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reassured worried parents by lying to them The Crying wasn't from pain she stated but due to the bitterness of the
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drink more mothers carried their babies to the vet allowing poison to be shot down their throats
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once all the babies were done the children were next older children were aware of the horror around them they saw
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babies writhing in pain in their mother's arms their little bodies convulsing unnaturally and their eyes
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rolling back before they flopped completely still shortly afterwards their mothers would
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convulse lose grip in their child and fall backwards dead residents made reassuring speeches all
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the while the sound of children dying in pain turned on in the background of their optimistic words as one crying
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child was pushed forward and forced the drink Jones called out don't be afraid to die Jones then pleaded with the crowd
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to get on with it before saying this is a revolutionary suicide this is not a self-destructive suicide so they'll pay
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for this they brought this upon us and they'll pay for that I'll leave that destiny to them if everybody will relax
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the best thing you can do is to relax and you'll have no problems you'll have no problems with this thing if you just
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relax Peoples Temple member Tim Carter quote as I walked up to the back of the pavilion I saw a woman named Rosie on
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the ground crying holding her dead baby there were maybe eight or nine other people who were dying or in the process
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of dying inside I just wanted things to stop please let me catch my breath let me figure out what's happening here I
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looked to my right then I saw my wife with our son in her arms and poison being injected into his mouth my son was
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dead and he was frothing at the mouth he knows cyanide makes people froth at the mouth my wife died in my arms and my
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dead baby son was in her arms and I held her and said I love you I love you because that's all I could say she died
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in my arms residents were in shock everything felt too unreal to be true as the bodies of poisoned friends and
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family were dragged out of the pavilion those who remained struggle to rationalize the horror when a poisoned a
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15 year old boy who was directed out of the pavilion ran back in collapsed against the pole wheezed and began
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convulsing the remaining residents were left with no doubt that this wasn't a hoax it was very real and people were
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dying Jones barked orders to get the dying boy out of the pavilion two men picked him
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up and as they carried him to the field his body went limp a twelve-year-old girl kept spitting out the poison when
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it was forced into her mouth agitated nurses grabbed her hair and pulled a backwards roughly forcing her
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head back they poured the poison down her throat and covered her mouth and nose forcing her to swallow when people
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started saying their goodbyes Jones blasted the crowd again and told them to hurry up armed guards aimed their
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weapons at those who were slow-moving of those who secretly wanted to escape it seemed impossible male nurses
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approached people who were visibly suffering from shock and injected them with a syringe filled with the poison
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guards held down people who refused to get in line and nurses forcibly injected them Christine Miller the woman who
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stood up against Jones at the beginning of the meeting had to be forcibly injected
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Stanley Clayton quote I ain't never used the term suicide and I ain't ever going
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to use the word suicide that man was killing us my wife came up to me she had no tears in her eyes she was just in a
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daze my mother my grandmother my sister my brother all of them gone she said just take me just take me and lay me
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down next to my grandmama and she went up to the poison to that death barrel and she just didn't hesitate she took it
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and drunkard and told me to hold her to take her and I did and she died in my arms
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once I laid her down and she told me her she wanted to lay with her grandmother I at that point knew that I had no
