Deep Dive
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A listener note. This episode contains adult content and may not be suitable for a younger audience. It's the early 1960s, and Jim Jones is walking upstairs at his home in Indianapolis, getting ready to put the finishing touches on an upcoming sermon.
Jones is the leader of a religious group known as the People's Temple. He founded the church in part as a way to put radical politics into action, offering meals to the poor, fighting for racial integration across Indianapolis, and spreading a message about the virtues of socialism.
Jones has gained hundreds of followers, and in his upcoming sermon, he's planning to announce an expansion of programs at the People's Temple. But as Jones reaches the top of the staircase and heads over to his desk, suddenly a bright flash fills the room. Jones squints, trying to see through the piercing bright light. He's never experienced anything like this. The light disappears, but then the window panes start to rumble.
Before Jones can take cover, the glass shatters, and a shockwave sends Jones careening to the floor. Jones lies sprawled out, his ears pierced by a deafening squeal, until he regains his senses and his mind turns to his family. Jones needs to find his wife, Marcella, and the kids. They're out shopping for groceries. He has to make sure they're safe.
So Jones gets up to his feet and hurries down the stairs, stepping over shards of glass. But as he opens the front door, he sees something that takes his breath away. The sun has disappeared, shrouded by a mushroom cloud of smoke blossoming across the horizon. Jones stares at the sky, his thoughts inarticulate and muddled. And as he searches the city streets, he realizes he's not in Indianapolis. He's in some other city.
People are stumbling out from the buildings, covered in blood, and a middle-aged man comes limping over, rubbing his hand over a tear in his shirt collar. Jones approaches the man. "What happened? Where are we?" "Chicago. 309. The 16th." "What do you mean Chicago? What are you talking about?" The man stares off into the distance as ash begins falling from the sky. His mouth starts moving like the man's saying something.
but nothing intelligible comes out, just a bunch of garbled noises. But a moment later, Jones hears someone else's voice, someone he's known for a long time. Jim, Jim, wake up! Wake up, Jim! Jones startles awake in bed. It's nearly dawn, and his wife, Marceline, is shaking him by the shoulder. Jim, honey, wake up! Where am I? What happened? Jim, you're having another nightmare. You were thrashing like a madman, but you're here, you're home.
Marcelin, it happened again. The same dream? It wasn't a dream, it's... Turn on the light. Do you have a pen and paper? Yeah, right here. Marcelin turns on the lamp and hands a pen and notebook over to Jim. Okay, so this time, this time is Chicago. 16th of some month.
It was warm, and it felt maybe like fall, September, I guess. And this guy, he said, 309. And there was a flash, and then the fallout. You're saying it was, yeah, a nuclear bomb. Okay, okay. It's just, Jim, you keep having these dreams.
You're obsessing over the news stories about the Soviets and the bombs, nuclear fallout shelters. I don't think it helps that you keep those newspapers on your nightstand. I mean, it's bound to creep into your dreams, isn't it? These aren't dreams. Whatever they are, when I'm in them, I see things. I feel things. They have me convinced. We have to figure out a plan for the church. A plan? Sweetie, what are you talking about? Marceline, we have to leave Indianapolis. What?
We have to move somewhere safe, a new home for the church, somewhere that won't be hit by a nuclear attack or get contaminated by fallout. Jim, I think you need more sleep. You've been so overwhelmed by everything going on lately. This isn't some kind of nervous breakdown. This is real. And if we don't do something, everyone we know, everyone we care about in the People's Temple, they're all going to die. Jim begins scribbling in his notebook, recording all the details from his vision.
He knows some of his followers aren't going to believe him. They'll dismiss this all as a paranoid fantasy, or like Marcella, think it was just a bad dream. But Jones has a responsibility to his flock. And now that he's had a vision of nuclear apocalypse, he has to take action. Even if that means moving the people's temple somewhere far from the Midwest.
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From Wondery, I'm Lindsey Graham, and this is American Scandal.
