In his last correspondence with Sharon, my grandpa alludes to their phone conversation set up through the San Francisco Temple radio line. He also requests she date her letters so he knows how long they are taking to arrive and that she write back soon.
October 29, 1978
Dearest Sharon:
It was great to hear your voice both nights last week, and I appreciate Tom Adams making the arrangements. I called him to take him to lunch last week but he has to start work at noon so we couldn't get together. I'm going to call him again as soon as I have a free day and see if he can go for breakfast or an early lunch. He said we can probably talk to you again at Thanksgiving and we are looking forward to it.
Your Mother has had to do most of the letter writing lately as I have just been swamped with my work at the office plus all my volunteer work. Have had to be out several nights and worked both Saturday and Sunday this weekend.
Linda was in Los Angeles on business last week and got to visit Wendy, who is now with Universal Studio (My old company when your Mother and I were first married). Wendy is head of one of the studio art departments and is making $30,000 a year. Not bad for a young girl but if you remember she had lots of talent. Linda spent the night with us and your Mother drove her to an early plane. Los Angeles and San Diego are part of her jurisdiction now.
Graham called a week ago and your Aunt Enid and Uncle Ed had dinner with him on their way up to Seattle to see Doug.
They got back this week and we visited them at your Aunty Biba's apartment last night to see their pictures. They took the same trip we took you children on to Seattle, Victoria, etc., in 1962.
The Montgomerys are coming down to spend the night with us next Friday, and on Saturday your Mother and I have to go to Chuck Totman's Wedding.
Did you know that your Mother now works as a Volunteer at the Lincoln School Library?
We received your last letter yesterday and it was dated on the envelope Oct. 23. Please date them inside too and we'll know on long it takes. This one came in a hurry and we were delighted to hear from you. We love you and miss you very much. It's just not going to be the same at Christmas this year.
Well that's the news for now. Please write again real soon.
Always my love,
Dad
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Sharon's Kislingbury's Letters
Sharon moved to South America suddenly without telling anyone in March of 1978. She wrote the following letters to my grandparents, dad and aunt from Guyana. Her last correspondence with her family took place on her 22nd birthday in October, just a month before she died.
In "Letters from Jonestown," my dad wrote, "A young woman's correspondence paints a glowing picture that didn't match reality of the jungle enclave before the Nov. 18, 1978 mass suicide and murder."
March 16, 1978
Dear Folks–
If this letter seems kind of confusing– it's because one of the letters is the one I forgot to mail at the airport.
Anyway– now I am in Georgetown and on my way to the mission– Will be a 24 hour trip by boat– It's beautiful here– You still see horse and buggys and cows crossing the street– Also must get used to driving on the opposite side of the road– Everything here is green and beautiful. The nights are so warm that I only need a sheet over me while sleeping– People here are very warm.
Talk to you later,
Sharon
•••••
Undated, March 1978
Dear Mom, Dad, Graham and Linda,
Try to imagine the most beautiful place that you have ever seen in your whole life. Well here I am right now. I arrived in Jonestown (mission village) a few days ago by boat. The boat ride seemed much like the jungle cruise in Disney Land, but the real thing and about 100X intensified in beauty. Beautiful big red parrots flying overhead, and the most beautiful blue butterflies.
Jonestown has to be the model town. Everything is so well organized. We have a bakery, laundry, kitchen (dining area), movie theater, showers, bathhouses, medical buildings, a library, schools, supply house and soon, a couple swimming pools. Everyone has beautiful cottages to live in. Outside of the cottages are small gardens made up of citrus fruits. I share a cottage with two other women.
The food here is out of this world– for example Breakfast–– one egg and two freshly baked rolls– tea– fruit.
Lunch–– Soup and three sandwiches on freshly baked bread.
Dinner–– Chicken (just plucked), cutless beans, greens, sweet potatoes, punch.
And for dessert, homemade fudge or cookies– everything is freshly baked or grown here.
The best part about our agricultural mission is that is does so much to help other people. We have a large medical team that gives free medical services to people in the area. Never before has any group of people done so much with agriculture to help others.
I am really interested in agriculture, and am trying to learn everything I can about farming–– We also have horses and cows, pigs and chickens here too!
I can honestly say, I have never been so happy before–– it is so peaceful here. At night, you can see the stars and hear the baboons sing in the distance.
Well I must go now. I'm writing this in bed and starting to doze off. Bye for now,
Love,
Sharon
•••••
May 5th, 1987
28/5/78 (Guyanese way of dating)
(Please remember mail takes a long time depending on when the boat goes out or comes in).