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reason to be here no more Jones continued his speech over screams of people dying in agony lay down your life
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with dignity don't lay down with tears and agony it's nothing to death just like Mac said it's just stepping over
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into another plane don't be this way stop the hysterics this is not the way for people who are socialistic
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communists to die no way for us to die we must die with some dignity Tim Carter quote they were [ __ ] slaughtered
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there was nothing dignified about it had nothing to do with revolutionary suicide
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had nothing to do with making a [ __ ] statement it was just senseless waste senseless waste and death out in the
00:33:54
grassy field Jones's aides dragged the dead bodies into rows to create more space bodies
00:34:00
were rolled onto their stomachs so others wouldn't see the contorted faces of the dead parents were piled onto the
00:34:06
bodies of their children the aides positioned bodies to appear as though they were cradling each other and had
00:34:12
died peacefully eventually when there were too many bodies and too little space the aides began piling bodies on
00:34:19
top of one another dr. Schaack who would come up with the idea of killing everyone with swallowing
00:34:25
walked amongst the bodies pressing his stethoscope to their chest to confirm that were dead
00:34:29
and not faking it as the crowd in the pavilion diminished and as the last few people stepped forward in a trance-like
00:34:38
state to consume the liquid they knew would kill them Kim Jones pressed the microphone to his lips and recorded his
00:34:45
final message we didn't commit to a tie we can elect a revolutionary suicide protesting the conditions of a ninja
00:34:55
main world [Music] Jim James clicked off the cassette recorder he stepped down from the stage
00:35:43
and ushered the last remaining adults to the VAT of poison by now the Sun had set
00:35:48
on Jamestown approximately 40 minutes had passed since the final white night started the compound was shut out in
00:35:56
complete darkness except for blazing lights emanating from the pavilion James returned to his seat on the pavilion
00:36:02
stage surrounding his wooden throne were piles of dead bodies in total nine hundred and nine people had been
00:36:11
poisoned to death three hundred and four of those were children when Jones's final white night started
00:36:19
one of his aides sent a message to People's Temple headquarters in cayenne his capital Georgetown
00:36:24
she gave instructions to headquarters through a heavily coded message he knocked at the last end murder the
00:36:31
temples enemies and then kill yourselves she taught in Morse code K and I F B the People's Temple member based in the
00:36:45
Georgetown headquarters at the time was Sharon Amos she was known as a fanatical
00:36:50
Jim Jones follower when the order to die came over the radio the thought of refusal never crossed her mind she
00:36:57
informed her 21 year old daughter Leeanne of the order together they went into the kitchen and collected several
00:37:04
large knives Sharon summoned her youngest children Christa aged 11 and Martin aged 10
00:37:11
Sharon and Leeanne led the young children into a bathroom where all four of them were later found dead
00:37:20
elsewhere in Georgetown a small military airport received several disjointed panicked radio messages
00:37:26
about 6:00 p.m. a small plane swooped in to land the military was confused no flights had been scheduled to arrive at
00:37:35
that time emerging from the plane were two Guyanese pilots and an American woman with two gunshot wounds in her
00:37:42
back her name was Monica Bagby at Jamestown defacto her speech was rushed and frightened she spoke of a gunfight
00:37:51
at the port cuts humor airstrip people were dead they had become not as jackie speier lay on the airstrip her aching
00:37:59
body caught up behind the flattened wheel of the plane the gunfire had stopped long ago she recalled how after
00:38:07
the initial hail of bullets the gunman walked casually and precisely through the injured bodies on the
00:38:11
airstrip shooting each one at close range she recalled the sound of the shooters
00:38:17
cheering after the attack as they drove away from the scene jackie speier quote i looked around and saw bodies including
00:38:26
that of my boss and mentor congressman Leo Ryan was he to pretending to be dead I called his name but he didn't respond
00:38:34
looking down I saw what appeared to be bone it was my own and it was sticking out of my shattered right arm reporter
00:38:44
Tim Reid a man emerged from the jungle and approached the plane quote I saw several bodies on the ground
00:38:51
Don Harris of NBC congressman Ryan Greg Robinson the photographer with me Bob Brown of NBC Patricia Parks one of the
00:39:00
defectors all of them were dead amongst the five dead on the airstrip were several wounded delegates and defectors
00:39:10
it took until 10:00 a.m. the following day November 19th before a Guyanese rescue aircraft descended on Porco Touma
00:39:17
to investigate they didn't bother carrying medical supplies or personnel as they suspect that there would be no
00:39:23
survivors when they found that there were actually many survivors some gravely wounded they airlifted the map
00:39:30
to Georgetown where they were transferred to a waiting US Air Force medical evacuation aircraft five
00:39:37
Jonestown defectors had run into the jungle when the airfield shootings began and they kept running some suffered
00:39:44
gunshot wounds they lost themselves in the overgrown jungle for three days by the time they were discovered they were
00:39:51
