recently i have been reading alternative and most likely unpopular views on what took place over 20 years ago in Jonestown. I think it only right to listen to the other theories that are out here on the web. I would really appreciate what you guys think about the people who believe that what took place in that jungle was a continuation of the US Government MK Ultra program or some right wing situation wherein the People's Temple was thought of as a threat by the Govt simply because it was a "utopian society" as it were. my questions would include where all the drugs came from, why the "rev" jones had so much government support, and why, when ex members and family members finally got ryan to go out there, well, we all saw what happened....having read these new theories, i would be interested to hear what u guys think. cheers, acacias

There is no factual premise to form a basis for these conspiracy theories. The documentation regarding what happened at Jonestown is overwhelming.

See the following links:

[www.culteducation.com]
[www.deborahlayton.com]
[brasscheck.com]

The political machine of Jim Jones in San Francisco helped to elect politicians. It's no wonder they liked him, until the media began to reveal his darker side and victims.

See [www.culteducation.com]

Jim Jones was a drug user and apparently an addict.

The people who propose these conspiracy theories are often the same anti-government types that concocted stories about Waco. Even after congressional hearings, a civil trial and an independent investigation they also refuse to face the facts about that tragedy.

Both Waco and Jonestown were horrible cult tragedies and it denegrates the victims and nullifies history to view such events otherwise.

Tape recordings of Jones speaking in the end verify the group committed what he called "revolutionary suicide."

Likewise, both taped conversations and infrared photography have proven that Waco Davidians started the fire that claimed the lives of those cult members.

The government certainly made mistakes regarding both Jonestown and Waco. But this was largely the mistake of not responding earlier to avoid a potential tragedy.

The gross abuses that characterized both cult groups had been going on for some time before authorities took official notice.

Thank you for your reply. Some of the articles I read were written so convincingly, I actually started to question what I had always believed had happened (that being, of course, was that Jones was a complete nutter out of control himself yet in total control of all the poor people he conned into the jungle & subsequently killed)

Even though he was white, JJ gained a huge following from the black community. One thing that has wounded many black churches is that so many congregations hunger for a leader, and personality cults so easily crystallize around the minister, who has traditionally been the most educated, articulate member of the community. The black communities desperately need to examine why, historically they have been so vulnerable to exploitation by charismatic religious hustlers. It was a sociological context which formed a perfect 'nutrient medium' for an especially virulent cult to flourish. The other area that desperately needs to be examined by the black community is that so very many crooks and hustlers have been attracted to the preaching ministry and that the congregations will not set limits when a minister begins abusing money, power or sex. All too often they 'circle the wagons' a code of silence kicks in and the hustlers loot and exploit their congregations for years. Yusuf Bey, a leader of the Black Muslims in Oakland is now being tried for sexually abusing young women and exploiting his political patronage--his abusive career went on for decades--a variation on the hustler/minister con act. Some historically oppressed communities are especially fertile areas for spiritual crooks to operate in, and Jones took ruthless advantage of this. If anyone had dared to discuss this openly, they would have been accused of racism and of slandering noble work--standard evasive tactics employed by hustlers.

Conspiracy theorizing is a way for these communities to avoid the painful task of why they consistently look to Big Daddy/Mommy figures to magically rescue them.

Some years back, perhaps around the 20th anniversary of Jonestown, there was a lot of retrospective news coverage. One man remembered the time when Jones won golden opinions from the San Francisco political and religious establishment. This man had Jones over to his house a couple of times. The man's dog was an easy going animal, usually quite happy to greet guests. But to his owner's amazement, this normally affectionate dog hated Jones and was on edge the entire time he visited. Oddly enough, after Ted Kaczinski, the Unabomber was arrested, one man in the area said, "The dogs hated him. They'd go after him every time he walked through on his way to town and I constantly had to call the dogs off of him.'

If your dog hates someone, trust the dog. They know things before we do.