Transmissions From Jonestown The Attention Span Recovery Project

On November 18 1978, an entire community of United States Citizens died deep in the jungle of Guyana. At the command of  their charismatic leader Rev. Jim Jones 909 members of the peoples temple agricultural project lost their lives, some believed they were committing a revolutionary act of suicide, others were forced or coerced by the group. A colorful toxic mix of flavor aid, Kool-Aid and cyanide was passed around in Dixie cups, for those unable or unwilling the mixture was administered using syringes. Most of us have heard the story, an egomaniacal madman and his brainwashed cult of zombie followers commit mass suicide in the heart of darkness. Nothing more than a cautionary tale reminding us all to think for ourselves and never ever drink the Kool-Aid. Join us as we investigate how it all began. 

After the New West article, Jim Jones fled to his jungle compound bringing several hundred Peoples Temple members with him. The population of Jonestown exploded from about 50 to over 900 residents. Resources and food were scarce and Jim Jones rambled over the loudspeakers warning the community of a coming siege. The atmosphere in Jonestown was tense and chaotic, the people toiled 10 hours a day in the fields as Jim Jones slipped into a drug induced waking nightmare. For the members of Peoples Temple who’d sold all of their worldly possessions to live in the promised land, the realization that the pied piper of lies was in total control came the moment they entered Jonestown and handed in their passports. Join us as we investigate life in Jonestown.

Unable to delay Leo Ryan's congressional inquiry any longer, Jim Jones readied the settlement for what he believed to be an attempt to destroy the Peoples Temple by defectors. An elaborate show was performed in the pavilion and fried chicken was served. To the visitors the people seemed happy and well nourished.  The atmosphere in Jonestown relaxed as Leo Ryan expressed how impressive the community was , it seemed the Peoples Temple had survived yet another attack by outside forces. As the Jonestown Express played on, a note was passed to newsman Don Harris that said, "HELP US GET OUT OF JONESTOWN". This episode focuses on Jonestown, on its last day on earth.  

Of all the evidence collected in Jonestown a single audio recording proved to the world that over 900 American citizens chose to drink cyanide laced Kool-aid on the command of their cult leader Jim Jones. But what if the tape was edited? Or spliced together from earlier white nights and planning commission meetings in which suicide drills took place? Join us as we analyze the death tape. 

Leo Ryan wasn’t the only publicly elected official assassinated the week of November 18. In the weeks following the mass tragedy in Jonestown, rumors of a Peoples Temple hit squad terrified the concerned relatives and survivors. In the wake of false news reports, the world struggled to understand what had happened to the Peoples Temple. For the few who made it out of Jonestown, the process of reentering society was traumatic. Surviving the lonely road home in a world demanding answerers robbed many survivors of their grief. Join us as we investigate what became of the Peoples Temple.

Guyana has a strange and fascinating history. Once believed to hide the lost city of El Dorado, the northwest territory of Guyana is home to a violent mythology predating the Jonestown massacre by hundreds of years. Mined for its gold and known for its mysterious mountains, mid century Guyana emerged as a newly independent nation lost in a world of espionage. Join us as we investigate why Guyana was chosen to be Jim Jones’s socialist paradise.