SHKMS tanaLife Inside 1 1 1 Rev. Jim Jones’s Peoples Temple BY JEANNIE MILLS To look at Jeannie Mills, you wouldn’t think that for six incredible years her life went haywire. At 39, she’s both smart and attractive, a good wife to a good man, mother to five terrific kids...the picture of everything that’s right—and possible—in America. But from 1970 to 1976, she and her entire family were bound to a cult that finally became the story of the decade—THE PEOPLES TEMPLE. In the autumn of 1976, Jeannie and Al Mills filed a statement with an attor­ ney that was both a personal catharsis and a public plea. It said, in part, the following: “Jones has a power that operates on fear, guilt and extreme fatigue. While we were in it we did many strange things. We signed over all our property. We wrote and signed false, self-incriminating statements. We had to admit that we were homo­ sexuals and that we molested our chil­ dren. We had to participate in painful punishments for such minor things as forgetting to call Jones “Father,” for­ getting to pay a bill, or for giving a piece of candy to a child. Some of the punishments were beatings, humilia­ tions and medications that made peo­ ple appear to die (later to be resurrect­ ed by Jones). We were so frightened of him and his power that we would have sworn to anything he asked. We be­ lieved that he would always take care (continued on back flap) (continued from front flap) of us and would never harm us, even though we witnessed daily atrocities that should have convinced us other­ wise. It is impossible to explain the effect of his brainwashing. We do know that it took months after we left to be able to think and act as normal, rea­ sonable people.” While in the temple, Jeannie and Al produced hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash revenues—she as head of the Publications Office, he as official photographer. They belonged to the prestigious Planning Committee. In late 1975, they left the temple with many of its most important documents, and Jones began a siege of terror against them. Throughout 1976, 1977 and 1978, they crusaded to have Jones exposed. They pleaded with the press, with pub­ lic officials, with the federal govern­ ment. They worked unceasingly to warn a public that needed the deaths of 912 innocent persons before it would listen. This haunting document captures the sinister means by which Jones took advantage of intelligent, but vulnera­ ble, people. In 32 pages of exclusive photographs and in tape-recorded conversations, the unbelievable is re­ vealed. America has never seen any­ thing like it. And—to use a quote that Jim Jones admired a lot—“those who do not remember the past are con­ demned to repeat it.” A & W PUBLISHERS, INC. NEW YORK * SIX YEARS WITH GOD * Life Inside Reverend Jim Jones’s Peoples Temple BY JEANNIE MILLS A&W PUBLISHERS, INC. NEW YORK The names of several former and current members of the Peoples Temple church have been changed in order to protect their privacy. Copyright © 1979 by MBR/Investments, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Published by A & W Publishers, Inc. 95 Madison Avenue New York, New York 10016 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 79-50356 ISBN: 0-89479-046-3 Designed by Helen Barrow Printed in the United States of America DEDICATION This book is dedicated to the memory of Leo Ryan, whose life seemed to me to exemplify true religion—doing what you know to be right without fear of taking necessary risks. It is also lovingly dedicated to my mother, my father, and my mother-in-law. Although they didn't agree with our belief in Jim Jones, and although all of our lives went through many drastic changes as my husband and I became more involved in Peoples Temple, the loyalty of our parents never wavered. Through the six long years, my parents lived next door to us and helped care for our ever- changing family. Our friends were their friends, and they loved the scores of children that came into our home as real grandchildren. Although I occasionally scoffed at our parents' religious beliefs, their prayers and love were always with us. During this time, Al’s mother always kept her doors open to us and to anyone we brought into her home and loved them simply because we loved them. When we left the Temple, there were no “I told you so’s, ” no resentment of the way we had treated our dear parents through the years. They were there to help us put the pieces of our lives back together. Perhaps this, more than anything else, made it possible to have the courage to leave. They were our contact with reality throughout the unreal world of Six Years with God. CONTENTS Introduction page 9 October 10, 1976: To Whom It May Concern page 11 PARTI Human Freedom 1975 September to December page 19 December 5, 1975 page 33 1976 page 44 1977 page 56 1978 page 78 PART II The Times That Try Men’s Souls November i969 page 113 1970 page 130 1971 page 142 1972 page 170 1973 page 203 1974 page 248 1975 January to August page 287 PART III Those Who Do Not Remember the Past Are Condemned to Repeat It page 315 (Illustrations follow pages 86 and 185.) INTRODUCTION Every time I tell someone about the six years we spent as members of the Peoples Temple, I am faced with an unanswerable question: “If the church was so bad, why did you and your family stay in for so long?” This book is my attempt to work out an answer. Peoples Temple and Jim Jones appear in these pages as I saw them throughout my years there with him. I depict his activities exactly as I saw them. At the time, we all gave Jim credit for performing miracles and healings. Only months after we defected from the Temple, did we realize the full extent of the cocoon in which wefd lived. And only then did we understand and deplore the fraud, sadism, and emotional blackmail of the master manipulator. We'd been had by a dangerous maniac. And we set out to warn a world that didn't seem to have the time or the compassion to listen. It took the deaths of 912 persons to spark a series of investigations into the Peoples Temple. I try to portray the members of the Temple as they really were. Most were good people with the highest intentions who were also duped by lofty concepts, such as “apostolic socialismand “Christian sharing,” ideals that were twisted by Jim Jones to become tools to take away our property, our money, and finally our individual rights. Jones manipulated the principles of racial equality and brotherly love to obtain pledges of allegiance, love, and human life from his members. 10 Six Years with God We would have been horrified if Jim had told us about an outsider who was breaking up marriages or robbing children of their parents9 love and time. We would have attacked a person who was abusing children, sexually abusing men and women, or robbing the elderly. But when we saw our self-appointed hero, our Father, our God, Jim Jones, doing these things, we excused him. We rationalized the punishments and disciplines because we believed that he was God—and could do no wrong. I have reconstructed scenes and conversations, especially in Part II, from my notes and with the help of Al, my husband, and several of our friends who were with us in Peoples Temple. The events described all took place. They seem harrowing and unreal even as I read through these pages. But I want the public to know what can happen behind locked doors—anywhere and anytime. It has been said that more than 3,000 cults exist in the United States alone. I hope, through this record of what happened in one, that people will understand the danger, the depravity of total obedience to one leader. The horror is limitless. Through our Human Freedom Center in Berkeley, Califor­ nia, which is a halfway house for people leaving cults, we have made our goal the total independence of every individual. We give food and clothing; we help former cultists find employment and shelter. We let them know that we understand and that we love them. But we send them out on their own. —Jeannie Mills Berkeley, California January 1979 October 10, 1976 To Whom It May Concern This document and supporting papers are prepared in evidence against Pastor James W. Jones (a.k.a. Jim V. Jones), pastor of Peoples Temple Christian Church of the Disciples of Christ Denomination, located first in Indianapolis until sometime between 1965 and 1966, then located in Redwood Valley until 1975, and now headquartered at 1859 Ceary Blvd., San Francisco, California. We, Al. J. Mills and Jeannie Mills, formerly known as Elmer J. Mertle and Deanna M. Mertle, were members of this group from November 2, 1969, until October 16, 1975. Five of our children were also members of the church during that time period: Steve, Linda, Diana, Eddie, and Daphene. Linda Mertle is currently still a member of the church.