As a child growing up in small-town Indiana, Jim Jones identified with the teachings of Christ, especially the mandate to care for the needy and downtrodden. As a young adult, Jones grew adamant about applying these teachings to the problems of everyday life. He became increasingly concerned about the persecution of marginalized groups in America, absorbing the ideas of radical left-wing politics and socialism.
In his 20s, Jones combined his longtime interests in organized religion with his fervent beliefs in social justice and established the People's Temple, a church he saw as an avenue to put politics into action. Jones set about to build an audience for his message, even performing so-called miracles on the revival circuit in order to make money for the church.
Jones' Sunday services at the People's Temple soon attracted a large following. And while it's difficult to know exactly how many people began following Jones, by one estimate, up to 700 congregants were now showing up for services. Yet by the early 60s, Jones was wearing thin.
Between running his own church, working as a social activist, and preaching throughout rural America, Jones' physical and mental health began to suffer. Paranoia creeped into his daily life, and Jones became convinced he was going to come under attack for his radical beliefs.
His paranoia only mounted with the escalation of the Cold War. The United States and the Soviet Union were locked in a global competition for power, and Americans were given regular reminders that they could face a nuclear attack from the Soviets.
After experiencing a vision of nuclear apocalypse, Jones decided the People's Temple could no longer remain in Indiana or anywhere near a plausible nuclear target. Jones set about to find a new home for his church, one that could survive a Soviet attack. He traveled the world, scouting locations. But back home in Indiana, People's Temple would fall into disarray. This is Episode 2, Eureka! It's the early 1960s in Mexico City.
Archie Iams is walking down a wide street alongside Reverend Jim Jones. Iams glances at the colorful murals and mosaics stretching across the buildings of the city. The capital of Mexico is a bustling metropolis full of street vendors, cafes, and musicians. It's so different from his home city of Indianapolis, Iams wouldn't mind spending a few days here soaking it all in. But that wasn't the point of this trip. Iams flew to Mexico to share some bad news with Jones.
Jones has spent the last few months abroad, searching for a new home for the People's Temple. And with his wife and children in tow, Jones has visited sites including Hawaii and the British West Indies. After this stopover in Mexico, he's heading to Brazil for another tour. Jones has maintained he's doing this for the good of the church and to save lives. But ever since he left Indiana, the church has faced one problem after another.
Iams is the associate pastor at the People's Temple and the lone black member of Jones' inner circle. And he's seen firsthand how Jones' departure has thrown the church into chaos. Before Jones left, he tapped another member of his inner circle, Russell Winberg, to lead the temple in his absence. But Winberg has completely abandoned the original vision for the People's Temple, preaching sermons from the Bible instead of the more worldly message of social justice that's attracted such a large following.
As a result, the church is quickly losing its members and appears to be headed toward a crisis. Jones only summoned Iams to Mexico to get an update about the church, but Iams is going to use the opportunity to make an urgent request. It's time for Jones to come home.
The two men walk a quiet residential street, and Iams turns to Jones. Before I say anything about what's happening back home, I want to emphasize, I do believe Russell Winberg is a good man. A man of genuine faith. You weren't wrong to think he'd be a good leader. Well, Archie, that's one way to start a conversation. Where's this going? Well, Brother Jones...
The way he's been handling our services, it doesn't feel like the people's temple. He's talking a lot about God this and Jesus that. It's like being at a regular church. And that works for some folks, of course, but we know plenty of people join the people's temple because of what you had to say about real life, not just about the Bible. Oh, well, I don't know what to do here. You want me to write the sermons and mail them off? No, that's not what I'm suggesting. I
I know hearing this news isn't easy, but it would have been reckless if I wasn't honest about what's happening back home. No, I get it. You're not happy with the man I hand-picked to lead the church. You feel threatened he's in charge while I'm away. No, it's not that. I'm not jealous. I mean, Brother Jones, membership is dropping off. The people that are sticking around, there's a divide splitting everyone apart. The members who like what Wimberg's doing and the people who miss you.