delirious from blood loss and their wounds were infested with maggots but they had survived
00:39:58
[Music] survivors of the Jonestown Massacre began to emerge from the depths of the
00:40:05
jungle with harrowing stories of what horrors remained behind them the mourning of Congressman Ryan's visit 11
00:40:12
Jonestown residents took advantage of the distraction and put their escape plans into action
00:40:17
they told others that they were going on a picnic when in reality they walked into the
00:40:21
jungle and didn't return some of the escapees included a mother and her three-year-old son as well as a couple
00:40:28
when their three daughters survivor Tim Cara was a member of Jamestown's leadership he had been tasked along with
00:40:36
two others to take a briefcase carrying 550 thousand dollars in US currency one hundred and thirty thousand dollars in
00:40:43
Guyanese currency an envelope and gold to the Russian embassy in Georgetown but the group left for their mission later
00:40:50
than expected which meant Tim Carter walked past the Pavilion at the very moment his baby son was being poisoned
00:40:56
he watched him despair as his wife then took the poison Carter had an emotional breakdown on his two companions dragged
00:41:04
him away and the group ran into the jungle prior to the massacre two of Jim Jones's lawyers were escorted to the
00:41:12
guest house in Jonestown they overheard others mentioning the revolutionary suicide occurring in the pavilion
00:41:18
the lawyers talked their way past the guards and escaped into the jungle Odelle Rhodes watched in horror as the
00:41:26
children had taught in school were dying all around him he noticed they need medical staff were able to move freely
00:41:32
in and out of the pavilion when dr. Larry sharked asked for a stethoscope Rhoades followed a nurse to the medical
00:41:39
offices to retrieve the item the guard stopped Rhoads on the way but the nurse confirmed they were going to the medical
00:41:45
office and would return Rhodes considered the possibility of killing the nurse to escape but she ordered him
00:41:52
to search a separate building which gave Rhodes the chance he needed when Stanley Clayton attempted to leave
00:41:59
the pavilion a guard pointed a crossbow at him Stanley managed to get past the guard by stating he wanted to say good
00:42:05
bye to dying friends out in the field when no one had eyes on him he ran into the jungle seventy nine-year-old Grover
00:42:14
Davis who was hearing-impaired missed the announcement for the white night when the massacre was underway he saw
00:42:20
people dying around the pavilion and he lowered himself into a deep ditch and acted dead elderly resident hyacinth
00:42:29
rash staunchly remained in her cottage when jim jones announced the final one night she was nursing an injured leg and
00:42:36
was sick and tired of the white knights when her sister and roommates didn't return from the meeting she thought
00:42:41
Jonestown had been invaded by enemy mercenaries so she hid under the bed going soldiers later discovered hyacinth
00:42:49
hiding in her cottage they coaxed her out and led her to the pavilion where she saw firsthand the immense and
00:42:55
horrific loss of life they tried to get her to help identify bodies but she got as far as noticing a familiar red
00:43:03
sweater and stopped it was her sister [Music] approximately 80 Jamestown residents
00:43:12
were away running various errands at the time of the final one night their absence that afternoon ensured their
00:43:18
survival three of those people were Jim Jones's sons after news of the massacre and airstrip en Bush reached Guyanese
00:43:28
authorities they sent approximately 100 soldiers to investigate from a distance they saw a say of
00:43:35
hundreds of brightly colored dots surrounding a large open main building photographer Tim Chapman quote the first
00:43:43
body I saw was off to the side alone five more steps and I saw another and another and another hundreds of bodies
00:43:52
it was overwhelming bizarre there were colors everywhere raincoats and shirts and pants in reds and greens and blues
00:44:01
bright happy colors I started moving to my left and I was battered by the smell it hit me went right into my chest
00:44:11
there were piles upon piles of bodies what do you call it there's no definition nothing to compare it to
00:44:22
inside the pavilion was a pile of crossbows and firearms an abundance of Breann stained cups were scattered
00:44:28
around the altar where the near empty vat of poison remained many syringes were also scattered about some of the
00:44:35
needles were bent or snapped suggesting they had been shoved into people with a lot of force
00:44:40
there are also piles of medications empty packets of grape flavor aid into children's shoes at Jim Jones's house
00:44:49
they found books and magazines about conspiracies spies and politics a locker containing health foods and vitamins
00:44:55
hundreds of Valium tablets other pills and syringes and files of morphine stacks of letters addressed that Dad
00:45:03
were also located these were letters written by People's Temple members to Jim Jones each letter began with I feel
00:45:11
guilty because the pages were then scrawled with handwritten personal reflections confessions and
00:45:17
self-analysis the letters were filled with self-hate overwhelming guilt and fear and repressed bitterness the
00:45:24
letters were an absolute submission to Jim Jones whether their writers intended it or not the candid content gave James
00:45:31
absolute power of people's most personal thoughts and feelings he knew all and she knew how to take
00:45:38
advantage of their vulnerabilities when the FBI investigated Jamestown they found a massive collection of audio
00:45:46
cassette tapes that had hours and hours of recorded sermons healings phone conversations radio communications
