I lived in Ft Worth (67-71) immediately out of college while working as an aeronautical engineer at General Dynamics on the F-111. There I got to know the reporting of Don Harris, who then worked at the Dallas NBC affialiate. I can still recall my shock when I saw him being gunned down on that airport ramp next to the DeHavilland Twin Otter. I kept asking myself, what could have been done differently to have our Government go check on these people? Did we think the situation warranted having 3 or 4 Army squads descend on the place in helicopters? I don't believe any reasonable person would say yes. All I can say it is a crying shame what happened to all involved.

I will always feel a connection with this unspeakable tragedy as it occured the day before my 10th birthday, Nov. 18th 1978. And after all these years, I just can't seem to comprehend how our government and the decision makers at NBC news allowed congressman Ryan's entourage and the jounalist crew to invade such a fragile environment, given the information available to them beforehand. They knew of the practiced mass suicide and weapons stockpiling, the tortue and beatings...yet they allowed those people to go forward as planned, which we now know served as the catalyst to those tragic events. The footage of Don Harris especially, brazenly confronting Jim Jones, is proof that there was no effort made on his part to diffuse the situation. It shows such a lack of journalistic integrity. I believe he was only there to further his career and add to his resume of accompishments. This massacre could and should have been averted with the proper planning. Those children never had a chance to grow up and thank us for saving them. Yes, Jim Jones was a madman...but he could have been stopped. I believe this a shameful mark on our country's history and watching the Waco tragedy unfold some 15 years later, it's obvious we didn't learn a thing from Jonestown. May God eternally bless those unfortunate souls who gave their lives in that jungle...for nothing.

I came upon this after checking out movie trailers on Apple's website and seeing a movie about Jonestown. It was never discussed in sociology class so I had to learn about it on my own. I found myself looking at clips and readings on the internet. I must say that I was sad upon seeing the film footage taken by the NBC journalists, knowing that a few journalists lost their lives among others. I agree with the previous post to teach your children to think independently. I hope this video gets on YouTube so others may learn of this tragedy.

And now there is an independent film about this that just got short-listed for Oscar nomination -- Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple. It is in limited theatrical release and will air on PBS's American Experience series in April.

Hmmmm. It's never been my understanding of the term "drank the Kool-Aid" that it means "political suicide." I've always thought it describes someone who blindly follows and defends their party leaders, regardless of consequences or logic. Only someone who actually holds political office would be capable of political suicide, but I've known plenty of "Kool-Aid drinkers" in all walks of life. Isn't it just another word for "dittohead?"

"They were so completely controlled. Every aspect of their lives were controlled. They had to make no decisions at all." Mike's words above caught me; of course, I had read every word I could find in Bombay(where I,42,was then) on this horror but now, I feel that more horrors are in the making. When the Jewish 'holocaust' of 1930-45 happened, the German (+ a good % of the French who had already become a Nazi victim) population had become willing co-perpetrators of Hitler/Himmler's evil 'final solution'. That was a reverse form of control where, not the victims but innocents-turned-violators had let themselves be controlled! Now, at 73, my only ambition is to prevent another Jonestown a thousand times worse thru diabolical control over peoples' freedoms which is in the making though most of the world have not recognised the wood for the trees. Bush & Blair are talking of Muslim fanaticsm & 'terrorism', Osama...but I suspect that their thinktanks have missed two points: 1. That it is NOT one Osama but a vacuum for power which will be readily filled no matter how many Osamas B&B get rid of. 2. That the good faith of Islam, notwithstanding some astounding 'surahs 'in the Quran, AND >95% of the world's 1.2 billion Muslims are NOT to blame; maybe fewer than 1% (= 12 million still!)have a centuries old insatiable lust for power over the whole earth and, to begin with, over their own flock whom they can order around to accept suicide missions, whose 50% (read women) are already 'controlled' to 100% obedience & gradually thru them to convert and/or enslave the whole world to submit to their will - NOT Allah's!! It is this incredible new "Jones" CONTROL SESAME devil that the free world has to counter & drive to extinction. I wonder whether anyone else shares my views; if they had, it would not have come to 'my nonentity' to TRY to spread news of this danger to all six billion on earth - yes, even a big part of the power-hungry one million will, in turn, get wiped out so only ONE single 'neo Hitler', a Muslim, will be the sole superhuman Caliph of Mother Earth.
I HAVE attempted to bring this to the notice of many 'broad-minded' Muslims - & others - thru blogs, discussions etc.,(at risk to myself & them, as some pointed out) but with no impact except negatively. Fear drives almost ALL Muslims to silence & apathy but is the rest of the world just going to watch too?!!
Yes, I have some solutions to mull over but of that later. Que sera sera! Inshah-Allah!! ramani

I was in my late twenties when this story was made public; I was horrified then, and am now, so many years later.

