It would be better to be dead than to see them destroy everything we’ve worked for all these years. ibid.
Why am I so persecuted? ibid.
November 1978: For about the last thirty hours we here at NBC News have been trying to establish what happened last night in Guyana on the northern coast of South America. The searching American soldiers have finished counting the bodies in Jonestown, Guyana: 910 … Jonestown: The Women Behind the Massacre, news helicopter, CI 2018
Carolyn was in a relationship with Jim … The dynamics of sex and power in People’s Temple … Jim was not going to marry my sister because Jim’s wife Marceline was much loved by the congregation. ibid. woman
The inner circle was mostly white, was all white. ibid. son
Conditions were tough, but there seemed to be enough to eat, and people seemed to be in good spirits. ibid. woman
Debbie Layton made her escape … and went public. ibid.
A plan was in place for everybody to die. ibid.
‘He murdered everybody.’ Jonestown Massacre: People Magazine, survivor, ID 2018
In the summer of 1965 a couple hundred pilgrims from Indiana and Ohio drive across the country in a caravan of cars led by the Reverend Jim Jones. Once in California Jones forms his church which he names the People’s Temple. ibid.
He set up free food and clothing programmes for the needy; he established a series of well-run nursing homes for the elderly. ibid.
‘I noticed that not all of the meetings were happy meetings.’ ibid. survivor
The nuclear attack never came. But by the mid-1970s Jones begins speaking to his followers about finding a place where they can be sheltered from the violence and corruption of American society. ibid.
From an early age Jones became obsessed with religion. ibid.
At the air-strip 33 people prepare to board 2 aircraft. ibid.
Armed guards surround the pavilion area. ibid.
An evangelical preacher of nearly a thousand followers from the United States deep into the jungles of South America – they would build a new community free from oppression and violence. It was to be their paradise on earth. But outsiders threatened to expose the dark side of their leader. In one day two worlds collided and paradise was lost. Jonestown: Paradise Lost, Sony TV 2019
In November 1978 reporters around the world broke the news that Jim Jones and more than 900 of his followers died. ibid.
As his popularity grew, Jim Jones preached less about the Bible and more about social activism; he called himself a prophet. ibid.
Former temple members accused Jones of physical and sexual abuse. ibid.
The Reverend Jim Jones was one of the most bizarre religious leaders America has ever known. One November 18th 1978 he ordered his followers to commit suicide. Why did over 900 people follow one man to their doom? How did Jim Jones control so many lives? In Search of s6e7 … Jim Jones, 1981
The Jonestown Massacre: more than 900 died there; the youngest victim just five weeks old, and the oldest, 97, and the man responsible was Jim Jones. Wildly charismatic for decades, Jones was idolised by his flock but he used his church as a way to con people with phony cures to take their money, he sexually abused his followers and was obsessed with death. Obsessive behaviour that traces all the way back to his childhood. Very Scary People: Jim Jones: Unholy Massacre I, CI 2020
I acted out against the conformities in the community. First way, because I was never accepted. ibid. Jones
Mum started to see that dad was not all he said he was. Mum was in conflict from early on. ibid. son of Jones
He sees quickly that the large crowds and the big donations come when people work miracles. ibid. researcher
No Cadillacs here, no Lincolns here and ho alligator shoes here. There’s no wristwatch even on this wrist. ibid. Jones
We have to be prepared to take our flight to the valley in the case of the apocalypse that would spring forth in a nuclear hell. ibid.
He is less circumspect about some of his own moral behaviour. He begins having sex with members of his congregation … He is bisexual … He is now a sexual predator. ibid. researcher
Jones’s paranoia will prove to be very dangerous to members of the People’s Temple. ibid. researcher
There was a shot and he fell to the ground. Everybody was screaming and running … ibid. witness
They faked that shooting; he was now supremely the centre of attention. He was elated because he saw how distraught everyone was when they thought they had lost him.’ ibid. son of Jones
He said we are going to commit revolutionary suicide. He was testing us. ibid. witness
On August 1st 1977 the article was released: ‘Why Jim Jones Should Be Investigated’. Very Scary People: Jim Jones: Unholy Massacre II, headline, CI 2020
It is literally impossible to guess how much money and property people have Jim Jones in the twelve years since he moved his People’s Temple to California. ibid. article’s opening paragraph
Of the nearly 1,000 members of Jonestown, nearly a third were children, about another third were elderly people, many of them women. ibid. researcher
They called themselves The Concerned Relatives. One of the people making a lot of noise was Grace Stone, the mother of Jones’s five-year-old son who was back at the camp in Guyana. ibid.
What are we going to do? We gonna commit revolutionary suicide? ibid. Jim Jones
Jim Jones led the People’s Temple, a church with thousands of followers. Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown I: The Promised Land, caption, National Geographic 2024
My dad was a fiery speaker, incredible voice, and a wonderful message that spoke to almost anyone.’ ibid. son
He wanted to create a new society. In 1974 Jim Jones decided to build Jonestown in the South American jungle. But four years later 912 of his followers were found killed. ibid. captions
Over time Jim started behaving strangely. ibid. Temple OG member
He begins to move the People’s Temple to Guyana, South America. Eventually over a thousand people settle in his community. ibid. caption
I started hearing people there were being mistreated. ibid. Temple OG member
People describe it as a work camp, a real hellish experience. ibid. investigator
He was exhibiting paranoid feelings about his many enemies. ibid. camp visitor
And then more and more people wanted to leave. ibid.
That somebody had tried to kill the congressman was just the prelude to what was really going to happen. ibid.
When a US Congressman goes there to investigate, it’s clear many want to leave. Then a cult member attacks the Congressman with a knife. Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown II: How Very Much I’ve Loved You, caption
He was as nuts as anybody gets. ibid. son
Jim Jones sends gunmen to the airstrip. ibid. caption
The loudspeaker came on and they said everybody report to the pavilion for a meeting. ibid. survivor
Dad was always working people against each other. ibid. son
There were beatings. People were abused and belittled. And many were drugged at the end. ibid. survivor
Some people had run into the jungle and were still hiding. ibid.
They were talking about this white night … That’s when they practice drinking the poison. ibid.
In a final snub to the USA Jim Jones donates the cult’s money to the Soviet Union. He sends Tim Carter to the Soviet Embassy with three suitcases full of cash. Tim Carter’s wife and child and poisoned. ibid. captions
Stop this hysterics. Die with dignity. ibid. Jim Jones to clamorous crowd
The survivors are evacuated by the US Air Force. Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown III: Paradise Lost, caption
A maniacal, evil human being. ibid. survivor
November 1978: Reports are yet unconfirmed that members of the People’s Temple in Guyana are perhaps engaging in mass suicides. ibid. US news conference.
Along with the US armed forces, one journalist is granted permission to enter Jonestown. ibid. caption
As the search for survivors continues, the world’s press arrives seeking answers. ibid.
909 men, women and children lie dead. Almost all by self-administered poison. It appears an incomprehensible act. Seconds from Disaster s6e2: Jonestown Cult Suicide
5 minutes after the first shot is fired the killing are over. 5 people lie dead including Congressman Ryan. He’s been shot more than 20 times. ibid.
In reality this jungle paradise is in virtual lockdown. ibid.
Families betray families because they live in fear of their leader. ibid.