Dear Mom & Dad,
I have just received both of your letters, and it was so good to hear from you. I appreciate your support.
Everyday here is breathtaking. I have never felt such meaning and fulfillment in my life before.
Just yesterday two Amerindian women brought their newborn babies into Jonestown seeking help (the babies were near death). Thanks to our well trained and equipped medical team the babies lives were saved. We are the only medical facility in the North West Region. You can believe that the lives of many Guyanese living in this region have changed since we came. They had no medical help before. We are also free of charge. Some women come in to learn proper nutritional and prenatal care that was unavailable before.
Life really takes on great meaning when you can help others.
The school system here is remarkable. The classes are small and most of the teachers are not only skilled in Education, but psychology, law medicine etc.
The students here have become way above their grade level. I can remember some of the children here that use to be educationally handicapped in the U.S. They are blossoming here, they love school! I guess it is the special attention, freedom of expression, and great concern on the part of the school and community. I now have a little sister "Rose," (5 yrs old) who I spend much time with!
My whole appearance seems to have changed here. I look alot happier, with no tension. I feel more animated. This is the kind of life I've always wanted. Sometimes its hard to believe that such great things have come my way in the last few months. The beauty alone is enough but the genuine concern on the part of the whole community really tops it off.
Love,
Sharon
:)
•••••
Dear Mom & Dad
It was so good to talk to you on the phone porch last night–– It's not everyday you get to have a conversation from the U.S. to S. America. That was truly a great birthday present.
As I mentioned last night everything here is more perfect than can be imagined–– we are in our dry season now. There is a cool trade wind during the day and at night it is warm and you can sit out with your friends sleeveless until late at night, if you wish, without getting old.
Did you get the picture I sent you? Tonight I've been in the library reading the newspaper and some magazines. I'm going down to the kitchen to have some tea with some friends then go home to bed. It's a beautiful night out–– There is a full moon that brightens up the sky like early morning–– with a streak of red thru the shadows of the banana trees. The stars fill up the sky–– It is quite picturesque. You can hear the cricket and frogs and if your really quite, once in a while see a wild occury or ocutiger run into the bush.
Lately, I have been learning how to give physical examinations. It's alot of studying but I'm still hanging in there–– I've managed to work part of my day now at the barn and piggery with the animals–– I LOVE doing that–– help take care of the horses, pigs and cows 3 hrs a day. So now I manage to get a lot of horseback riding.
Our pigs just had piglets, some of which we hand bottle feed. They are all very cute.
I've also been doing a little sketching lately down at the art shop.
Well, tomorrow I'm getting up early and going to the clinic to assist the nurses in physical examinations. A few of us are doing this on-the-job training. The whole community is requested to get a physical twice a year. So everyone is in good health. After lunch I will study a little and if I have time I'll go help with the animals until about 3:30p.m.
My schedule is very flexible- and this makes work very interesting and enjoyable. I love what I do!
I'm going to head to the kitchen for some tea now, so I'll write you later.
Love you both,
Sharon
A Personal Connection
My dad, sister and I
“I always tell my daughters how much fun they would have with their Aunt Sharon if she were alive today. Sharon loved art and so do my kids. If Sharon were around, they’d all be drawing or tie-dying something.”
Aunt Sharon October 16th 1956- November 18th 1978
I am driven to research this topic and its signficance to media history because of the aunt I never got to meet.
Among the 913 Peoples Temple members who perished in Jonestown was my Aunt Sharon. She was 22 when she died. My family, along with the rest of the Burlingame, CA community, hoped Sharon had run off and escaped into the jungle.
But she didn’t.
My grandpa was a prominent PR guy in San Francisco during the rise of the Peoples Temple. My dad says he used his networking the best he could to find out about the Temple after Sharon became involved. He didn’t agree with her choice to join the Peoples Temple, but he wrote her religiously and never ceased to try to get her out of Guyana before something bad happened.
Jones was so manipulative of the media that there was little critical coverage of the group until it was too late. After the New West exposé, that made families like my dad's concerned, Temple members fled to Jonestown, many without telling their families.
My dad and his family saw Sharon for the last time during Christmas of 1977. Three months later, she took off for Jonestown without telling anyone of her plans.
Jonestown community members set up a radio connection with the San Francisco Temple. Initially, this was the United State's only tie to Jonestown.
My grandpa went to the Temple repeatedly and pushed to contact Sharon. He spoke with her over the radio on her 22nd birthday in October of 1978. In his last letter to Sharon, he wrote that "Christmas just wouldn't be the same this year." A month later, he was inconsolable when he found out that his youngest child was dead.