They need their leader, and it's time for you to come home. Well, Archie, I can't do that. I'm sorry. I just can't do that. What I'm doing here, it's a life or death mission. A nuclear attack is coming. And if we don't find our people a new home, then it won't matter who's running the people's temple. I understand, but things are still happening back home.
As the two men continue walking down the residential street, Iams thinks about the days and weeks to come. Soon Jones is going to board a flight to South America, and it's anyone's guess how long he'll be away.
But when Iams returns to Indianapolis, he's going to face a fractious congregation, with any number of church members on the verge of departure. Iams wishes he could change Jones' mind. But Jones seems to be in a period of dark wandering, unable to think about the needs of his church back home. So Iams will just have to make do, and try to reassure members of the People's Temple not to give up hope that the Reverend Jim Jones will be back sometime soon.
After his stopover in Mexico, Jim Jones does take off for Brazil, hoping to find the new home for the People's Temple.
But Brazil turns out to be a dead end. Without being able to speak Portuguese, Jones finds himself unable to preach to the locals, which also prevents him from earning enough money to set up a base of operation. And after facing one setback after another, Jones begins to lose faith in his gifts as a religious leader. He feels ordinary and lost. Compounding these feelings are the growing issues back in Indianapolis.
Russell Winberg, the temporary leader of the People's Temple, has continued transforming the congregation into a more ordinary Christian church. So Jones enlists one of his confidants to take over as a new temporary leader. But the move leaves Winberg furious. He parts ways with the People's Temple and ends up taking dozens of congregants with him.
Jones continues to face growing pressure to return home and re-establish order in the church. And finally, Jones' confidant Archie Iams gives Jones an ultimatum, saying if you're not coming back, then he's leaving. One week later, Jones sends word that he is planning to return to America, ending a two-year journey abroad, but with little to show for the effort.
And upon Jones' return at the end of 1963, he's given a rude awakening, one Archie Iams had warned him about back in Mexico. While padding through the arrival section at the Indianapolis airport, Jones is feeling exhausted. Trailing behind him are Marcelin and the kids, and the long flight from Brazil has left everyone cranky. But before he can kick up his feet and relax back at home, Jones needs to put in some time with his followers, who gathered at the airport.
It's been two years since he saw his congregation, and Jones is sure they'll be eager to see him. So as he heads to the front of the terminal, he braces for what will surely be a large crowd of enthusiastic members of the church. But when Jones passes through the front doors of the airport, he's jolted awake. There are only a dozen members of the People's Temple waiting to greet him. Jones hasn't had a crowd this small since his first days at tiny revival meetings.
Jones knew they were having trouble back at home, but this is far worse than anything he could have imagined. The people's temple appears to have been decimated. But Jones is no stranger to adversity, and he has plenty of experience building a religious group from the ground up.
So Jones sets down his bag and hugs the church members who did show up to greet him. He remarks on the babies that have grown into toddlers in the years he's been away. And he tells his followers that sure, he's a bit jet-lagged right now, but he's going to go home and get himself cleaned up. And then Jones and the people's temple are going to get back to work. But as Jones returns to life in Indianapolis, he faces two large problems.
One is that membership in the People's Temple has dwindled, and there's significantly less money coming in. So Jones has to downsize and move the congregation into a smaller building. But the second problem is that Jones is still consumed by the possibility of a nuclear attack, and he hasn't found a new home for the People's Temple, free from the threat of atomic war.
For Jones, there's never been a better time to relocate the People's Temple and start fresh somewhere new. After reading an article in Esquire magazine titled Nine Places to Hide, Jones goes back on the road, exploring a place in America that's reportedly safest from nuclear fallout, the city of Eureka, California.
Jones and his inner circle go on a scouting trip, and after they tour the area, they agree to relocate to Ukiah, an idyllic small city in Mendocino County with rolling green hills and only about 140 miles south of Eureka. Then, in 1965, Jones takes his pitch to his full congregation. It's a balmy morning, and Marceline Jones, Jim Jones' wife, nervously crosses and uncrosses her legs as she waits for services to begin at the People's Temple.
