Transcription || PDF from 89-4286-C1-A3-57-64
Got up at 9.00. Florine was already up.
I bathed.
Prepared breakfast: honeydew melon, biscuits with currants, steak. I made a mistake in measuring ingredients for the biscuits and took a long time getting them into the oven.
Florine is 86 years old. She was born in Virginia, says she had no education. She was a member of the Peace Mission in Philadelphia but was vague about when she left them and joined Jim Jones. She apparently heard of Jim from Mary Black (then Mary Love).
I left the dishes. Dressed.
I had got my offertory dress wet last night and although I had rinsed it out I didn’t have time to iron it, wore a short one.
I called a taxi as Christians didn’t have room for us.
We arrived at the Temple at 11.30. Although rain had threatened earlier, the sun was out.
Usual preliminaries.
Jim on podium at 1.00.
With remarks on situation of blacks in America, he introduced another offering. “Redneck” sentiments of [Joicy] Clark’s relatives recorded. Repeatable national magazines such as Newsweek print anti-black statements. Was her who brought up word to Jim that a man in group downstairs said he believed in slavery.
Jim: Dr. Carlton Goodlett is head of all the black newspapers in America. Wants to go to the p.l. see the facilities.
Choir sang “United We Stand.”
Jim ordered guests to be brought in, ones who believe in slavery. Pictures taken as they came in.
Introduced Goodlett. The one man outside of Peoples Temple Jim trusts.
Marcy sang, “All the Weary Mothers of the World.”
Jim introducing choir singing “Imagine.” We are dialectical materialists, don’t believe in anything we can’t see.
Jim: minorities usually brutalized or exterminated. We even find discrimination in Israel. In Socialist countries, only places in world in which minorities are not discriminated against us. If anyone can justify slavery, they must have a hole in their head. We are visited by people everyday who said they would go to concentrations camps if ordered by the President.
African dancers. Danced for liberation.
Although the situation looks bad, we are not afraid but we have to face reality. Religious people are expecting Jesus to come and take them away. We are willing to die to preserve our liberty.
Ragtime music and dancing on platform.
Films of agricultural mission which we own. Jim emphasizes our care of our funds. Our thrift. 27,000 acres. One and a half million dollars expended on it.
Dr. Carlton Goodlett. There comes a time when you have to be ready to make the supreme sacrifice. Amazed at what you have done in Guyana. Men in power are interested on not losing him. Coming down to a day of decision. To redirect forces of government and use political power and economic power. 200 years of slavery and graveside rhetoric has been used by the rich and greedy to exploit the people, We cannot hold accountable the political parties. Republicans believe in socialism for the rich an trickle down theory. This country moving towards institutional fascism. Watergate only tip of iceberg necessary to this fascism. Strong conservative party, ____ socialist party, Labor force organizing masses of people. Labor has been co-opted by government. McGovern allowed his enemies to take control of Democratic party. Robert Strauss (Democratic National Chair): Carter stole the party while Humphrey and others slept. Southerners used Wallace as irritant. Church and Brown began to make progress against Carter. Brown could have stopped Carter if he had entered earlier. What Jerry Brown said we can take the disinherited and govern.
Jimmy Carter makes deals. Many ministers in San Francisco can be bought. They don’t think much of themselves, they come very cheap. Sun Reporter exposed them. We aren’t going to be underestimated by those under the ____ of Jim’s church. Once a politician pays you before the vote is in, he will do nothing after the election.
We’ve got to stop bragging about we want and get what we need. We are 25th nation in the world. We are lacking discipline. We owe everything to Mother Africa. We spend more of our substance than any other nation and do not spend on each other. Earned 70 million last year but black business very small Should get off our knees. Specifically: (1) black is beautiful (2) everyone who is a racist is an enemy. Take care of our own indigenous and our own young (3) use our power against those who exploit us. Churches should take care of children, establish half-way houses for addict, alcohol, drugs, ____ ___ ___ work about beauty of blackness ___ ____
Jim: we don’t have any of the elements. Churches haven’t democracy. Churches won’t do anything. We project a bad self-image. Worse than drugs is that 90% of our people are addicted to white man’s religion. We believe the Bible: Obey those who have rule over you. Something irritating in that form of religion that teaches submission. Our people being killed off little by little.
Jim: ___ on Bible. Bible ___ ____ ____ ___ religion is the work ___ ___ control over us. I can heal crippled bodies but I can’t heal crippled brains[?].
More healings under socialism ___ ___ culture than under Christianity.
Mrs. Martin L. King says she ___ __violation even though they put her in a concentration camp. She’s already a slave.
Muslim leader says his grandfather was white. He can’t hate the white man.
Guests here today. It is my duty to tell you the truth. I don’t want your blood on my hands.
On ancestry of Jesus.
On inconsistencies of the Bible.
“Ye are all gods.”
People don’t want the truth,
Adam and Eve.
Half of Carlton Goodlett wants to go to the p.l. The other half wants us to get our money together. It’s too late.
Berates those who are fidgety. Some of these people are going to concentration camp. Earthquake. Drought, famine. What’s going to happen when the banks close? What’s going to happen when everybody is unemployed? Wake up.
If there is a god he’s bad.
After healings and admission of new members, the meeting was dismissed at about 5.00.
I rode home with Christians.
Had hoped to be home at least by 4.30. in order to prepare for my trip. I had to do dishes from the morning. I had time to eat only some melon. I then packed and dressed. I took to the Christians my plant which they had agreed to water while I was gone. I sorted out a few clippings, etc., to take with me to show my sisters.
Had intended to take the buses to the airport terminal, but they run infrequently so I took a taxi at 8.00 o’clock. I was just in time to get on a bus.
I checked in at the Western Airlines counter. I had a hamburger at the snack bar where I had to wait for some time.
The plane left at 10.00. I was served two glasses of champagne. I read the Saturday and Sunday newspapers. I tried to sleep but couldn’t. The flight was only a little over two hours.
We landed at about 1.00 Denver time. I had to wait at the baggage claim for Eddie and Bug [?] And they didn’t come for an hour. Eddie had said they might go to a show. However, they had gone out to dinner with Joyce Struble with sister Dor. They’d visited a couple of days after her arrival in Denver. They had gotten the time my plane arrived wrong.
Their greeting was warm. We arrived at Eddie’s home, talked ceaselessly. Eddie showed us the house. She had finished putting up the second story. All the electrical equipment has been installed and she is living upstairs, but the whole house is as cluttered as ever. She has, of course, a beautiful view from two windows.
Eddie and Dor slept upstairs and I slept downstairs. We went to bed at 4.00.