Transmissions From Jonestown

Truth often demands we accept coincidence as a force of nature. But what if the connections aren’t coincidences at all? On this episode we follow the trail from Jonestown to MKUltra, exploring the tangled web that links Jim Jones, Patty Hearst, Jack Ruby, and Sirhan Sirhan. Was Jonestown a failed utopia or a covert CIA mind control experiment? From the brainwashing of cult members to the psychological manipulation of political assa...

In the aftermath of Jonestown, details emerged of the Temple’s deepening relationship with the Soviet Union, a secret petition to emigrate, and the political paranoia that turned the settlement into a Cold War powder keg. Jim Jones promised salvation behind the Iron Curtain inviting Soviet officials to tour his model socialist community and negotiating an escape plan should Jonestown come under attack.

Dec...

40 years ago, 918 Americans died in the largest mass murder/suicide in modern history. Defined by the last day of their lives, the people of Jonestown became a part of true crime lore, overshadowed by their charismatic leader Jim Jones.  We all know how the Peoples Temple died, but how did they live? The Attention Span Recovery Project is proud to present this memorial special, honoring the lives of the people of Jonestown, told by...

In the chaotic aftermath of the Jonestown massacre, one artifact continues to defy explanation: Tape Q875, the so-called “November 19 mystery tape.” Discovered among hundreds of recordings recovered from the scene, Q875 is unique as it appears to have been recorded after the mass murder-suicide when every resident of Jonestown was presumed dead. Who made this recording—and why?

Its static-f...

41 years ago today, the Jonestown massacre claimed the lives of 918 Americans. When the people of Jonestown died, their bodies remained where they fell for four days. Sprayed with pesticides and sealed in military-issued body bags, their remains were flown to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for processing. Of the dead, 593 were eventually identified. The remaining 320, many of them children, were never identified. As grieving fami...

True crime history is full of shadows, but none darker than those cast by Jim Jones. In this episode of Transmissions from Jonestown, we revisit California in the years before the massacre, where a troubling question lingers: Was Jim Jones connected to a series of mysterious deaths long before the tragedy in Guyana?

Three fatal automobile accidents involving Peoples Temple members form a di...

I believe in Jim Jones. Many of you have seen the photograph. An elderly woman dressed in her Sunday best with a resolute, if not revolutionary sparkle in her eye. But what did Jim Jones believe? Jim Jones, the pied piper of lies, will forever be remembered as the self-proclaimed prophet who led his flock to the slaughter. Traditional Churches immediately distanced themselves from the Peoples Temple Christian church after the trage...

Long before Jonestown, Jim Jones was preaching a prophecy of nuclear annihilation down to the exact minute it would begin. In this episode, we trace how Cold War hysteria, doomsday visions, and a now-infamous  article in Esquire magazine led Jones from Indiana to Brazil, chasing fallout-free havens and gathering power through fear. Was he fleeing scandal, unraveling mentally, or being drawn into something more sinister...

In the charged atmosphere of the mid-1960s, Jim Jones moved Peoples Temple westward, seeking a new beginning in California’s radical counter cultural awakening. In Redwood Valley Jim Jones embedded himself within an obscure communal sect called the Church of the Golden Rule, an offshoot of Mankind United. Founded by Arthur Bell, a self-proclaimed messenger of superhuman beings living at the Earth’s core, Mankind United...

Music was often peoples first, and last impression of Peoples Temple. From the moment you walked into a temple service, the music created a certain atmosphere. The voices of the choir lifted the spirits of the congregants, electrifying the audience. In 1973 the temple recorded the gospel funk album “He’s Able”. The altruistic message of equality expressed on the album, the optimism and high energy of the singers juxtaposes what we ...

Denise was three years old when her family joined Peoples Temple. Like so many early childhood memories, obscured by the lenses of time,  Denise’s recollections are vivid emotional snapshots that paint a portrait of Jim Jones and Temple life rarely seen, one that complicates the narrative shaped by Jonestown’s tragic end. As she came of age, Denise gave everything to the cause. But in the world of Peoples Temple, no sa...

Welcome to the Sunday Service, a 3-part immersive experience exploring Jim Jones’ paranormal ministry and the mystery of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit. Your first visit to Peoples Temple will involve a profound, life changing, spiritual experience of the paranormal variety. 

The blind shall see, the deaf shall hear and the dead shall rise! Lose yourself in the mystique, as Jim Jones’ creates a powerful...

The paranormal healing ministry drew new members to Peoples Temple with Jim Jones’ promises of supernatural support for the cause. The divine gifts physically took a toll on Jim Jones as he felt the sickness and pain of others pass through his own body as he healed them. To keep the miracles coming, he began using sleight of hand to “remove” cancers, and strangely, real healings often followed. It was the catalyst to b...