My dad loaned me his portfolio filled with newspaper clippings about the Peoples Temple, Jonestown and the mass murder- suicide for my research. His collection includes news stories about his sister and other Bay Area kids’ deaths in Jonestown.
Reporters analyzed Sharon’s death tastefully without making her or other young people from the Temple seem like brainwashed lunatics.
They described Sharon’s humanitarian spirit and idealist dreams to build a school for underprivileged children. As both her family and the media noted, in some ways, Sharon's Temple work had fulfilled her childhood desires to help others. The local reporters often returned to the elusive question behind the Jonestown tragedy of “Why?”
On Nov. 18, 1998–– the 20th anniversary of the mass murder-suicide–– my dad, an editor at my hometown newspaper, wrote and published a beautiful feature in expository narrative style called “Letters from Jonestown.”
The lead begins “I always tell my daughters how much fun they would have with their Aunt Sharon if she were alive today. Sharon loved art and so do my kids. If Sharon were around, they’d all be drawing or tie-dying something.”
The story includes the correspondence between Sharon and the rest of the family while she was in Guyana, anecdotes about Sharon growing up and a history of the Peoples Temple, Jonestown, and Sharon’s involvement.
I remember the resonance “Letters from Jonestown” had in my hometown community 10 years ago, especially among my 12-year-old friends who read it. It provided a powerful, emotional history lesson that caused many to think about religious groups and their leadership.
While working on my project, I wept after reading it the 20th time.
My dad's words offer a profound, personal media analysis of a historic tragedy.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Background: Peoples Temple Media Coverage Significance
Initial Research Question: How did the media coverage of the Peoples Temple cult change after its leader and many of its members moved from San Francisco to Guyana to create a community called Jonestown?
Final Research Question: How did the New West Magazine exposé, "Inside the Peoples Temple," change the media coverage of the bay area cult that relocated to Jonestown, Guyana in the late 1970s?
Jim Jones was a charismatic preacher who created a large religious following in Indiana and California during the 1960s and 1970s that became known as the Peoples Temple. The group, that we now consider a cult, later committed mass murder-suicide in South America.
Jones had a good reputation in the Bay Area where his congregation was initially likened to the famous Glide Memorial Methodist Church and government officials praised his work by appointing him to public committees. His congregation included many black members and attracted young idealists and humanitarians who sought meaning in their lives during the post-Vietnam era.
But, in the 1970s, Jones faced tax evasion allegations, sex and abuse scandals and increased public scrutiny.
Despite the media's conversations about Jones and questions about his church, the Peoples Temple was a force that held considerable political power in San Francisco with its large congregation. Jones and his Temple members manipulated the local government and media with threats.
As a result, local journalists struggled to investigate and report on The Peoples Temple. Most early articles about the group were watered down.
In 1977, a New West Magazine exposé raised critical thought among Americans, especially in the Bay Area, about the Peoples Temple, its leader and its practices. It took the courage and persistence of Bay Area journalist Marshall Kilduff to investigate the Peoples Temple, patiently interview terrified church defectors, pitch his story to numerous publications that turned him down, and finally get an in-depth article published.
The article, “Inside Peoples Temple,” with an additional section, “Why Jim Jones Should Be Investigated,” wrecked havoc on the Peoples Temple reputation, which had been good, generally, and Jones preemptively shuttled his congregation down to “Jonestown,” Guyana where he and some Temple members were preparing “paradise on earth” in the isolated jungle.
The exposé dramatically altered the media's coverage of the People's Temple–– enabling journalists to write more critically of it–– and contributed to Jones' growing fear of the media.
Beyond affecting Jones and the Temple, the exposé concerned the families and friends of Temple members, especially when their loved ones moved to Jonestown without giving notice.
Jonestown, Guyana was far from paradise. Food was scarce, labor was intensive and the living quarters were crammed. Jones carefully monitored the information sent from Guyana to the United States and vice versa; news from Jonestown was scarce.
Gradually, after the New West exposé and Jones' move to South America with nearly 1,000 Temple members, more and more church defectors spoke with the media and government. They claimed allegations of human rights violations and concerns that the lives of Temple members could be in danger under Jones' leadership. Among these defectors was Deborah Layton, one of Jones' top aides who wrote an affadavit.
Media coverage of the People's Temple then became more critical and concerned, although many family members and friends of those Temple members who relocated to Jonestown claim that they struggled to find enough information in the news. The loved ones fretted as they carefully followed whatever news they could gather in San Francisco. Some family members began the Concerned Relatives group that lobbied for the government to investigate Jonestown.