00:45:53
speeches meetings punishments daily news and hundreds of other events that allowed an authentic story of Jonestown
00:46:01
at the Forum within the collection was a near 50 minute cassette tape that the FBI labeled number Q 0 for 2 it became
00:46:12
known as the death tape snippets of which you heard during this episode it was initially believed that upwards of
00:46:20
400 Jamestown residents might have escaped into the jungle prior to or during the massacre search parties swept
00:46:26
the jungle to look for them relatives in America waited anxiously to hear if their loved ones had survived but as the
00:46:33
bodies around the pavilion were looked at more closely a horrible discovery was made bodies had been haphazardly poured
00:46:40
on one another layer on layer and soon the missing 400 were accounted for on November 20th two days after the
00:46:50
massacre three of Jamestown survivors were taken back into the compound and were made to walk amongst the bodies to
00:46:55
identify as many as they could Guyanese authorities refused a request from the United States to bury the
00:47:02
bodies in Jonestown so the American army sent its grave registration unit to Guyana to retrieve them forensic
00:47:10
examiners began the massive effort of identifying the hundreds of unknown bodies that couldn't be identified by
00:47:15
survivors only 631 people were positively identified living close to 300 people who weren't many bodies had
00:47:25
visible puncture marks from where a syringe had been pushed in some still had a syringe protruding from the area
00:47:31
where they were injected however the precise number of victims forcibly injected has never been confirmed
00:47:37
various issues make it impossible to know the decomposition of bodies the lack of detailed photographs and the
00:47:44
fact that many bodies weren't medically examined and didn't receive an autopsy it took eight days for the American
00:47:51
soldiers to place all of the victims into body bags barely half of the 631 identified bodies were claimed by
00:47:59
relatives some relatives were too poor others were too ashamed to collect the remains of their loved ones the bodies
00:48:08
of four hundred and twelve victims were buried in a mass grave at Evergreen Cemetery in Oakland California four
00:48:15
plaques are the names of all the victims of Jonestown and a memorial service is held there every year on November 18th
00:48:22
controversy surrounds the plaques as many people feel one name is featured that doesn't belong Jim Jones
00:48:32
what exactly happened to Jim Jones after the massacre is unclear what is certain
00:48:37
is that he didn't consume the poison he had forced into the mouths of those laying dead around him Jones died from a
00:48:44
single gunshot wound to the head it's unknown if he took his own life or did someone else to commit the act or if he
00:48:51
was murdered the gun that fired the bullet was located close to his body Jones's body was the only one specified
00:48:59
by the American government to receive an autopsy but the results provided no answers regardless one fact is certain
00:49:06
after witnessing hundreds of others convulse froth of the mouth screaming out in agony suffocate and die Jim Jones
00:49:14
decided it was not the death he wanted for himself instead he died instantly without pain
00:49:22
directly after the massacre 13 members of Jim Jones's in a circle cheered at what they achieved and marched away from
00:49:29
the pavilion together they went to Jones's residential cabin westeros all 13 consumed poison inside the cabin and
00:49:38
died amongst them were Jones's mistresses Maria katsura's and Carolyn Layton with
00:49:44
Carolyn was the body of her son she bought with Jones also inside the house was the body of six year old John stone
00:49:53
the child who Jones kidnapped from his mother in America and relocated to Guyana for years his mother grace Dolan
00:50:00
had been fighting Jones to get her son back she had even won custody of Johnny in an American Court but keeping joining
00:50:07
his possession was important for Jones he needed to maintain the perception that he was above the law and to possess
00:50:14
power and control over all things he was God and in the end as Jones admitted during his final white knight speech
00:50:22
John stolen truly meant nothing special to him and the boy was not granted a reprieve from death the words from Jones
00:50:31
said it all do you actually think I would put John's life above others he's not different to me than any of these
00:50:38
children here the body of anymore was also inside James's house Annie was Jones's personal
00:50:47
nurse and she had been both poisoned and shot in the head her and Jones were the
00:50:52
only people shot inside the Jonestown commune the gun used to kill Annie and her suicide note lay beside her body the
00:51:01
last sentence of her note read we died because you would not let us live in peace
00:51:08
it's evident that jones's paranoia had infected them all and that was the catalyst for many people agreeing to die
00:51:15
however that sentence could also apply to the torment Jones ruled his people with the only way they could escape him
00:51:22
was through death the remains of Jim Jones and his wife Marceline were cremated their ashes were scattered over
00:51:30
the a billion Peak Ocean by their surviving children on more than one occasion leading up to his trip to
00:51:37
Jonestown congressman Leo Ryan was warned of the probability of violence that may occur but Ryan refused to be
00:51:44
influenced or intimidated by fear it wasn't in his character he knew of the volatile nature of people's temple and
00:51:52
Jim Jones towards outsiders but he boarded a plane to go an hour anyway jackie speier quote there are those who
00:52:00
questioned his motives saw the wisdom of his actions the criticism was just fine