It was because of the Jones mass suicide, that I raised my children to be independent thinkers. I warned them to never follow anyone blindly.

People who do so, in my opinion, are incredibly needy, and are starved for acceptance and affection. They believe they are having these needs met when a representative of a cult religion manipulates them for their needs. I think that, when people follow others blindly, especially to the point of suicide to get their needs met that this, unfortunately, says a lot about the society we live in.

Therefore, let's all practice what Jesus said: Love one another."

I was 16 on my own and holding down a full time job. While awaiting a bus across from the New Haven Green on a cold blusterly december evening, after working my twleve hour shift, an attractive looking decent college type girl approached me and started a conversation with me. I didnt understand why she was interested in me. She invited me over her house the next evening for dinner to my excited delight. I mean she was clean, decent and can hold a coversation concerning political interests and was college age, which I was not. I rushed to my little room showered put on my best duds which just happened to be what i had clean and hopped the bus back to Yale. Nervously I approached the three story not knowing what to expect, but from somewhere I summonned the courage to climb the few steps and with one last shot of breath freshner I rang the bell. Some guy much older than she nor I, dressed like he was awaiting to appear on the Carpenters show with a vneck sweater, answered the door. took one good look at me and stared back perplexed. I forgot to mention this was back in my hippy days, dont remember if i was wearing my patched jeans but I always dressed casual. He asked, " can I help you?" I reponded that I was there for, Donna, lets call her. He said "Oh Hi you must be Mike, please come in. I was even more nervous now. Even us dropouts had heard of the notrious pranks that those ivy boys play. After a half hour of uncomfortable meaningless chatter, Donna finaly appeared only to be positioned across the room from me whereupon I was asked to hold hands with the persons on each side of me and they all began to sing hymns. I immediatly figured it out, these were the infamous moonies. I suddenly shed my nervousness and kicked it up to panic mode. How could I get out of there. There was always one or two guys standing in front of the only exit I knew of. I politely explained that i must catch my ride but they insisted I remain for the meal.
I never was to speak with my supposed date nor was Donna allowed to even get within ten feet of me. They were insistent and wouldnt let me leave. I was street wise, how did I fall for this trap I thought to myself. The year 1975. They were so completely controlled. Every aspect of their lives were controlled. They had to make no decisions at all.
Than came the huge Mooney marraige. Ever since I have been a thirsty poly sci and psch student of manipulation. Than came Jim Jones and awhile later the Haliey timeship explorers. How can we give ourselves up so completely that we allow others to controll our thoughts our ambitions our dreams and nightmares? After decades of observations i have come to the conclusion that man is a social being and has instinct to belong. When families break up kids are hungry for affection and acceptance. thes types of movements fill a void in peoples lives. If we can not understand why and how these movements becomes so powerfull, we are destined to witness hitory repeat itself. Scary thought. What is the solution to protect human dignity and preserve the survival of democracy? Education. Its that simple, its that complicated.

I was 13 years old when this news story broke, and then, as now, I couldn't fathom how horrific this event was. When I relate this story to younger family members or even co-workers who have heard of Jonestown but don't quite grasp the unspeakable horror that is synonymous with the words Jonestown or Jim Jones or The People's Temple, I still have that feeling of sheer astonishment.

That was such a big, horrific, weird story at the time I remember where I was when I first heard that it had happened. I was in my dorm room at Monmouth College preparing to come home for Thanksgiving/ Christmas vacation. And it was cyanide-laced grape Kool-Aid they drank, not fruit punch--hence the expression, "drank the Kool-Aid" regarding people who commit political "suicide."

Editor's note: Thanks for your response. Technically, it was Flavor Aid that was served to the victims at the People's Temple. We made the editorial decision to keep name brands out of the piece, and fruit punch or fruit drink most closely describes the beverage.