Little-known facts about the 1978 Jonestown cult massacre:
1. The American Special Forces personnel that were airdropped into Jonestown
after the massacre gave it the nickname, “Dozetown,” because from above it looked as if the whole village was sprawled out together
in the sun, napping peacefully.
2. The Reverend Jim Jones was an egomaniacal cult leader who left California
with his congregation to build a socialist utopia in the steamy jungles of
Guyana, who believed himself to be the incarnation of Jesus, Buddha, and
Jefferson, and who wore dark glasses at all times and blew a pound of coke a
day.
3. Although the phrase “to drink the Kool-Aid” has become synonymous with blind, irrational faith in some cause or philosophy,
the actual beverage that was laced with cyanide in Dozetown was Flavor-Aid, a
generic substitute.
4. Guyana’s first-ever ping-pong table was established in Dozetown on June 3rd, 1978.
5. The first person to attempt to flee Dozetown was a 31-year old violinist by
the name of Wally Scott.
6. Construction of Dozetown was completed by Jones and 12 of his followers over
a single balmy weekend in late May. The village was constructed entirely out of
Guyanese timber, glass, and a little cement to fortify the larger structures.
7. The blistering heat, the searing glare, the stinging insects, etc., etc.!
8. Approximately 70% of Jones’ congregation was black and poor.
9. There were eighty-five children in Dozetown, all raised communally. Jones
instructed them to call him “Dad.”
10. Jones encountered a tribe of Guyanese Indians in the jungle, led by an old
chief called Mungotepe. Jones explained to the Indians that he was on a
God-given quest, and that he must clear an area of the jungle to build his holy
city. Mungotepe listened raptly, but understood only fragments of what was
said. Afterwards he motioned his daughter, Maria, to step forward, offering
Jones a bowl of fresh fruits and coca leaves as a gift from her people. Jones
chewed the coca leaves and grinned.
11. Jones introduced Mungotepe to cocaine and Valium.
12. Jones might have been working for the CIA.
13. After founding his ministry in Indiana, the Reverend Jim Jones moved his
congregation out west to rally activists in California, who were attracted to
his left-wing politics and social principles.
14. Children in Dozetown who tracked mud in the house were given LSD and made
to spend the night at the bottom of a well. This was known as the “torture hole.”
15. Dozetown’s root beer of choice: A&W.
16. Dozetown resident Russ Lister was heard declaring that America was “going to be around for a long time.” Jones watched him from behind his dark glasses, then beckoned Russ into the
Town Hall. Russ’ wife, Sheila, later reported that her husband was inexplicably absent that
night, and the next morning. When she went to the Town Hall to inquire, she was
turned away by Joe Wilson; however, she claims to have caught a glimpse of her
husband, behind a greasy window in a dim back room. He appeared to be extremely
drugged. When Russ finally came home four days later, he was unusually subdued,
and Sheila noticed scars on his back and arms. That evening, Jones brought her
some Valium and asked her not to discuss it.
17. Musical artists At the Drive-In quoted Jim Jones on their song “Ticklish,” from Acrobatic Tenement (1996). The lyric “We must die with some dignity” is from Jones’ final speech to his followers, before the massacre.
18. Marty Sykes: “Jim Jones welcomed me to his congregation, embraced my family and myself,
offered us a community of tolerance and compassion. But I chose not to go with
the group to Guyana.” Why not? “Uh…I don’t know.”
19. Jim Jones’ chief of security was a 53 year-old black man named Joe Wilson. He had a
receding hairline, a stiff gait, and a fondness for tennis.
20. Jones hired a number of Guyanese soldiers who were outposted in the area to
be a part of his personal security detail, along with a select few members of
his congregation. Guards were stationed at each of the four entrances to
Dozetown. No one was allowed through, in either direction.