00:52:04
with Leo Leo Ryan never did anything because he thought it would make him popular he was more interested in doing
00:52:11
what he knew was right no one could have expected the degree of violence that Ryan suffered that day the 53 year old
00:52:19
congressman had upwards of 20 bullet wounds throughout his entire body his assassination changed our congressional
00:52:25
delegations travel they now must do so with the military escort the only person apprehended and convicted for the events
00:52:35
that transpired in Jonestown was Larry Layton the man who posed as a defector and then
00:52:40
shot at the genuine defectors in the plane afterwards he was apprehended by Guyanese locals
00:52:47
Leyton was acquitted of attempted murder in a Guyanese court but he was then extradited to the United States where he
00:52:53
was convicted in federal court he was sentenced to 18 years in prison he completed his prison term in early 2002
00:53:01
two years before he scheduled release date he now lives and works in Northern California blame for Jamestown's violent
00:53:11
and has been passed between various groups temple members who knew of Jones's suicidal inclination but didn't
00:53:18
stop him the visitors to the commune prior to congressman Ryan who lacked skepticism when confronted with stage
00:53:24
performances and scripted responses congressman Ryan himself are taking in a media entourage to antagonize the
00:53:30
paranoid Jones the massacre survivors who didn't stop Jones the moment he ordered for the babies to die even the
00:53:37
massacre victims themselves were blamed but the responsibility of what occurred is solely on one man
00:53:44
Reverend Akeem Jones after the massacre impoverished poor consumer locals looted
00:53:51
Jonestown and took the victims personal possessions and community supplies the Guyanese government maintained the site
00:53:58
as a training camp for their defense force but eventually withdrew they used the farming equipment in Jonestown to
00:54:04
tear down its buildings Jonestown as it once was no longer exists for a long time it was just a flat area of empty
00:54:12
field before the jungle they've agree the site considerations to memorialize the site have gone nowhere the People's
00:54:21
Temple Full Gospel Church declared bankruptcy at the end of 1978 temple members who remained in the United
00:54:28
States burned boxes of incriminating documents and erased tape recordings before merging back into society
00:54:35
thirteen million dollars worth of property assets and interests belonging to the temple were located after the
00:54:41
massacre the estate was divided and given to various claimants including the US government as payment for the
00:54:48
retrieval and burying of the bodies survivors and victims families from the airstrip attack and bill collectors and
00:54:54
attorneys Jonestown survivors shared what little remained four years after the massacre
00:55:01
the media and public stigmatized People's Temple members defectors and survivors they were called baby killers
00:55:08
and murderers as years passed some survivors successfully moved on others struggled some people's stories were
00:55:16
told others were forgotten some died yet each year on November 18th Jonestown survivors trekked to Evergreen
00:55:25
Cemetery to mourn the massive loss of their community Vernon Gosney is haunted by his decision to give congressman Ryan
00:55:33
than note asking for help he never anticipated such a small action would have such a violent consequences
00:55:40
including the death of his young son quote the loss of my son has been the most difficult thing in my life to deal
00:55:48
with my sense of remorse my sense of guilt my going back to that moment a million times and making a different
00:55:54
decision to find some level of peace and some level of forgiveness has been the most challenging thing for me reporter
00:56:04
Tim Reid ermine quote I don't think a day passes that I don't think of it it has become part of me people asked if
00:56:12
you knew then what you know now about Jones's early life about the decline of his personality about the depravity in
00:56:18
madness later would you have gone to Jones to learn if he had known your visit would trigger
00:56:24
the deaths of 900 people which is still have gone of course not I would turn back the clock if I could Jamestown was
00:56:34
the single largest loss of American civilian life in a non natural disaster up until the September 11 terrorist
00:56:41
attacks in 2001 nowadays almost 40 years later Jonestown still lingers in modern
00:56:47
society the popular phrase drinking the kool-aid used comically towards people who easily giving the peer pressure or
00:56:54
persuasion is a direct reference to Jonestown to survivors it's an insult for them those who died in Jonestown on
00:57:04
November 18th 1978 weren't simply a group of willing fanatical cult members as they've since been labeled no one
00:57:12
will ever truly know what went through the minds of each individual as they stood before the VAT of poison but it's
00:57:18
clear that a large percentage didn't want a door and were either forced to drink or were forcibly injected
00:57:25
Timm James's son Steven Jones wasn't in Jamestown at the time of the massacre he
00:57:31
was in Georgetown on a trip as a member of James towns basketball team Stephen Jones quote ask yourself what would
00:57:40
someone have to tell you or what would someone have to do to you to get you to do something that you couldn't possibly
00:57:45
believe you were capable of examine that learn from it don't judge it don't stand separate from it be willing
00:57:55
to stand in the shoes of the people you're judging and I hope that the nine hundred plus people that day died and
00:58:02
the way they died might offer us something so that their lives won't be in vain [Music]