The USAF was not alone in its efforts to investigate, repatriate, and identify over 900 deceased Americans; the mission was a joint humanitarian effort that required the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation—the chief federal law enforcement agency for all Americans.
In its post-November 18, 1978 investigation of the assassination of Congressman Leo J. Ryan and the deaths in Jonestown—codenamed RYMUR (for Ryan Murder)—the FBI produced and collected thousands of documents on Jonestown and Peoples Temple. Across its internal investigation and efforts to recover documents from Jonestown, the FBI collected over 48,000 records.
All 48,000 available records are available on the parent site of this project, with thousands of them transcribed. Many records within the FBI’s collection detail the complex logistics and timelines behind the Guyana mission.
When citing documents from the FBI’s RYMUR collection, each serial should begin with the designation: “RYMUR 89-4286.” For example, serial 176 should be cited as “RYMUR 89-4286-176.” Additionally, a guide on many of the abbreviations used in the RYMUR collection is available here.
In the upcoming months, a listing of all FBI records pertaining to the USAF’s mission in Jonestown will be organized in this section. A selection of FBI records on the USAF’s and GDF’s involvement in Jonestown is listed below.
Serial 176: Description of RYMUR Investigation, FBI Headquarters, November 21, 1978, RYMUR 89-4286-176
Serial 261: Positive Identification of Jim Jones, FBI Headquarters, November 24, 1978, RYMUR-89-4286-261
Serial 469: Airlift of Bodies to Dover AFB, FBI Headquarters, November 22, 1978, RYMUR-89-4286-469
Serial 475: FBI Summary; 800 Reported Dead, Dover AFB to Process Returned Bodies, FBI Headquarters, November 24, 1978, RYMUR-89-4286-475
Serial 515: Bodies Begin to Arrive at Dover, FBI-SC, November 22, 1978, RYMUR-89-4286-515