21. Excerpt from Jones’ speech to his followers, January 17th, 1978: “America? My children, our place was never in America. Our place is here, on our
own land, living by our own rules! Our own society! Because a country ruled by
the few can never deliver the justice of the many!” (cheers and applause)
22. Jones sits at the desk in the Town Hall, answering calls. Dozetown had
three telephones, which called each other constantly. “Hello? Yes, Wendy. It’s still leaking? No, don’t worry, I’ll have Joe bring some more cement. Yeah, I’ve got another call.” Click. “Charlie?” Jones grimaces as he cradles the phone with his shoulder, swiveling to glance
out the window. Gleaming palm fronds sway dazzlingly with the breeze. “Did you talk to them? I don’t care, Charlie, but we need to stay firm, all right? Right, Charlie?” He taps his pencil, glances at the door. “Look, someone’s here, I’ll call you back.” Murray Fielding waits anxiously. “Yes?” “Father, hi. Listen, I just wanted to tell you…I heard Bobby Walker complaining a lot today when we were digging that new well.
He even said that he’s starting to regret coming to the jungle. I just thought you should know. Also,
my roof is leaking.” “Thank you, Murray, you did the right thing there. That’s great. I’ll be sure to speak with him. Why don’t you fill out a Peer Loyalty Evaluation right over there and turn it in to Joe,
OK? His office is right down the hall.” “What about the roof, Father?” “Just tell him to bring you some more cement, all right? Thanks, Murray.” Two lights are flashing on the phone. Jones exhales bracingly, adjusts his dark
glasses and scoops it up. Just then Chief Mungotepe marches into the Town Hall
with two female captives, bound with vines. “Just a sec.” Jones covers the receiver and raises his eyebrows. “Father Jones, these two were caught by my warriors attempting to flee through
the jungle.” “That’s great, Mungotepe, why don’t you just bring them down to Room 101, all right? And have Joe fill out a
Treason Report. I’ve got to take this call. Hello, Tom? Tom, are you still there? Hello, my son.” Jones gazes longingly out the window. “What? No, I don’t know where your wife is.”
23. In February 1978, Dozetown was crippled with outbreaks of contagion. 30% of
the village was wiped out. Jones begged his congregation to take hope.
24. Musical artists The Bloodhound Gang: “like the Jim Jones cult / I’ll take you out with one punch.”
25. The charity of Jones and his ministry was a ploy, aimed at recruiting the
poor for Jones’ personal army.
26. When Jones wanted to address his followers, it was usually in the dead of
night. He would sound an alarm and announce “White night, white night,” over the Dozetown PA system, which meant an emergency meeting. Everybody would
get out of bed and gather in a large tent that stood near the Town Hall. Then
Jones would give a speech. Sometimes, “white nights” included drills simulating a mass suicide.
27. By March 1978, the contagion in Dozetown had mysteriously dissipated.
However, it continued to spread rapidly through the tribe in the surrounding
jungle. The Indian population would never recover from the virus. On March
27th, Chief Mungotepe died quietly in his sleep. Relations between Dozetown and
the tribe quickly soured.
28. Joe Wilson was so cold-hearted, he reportedly carried out the execution of
his own wife.
29. Before flying to Guyana to investigate Dozetown, Congressman Leo Ryan
dreamed that he was riding through the village in his car, leading a parade in
Jones’ honor. He grinned from the backseat, and waved to Jones’ followers, who swarmed out of their makeshift bungalows, smiling and pointing.
Suddenly, a feral dog stood snarling in front of the car. The cords stood out
on its neck, its eyes were two black, swimming holes. The villagers were
frightened. “Is that your dog?” they shouted. Abruptly, Ryan found himself in a round, gray room with no doors
or windows. Then with a lurch the room began to spin, faster and faster, and
the Congressman jerked awake, clutching at his sheets. “Shit….”
30. Paula Jefferson: “When we heard that the Congressman was coming, we didn’t really know what to think. We heard that he was bringing a group of men to
observe our village, men from the government. Jones told us they wouldn’t be allowed in.”
31. Many of the residents of Dozetown had thousands of dollars worth of welfare
payments appropriated by Jones, who was himself a multi-millionaire.
32. Three days before the massacre, Jones was seen conversing with two men in
suits, who were not residents of Dozetown. These men may have been agents of
the CIA.
