Peoples Temple in San Francisco - Media Investigation and Exodus

Media Investigation and Exodus

In 1976, despite the Temple's newly acquired political might and upgraded image, high visibility had heightened Jones' fears of government crackdowns and media scrutiny. In April 1976, San Francisco Chronicle reporter Julie Smith neared completion of an unfavorable story on the Temple. Through numerous phone calls, letters and badgering of newspaper personnel, Jones was able to prevent its publication.

In late 1976, Chronicle reporter Marshall Kilduff wished to do a story on the Temple, but he was reluctant after witnessing the Temple's treatment of Smith. Kilduff wondered how Jones had somehow learned the exact contents of Smith's article before it had come out.

When touring the Temple, Kilduff noticed, much to his surprise, that Chronicle city editor Steve Gavin and reporter Kay Butler were in attendance. The Temple's Peoples Forum newspaper chided Kilduff for not having a venue for his story and stated that he was "trying to convince different periodicals that a 'smear' of a liberal church that champions minorities and the poor would make 'good copy.'" Rather than dropping his story, Kilduff took the Story to New West Magazine. The Temple conducted a large letter writing and telephone campaign against New West magazine, including getting prominent allies to write and call the magazine, its advertisers and Rupert Murdoch, who owned the magazine. The magazine received fifty calls and seventy letters a day before the article was even published.

Worries about potential fallout from defecting member Grace Stoen, Joyce Shaw, Kilduff's then potential article and other controversies caused Jones to decide he wanted to begin moving the Temple to Jonestown, its agricultural project site in Guyana. Jones convened with top aides for four days to formulate a plan for exodus.

In its final form, Kilduff's article contained numerous allegations of fraud, assault and potential kidnapping. Just before its late July publication, Mayor Moscone urged an ally who was the chairman of the board of a large department store to call friends at the magazine to inquire about the contents of the article. Jones fled to Guyana the night that the contents of the article to be published were read to Jones over the phone.

The Immigration and Naturalization Service in San Francisco's Federal Building received a flood of perhaps five to six hundred nicely prepared requests for passports by July 1977. While Jones' exit was hasty, the exodus of most Temple members had been carefully prepared for several weeks.

San Francisco Supervisor Quentin Kopp immediately demanded that Mayor Moscone and District Attorney Joseph Freitas launch an investigation into the Temple's activities. Moscone's office issued a press release stating "The Mayor's Office does not and will not conduct any investigation" because the article was "a series of allegations with absolutely no hard evidence that the Rev. Jones has violated any laws, either local, state or federal."

After a six-week inquiry by the special unit formerly headed by Timothy Stoen into charges of homicide, arson, battery, extortion, kidnapping, illegal drug use and illegal diversion of welfare funds, District Attorney Freitas' office authored a report stating that the investigation turned up "no evidence of criminal wrongdoing", though it stated that the Temple's practices were at best "unsavory". Freitas did not publicly disclose his office's investigation or the report. Freitas had previously visited the Temple multiple times. Following the publication of media reports alleging criminal wrongdoing, Guyanese Minister of State Kit Nasciemento contacted Freitas and was told that the case against Jones was closed. It was not until after the tragedy at Jonestown that Freitas disclosed the investigation of the Temple.