Beside the New West exposé, another pivotal moment in the media coverage of the Peoples Temple came in mid November of 1978, when Congressman Leo Ryan and a delegation including government officials, concerned family members and media representatives flew to Guyana to investigate allegations of human rights violations against Jones and his top aides.
Tensions were high while Ryan and his delegation visited. It was the first time the United States government and media had a glimpse of Jonestown and Jones found their presence invasive and threatening. During the visit, 14 Temple members pleaded with Ryan to flee Jonestown with his group. Jones granted their requests but felt betrayed by what he considered their “defection.”
During their trip back to the Kaituma airstrip where they were to fly to Georgetown, Guyana and then the U.S., Ryan and five others–– NBC reporter Don Harris, cameraman Bob Brown, San Francisco Examiner photographer Greg Robinson and Temple defector Patricia Parks–– were killed and nine were injured by Temple loyalists who followed and shot at them.
Within hours, Jones directed the Peoples Temple to commit “revolutionary suicide.” He had trained them before with his "white nights." To test his congregation's loyalty, he would serve them punch and announce it was poisoned, even though it wasn't. Jones told the people that dying was their only way to leave behind racism and oppression. Essentially, they would die for "the cause." Jones' cause.
November 18th, 1978 wasn't a practice.
Nurses prepared a vat of cyanide-laced Flavor-Aid. The Jonestown guards surrounded the perimeter of the main pavilion, where Jones gathered his members for their final loyalty test. They carried bows and arrows, guns and knives
Babies, young people, middle-aged people and elderly people were forced to drink the potion. Jones and his top aides died of gunshot wounds. All together, 913 Temple members perished.
Tim Reiterman, a San Francisco Chronicle reporter at the time, survived the Kaituma airstrip attack and captured photos of the violence aftermath. Two days later, in a Washington D.C. hospital, he handwrote articles and dictated them over the phone to the Chronicle. Later, he wrote a book about Jones and the People’s Temple called “Raven: The Untold Story The Rev. Jim Jones and His People.” Reiterman spent more than three years working on his book and conducted more than 800 interviews.
The media lost three reporters before the Jonestown tragedy. In the aftermath of the mass murder-suicide, news stations, newspapers and magazines sent reporters down to Guyana. Aerial photos of the pavilion surrounded with more than 900 bodies pervaded the news. After November 18th 1978, there was lots of coverage on the Peoples Temple and Jonestown, including analysis pieces intended to help the public grasp how and why such an atrocity could occur.
The post-Jonestown media coverage helped to spur a cult awareness movement. According to Gallup polls, Jonestown was an event that many remembered like Kennedy's assassination.
Many docudramas and "quickie" books came out in the early 1980s. During the past several years, several documentaries have come out and created a renewed interest in the Peoples Temple and Jonestown for generations who did not live through the tragedy.
-My secondary sources and interviewees conclude that the New West Magazine expose and the Ryan delegation's investigation of Jonestown were the two most pivotal moments in the media coverage of the Peoples Temple.
Secondary sources: 1,2,3,4. Primary sources 4,10.
Final Research Question: How did the New West Magazine exposé, "Inside the Peoples Temple," change the media coverage of the bay area cult that relocated to Jonestown, Guyana in the late 1970s?
Jim Jones was a charismatic preacher who created a large religious following in Indiana and California during the 1960s and 1970s that became known as the Peoples Temple. The group, that we now consider a cult, later committed mass murder-suicide in South America.
Jones had a good reputation in the Bay Area where his congregation was initially likened to the famous Glide Memorial Methodist Church and government officials praised his work by appointing him to public committees. His congregation included many black members and attracted young idealists and humanitarians who sought meaning in their lives during the post-Vietnam era.
But, in the 1970s, Jones faced tax evasion allegations, sex and abuse scandals and increased public scrutiny.
Despite the media's conversations about Jones and questions about his church, the Peoples Temple was a force that held considerable political power in San Francisco with its large congregation. Jones and his Temple members manipulated the local government and media with threats.
As a result, local journalists struggled to investigate and report on The Peoples Temple. Most early articles about the group were watered down.
In 1977, a New West Magazine exposé raised critical thought among Americans, especially in the Bay Area, about the Peoples Temple, its leader and its practices. It took the courage and persistence of Bay Area journalist Marshall Kilduff to investigate the Peoples Temple, patiently interview terrified church defectors, pitch his story to numerous publications that turned him down, and finally get an in-depth article published.