Marceline hears snickering off to her side and tries to hush her son, Stephen, and Jim Jr. Looks like the kids are already restless, squirming in their seats and poking and prodding each other. But Marceline knows this is just the start of it. She and the kids are about to embark on a long drive from Indiana to California. The boys are only going to get more antsy as the day goes on, as they're forced to sit in the car for hours.
So while Marceline is looking forward to hearing Jim's sermon, she's hoping the morning service is going to be short and brisk so they can get on the road. Marceline watches Jim step up to the pulpit. She's encouraged to see how rested he looks. He seems more energized and full of life. And it's not just Jim. There's an electric energy in the church, a feeling of momentum, of solidarity and goodwill.
There are only about 90 people in the room, a far cry from Jim's heyday, when hundreds of congregants would show up for his sermons. But Marceline knows this is a room full of believers, people devoted to social activism, equality, and to her husband. Still, despite this collective feeling of optimism, there's also a question eating at Marceline in the back of her mind. She's still not sure whether the move to California is the right decision for her and the family.
But Marceline's anxious thoughts are interrupted as Jim begins his sermon, his voice thundering through the room. Jim preaches about new beginnings and what awaits the People's Temple out west. In Indianapolis, Jim says, they face outdated views and persecution. But in California, they'll find a home for their radical beliefs, and they'll be greeted by liberation. Jim goes on to say that California is just the start for the People's Temple, a journey to a better place.
Sitting out in the audience, Marceline Jones feels heartened by this talk of renewal and fresh starts. But she also doesn't want to paper over Jim's troubles, his growing paranoia, his tirades against the Bible, and the months they spent wandering through Brazil, a search that didn't lead to anything. So even with all this talk about new beginnings, Marceline is still left wondering whether their problems are just going to follow them out west, whether Jim is bound to repeat the mistakes of the past.
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In the summer of 1965, about 90 members of the People's Temple begin their trek from Indiana to California. The church's ranks have been depleted, but those who remain in the People's Temple echo Jim Jones' optimism about their new home, that California will offer a fresh start far from the traditional values of the Midwest, while also providing safe haven from the threat of nuclear attack.
But when Jones' followers finally arrive in Ukiah, California, they find that life in the small city is far from what Jones had promised. Ukiah is both conservative and overwhelmingly white. The people's temple was founded on a message of racial diversity, and Jones had pitched California as a promised land where his followers would be accepted.
But in town, black members of the People's Temple stand out. They receive stares from the locals. One day, black members of the church are swimming in a nearby lake when bystanders begin shouting out racial slurs. It's enough to cause some members of the church to consider moving back to Indiana. Jones himself privately doubts whether he made the right decision and wonders if they should move again, maybe this time to Mexico.
But Jones also knows the People's Temple will continue hemorrhaging its followers if he pushes for another big move now. So Jones tries to make the situation work and ingratiate the People's Temple with the residents of their new hometown. Jones instructs his followers to begin a charm offensive. Members of the church send birthday cakes to government officials. They congratulate locals on weddings and births and send condolence messages to residents who've lost loved ones.
This campaign helps chip away at some of the locals' resistance to the People's Temple. And as the church gets more involved in the community, it also begins to attract new followers from across rural California, outsiders to the area's more conservative culture, who are looking for a community, people like Gary Lambrev, who in March of 1966 comes wandering into the People's Temple Church in nearby Redwood Valley.
It's a Friday night, and Lambrev frankly doesn't have anything else to do. Rural Northern California is nothing but a cow town as far as Lambrev sees it. And he's been eager to spend some time around new people, to do something different with his weekend. So Lambrev enters the small wooden church housing the People's Temple, a building that almost looks like a ski lodge. And as he makes his way inside, right away Lambrev gets the sense that here in this church things are different.
There's music playing and teenagers dancing. It's a diverse crowd, too, with black and white people standing around, laughing, looking like they're having a great time. This is unusual. Lambrev has never seen such a mixed crowd in the area. And he still can't wrap his head around the idea that this is actually a church.
