Jones plotted cyanide deaths years before Jonestown

[Sequoia]

JONESTOWN, Guyana (CNN) -- Cyanide was being bought and shipped to the Rev. Jim Jones' jungle compound in South America for at least two years before 909 Americans died there at the command of their cult leader, CNN has learned.

1 of 3 Sources in Guyana said the Jonestown camp began obtaining shipments of cyanide -- about a quarter to a half-pound of the deadly poison each month -- as early as 1976, well before most of Jones' followers made the move there.

CNN's Soledad O'Brien tells the story of the last hours of Jonestown -- and the few who did survive out of desperation and daring -- as CNN Presents "Escape from Jonestown."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/11/12/jonestown.cyanide/index.html

This story is chilling to this day. I remember it well and it is still horrifying. He had his place in Northern California in Willits at the Seabiscuit Ranch. So many people in San Franicsco supported him because his followers would vote for them. Even George Mascone, who was then killed in cold blood along with Harvey Milk 10 days later. They had no idea what a monster he really was (did they?). A lawyer for Jim Jones had a wife and son who died that day. (Jim Jones claimed the son was his). This lawer was not there at the time when this happened but is now or recently was the assistant DA in Mendocino County. When he tried to run for office people brought up his past and he lost.

[Warpy]

1. I watched the PBS Frontline show on Lee Atwater last night, and

was struck by the similarities between the two men. Lee Atwater was said not to be an ideologue but was a man who was motivated to get into a position where he held total power and could destroy other people on a whim. The program made the point early on that it was arbitrary which party Atwater joined, that he'd have done the same things for either of them.

Jones was what Atwater might have been had he decided to become the flip side of the coin, the hippie dippie leader of a Utopian society in the bush. Both men were psychopaths. Both men desired nothing more than complete control over other people. Both men had the drive and the charisma to make that come true.

Jones poisoned hundreds of people and killed them. Atwater poisoned politics in this country for a generation.

The only real difference is that early in his career, Jones actually did some good in the world.

Atwater never did.

[Sequoia]

2. I didn't know that about Atwater. Thanks for the info.

I recall hearing his name bandied about growing up but back in those days we had no internet and very few media outlets.

[juno jones]

3. If you haven't read this article, it's good and well researched

http://www.ratical.org/ratville/JFK/JohnJudge/Jonestown.html

There's more than meets the eye. Time to haul it all out before the light of day.

[Sequoia]

5. Thanks. Looks scary. Bookmarked.

I dread what I'll find out though.

[Starry Messenger]

4. I just finished Deborah Layton's book Seductive Poison.

She was one of Jones' aids who got out a few months before the massacre. It's a grueling read. I moved over to San Mateo in 1978 about a month before this all happened. I was eight and remember seeing it all unfold in the news. It was sort of my first glimpse of world events and really affected me. Thanks for the link.

[Sequoia]

6. That's a young age to see that.

I was in my early 20s and it still bothers me to think about that day seeing those bodies everywhere. Deborah was lucky to get out. Thanks for the book tip.