The article, “Inside Peoples Temple,” with an additional section, “Why Jim Jones Should Be Investigated,” wrecked havoc on the Peoples Temple reputation, which had been good, generally, and Jones preemptively shuttled his congregation down to “Jonestown,” Guyana where he and some Temple members were preparing “paradise on earth” in the isolated jungle.
The exposé dramatically altered the media's coverage of the People's Temple–– enabling journalists to write more critically of it–– and contributed to Jones' growing fear of the media.
Beyond affecting Jones and the Temple, the exposé concerned the families and friends of Temple members, especially when their loved ones moved to Jonestown without giving notice.
Jonestown, Guyana was far from paradise. Food was scarce, labor was intensive and the living quarters were crammed. Jones carefully monitored the information sent from Guyana to the United States and vice versa; news from Jonestown was scarce.
Gradually, after the New West exposé and Jones' move to South America with nearly 1,000 Temple members, more and more church defectors spoke with the media and government. They claimed allegations of human rights violations and concerns that the lives of Temple members could be in danger under Jones' leadership. Among these defectors was Deborah Layton, one of Jones' top aides who wrote an affadavit.
Media coverage of the People's Temple then became more critical and concerned, although many family members and friends of those Temple members who relocated to Jonestown claim that they struggled to find enough information in the news. The loved ones fretted as they carefully followed whatever news they could gather in San Francisco. Some family members began the Concerned Relatives group that lobbied for the government to investigate Jonestown.
Beside the New West exposé, another pivotal moment in the media coverage of the Peoples Temple came in mid November of 1978, when Congressman Leo Ryan and a delegation including government officials, concerned family members and media representatives flew to Guyana to investigate allegations of human rights violations against Jones and his top aides.
Tensions were high while Ryan and his delegation visited. It was the first time the United States government and media had a glimpse of Jonestown and Jones found their presence invasive and threatening. During the visit, 14 Temple members pleaded with Ryan to flee Jonestown with his group. Jones granted their requests but felt betrayed by what he considered their “defection.”
During their trip back to the Kaituma airstrip where they were to fly to Georgetown, Guyana and then the U.S., Ryan and five others–– NBC reporter Don Harris, cameraman Bob Brown, San Francisco Examiner photographer Greg Robinson and Temple defector Patricia Parks–– were killed and nine were injured by Temple loyalists who followed and shot at them.
Within hours, Jones directed the Peoples Temple to commit “revolutionary suicide.” He had trained them before with his "white nights." To test his congregation's loyalty, he would serve them punch and announce it was poisoned, even though it wasn't. Jones told the people that dying was their only way to leave behind racism and oppression. Essentially, they would die for "the cause." Jones' cause.
November 18th, 1978 wasn't a practice.
Nurses prepared a vat of cyanide-laced Flavor-Aid. The Jonestown guards surrounded the perimeter of the main pavilion, where Jones gathered his members for their final loyalty test. They carried bows and arrows, guns and knives
Babies, young people, middle-aged people and elderly people were forced to drink the potion. Jones and his top aides died of gunshot wounds. All together, 913 Temple members perished.
Tim Reiterman, a San Francisco Chronicle reporter at the time, survived the Kaituma airstrip attack and captured photos of the violence aftermath. Two days later, in a Washington D.C. hospital, he handwrote articles and dictated them over the phone to the Chronicle. Later, he wrote a book about Jones and the People’s Temple called “Raven: The Untold Story The Rev. Jim Jones and His People.” Reiterman spent more than three years working on his book and conducted more than 800 interviews.
The media lost three reporters before the Jonestown tragedy. In the aftermath of the mass murder-suicide, news stations, newspapers and magazines sent reporters down to Guyana. Aerial photos of the pavilion surrounded with more than 900 bodies pervaded the news. After November 18th 1978, there was lots of coverage on the Peoples Temple and Jonestown, including analysis pieces intended to help the public grasp how and why such an atrocity could occur.
The post-Jonestown media coverage helped to spur a cult awareness movement. According to Gallup polls, Jonestown was an event that many remembered like Kennedy's assassination.
Many docudramas and "quickie" books came out in the early 1980s. During the past several years, several documentaries have come out and created a renewed interest in the Peoples Temple and Jonestown for generations who did not live through the tragedy.
-My secondary sources and interviewees conclude that the New West Magazine expose and the Ryan delegation's investigation of Jonestown were the two most pivotal moments in the media coverage of the Peoples Temple.
Secondary sources: 1,2,3,4. Primary sources 4,10.
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