Ever since he was a boy, Lambrev has been generally turned off by religion. But two days ago, he met a woman in town who accidentally dropped a bundle of leaflets advertising her church. She said her name was Patti Cartmill and explained she moved to Ukiah with her pastor. The two got to talking and Cartmill ended up inviting Lambrev to come hang out with her and some of her fellow church members. She said Lambrev might be surprised to see how much he had in common with them.
Lambreth knows that religious people like to proselytize, to swell the ranks of their congregations. But there was something about this woman, something different, a spark of life in her eyes. So Lambreth decided to give it a shot. And now, as he walks through the church, he admits that Cartmel might have been right. Lambreth takes a cup of apple juice and stares out at the crowd. He's not sure who to talk to, so he just grabs a chair and takes a seat.
But as he sits taking in the scene, a man with dark hair sidles up next to him. Well, I'm glad to see you here, son. You're Gary, right? Patty says she invited you, and you're from around here. Yeah, and no, I'm not from here. I was in grad school at Stanford, but I dropped out. Ended up taking a job here, working as a welfare counselor. Well, that's noble work, but tell me, why did you drop out? Things just got...
Complicated. It's a long story. Well, Gary, unless someone drags me out to the dance floor, I've got the time. Lambrev spends a moment studying the man. He seems genuinely open-hearted and curious about Lambrev's story. So Lambrev decides to open up. Well, um, uh, okay, so I was at these anti-war protests near campus, right? And then I ended up getting thrown in jail. Yeah.
After that whole experience, I mean, reading textbooks, finishing up my degree, listening to someone yammer all day in class, it started to feel pointless. Like I needed to do something with my life, not just sit there, you know? Be of service to some cause. So here I am in Ukiah helping people navigate the welfare system. And are you feeling better off for it? Lambrev grows silent. The truth is he's not. Ever since his move to Ukiah, he's felt more disillusioned and isolated than ever.
The man smiles and lays a hand on Lambrev's shoulder. Well, you know, Gary, I've been just like you. Stripped of any purpose, wondering what the hell I'm doing with my life. Ah, you should have seen me a few years ago.
But that mindset, that drifting through life, son, that's exactly what this oppressive country wants to make us feel. What do you mean by that? Well, think about it. If you're lost and you're drifting, that makes you easier to control. America wants you that way. If you feel hopeless, well, you'll just get yourself a nice new television, right? Or a shiny new car or a big new house. You have to buy more, load up on material goods, because somehow they've told you that'll take care of everything.
Jesus, that is the message. Oh, I didn't mean to take his name in vain. I don't mean to offend you. Offend me? No, don't worry about that. You talk to most people here, plenty of them haven't had a Bible on their nightstands for years. Really? Oh, yeah, sure. All that book does is spread a message of oppression. Well, I don't think I could agree more. You know what I think, Gary? If this country isn't giving you the life you want, then you have to go out there and build it for yourself. That's what we're doing here.
We're building something, something we believe in. The man gets up. Now, I apologize. I should really keep doing my rounds. But this Sunday, you come on over to services. Someone like you, so educated, a good head on your shoulders, good values. You have everything to offer us. I just hope we'd have something small to offer you in return. Well, yeah, okay. Maybe I will. I'm sorry, I never caught your name. Oh, I'm the pastor of the church, Jim Jones. Welcome to the People's Temple.
Jones offers a long, sturdy handshake before peeling off into the crowd. Years later, Lambrev will defect from the People's Temple, going into hiding to avoid Jones' followers. But tonight, he's feeling drawn to Jim Jones and his church. Lambrev thought he'd sworn off this kind of organized religion. But the People's Temple does seem different, and there's no harm in coming back for a Sunday service. So Lambrev will give it a shot. And if it doesn't feel right, he can always walk away.
By the spring of 1966, the People's Temple begins attracting new members to its church in Northern California. Jim Jones' followers include everyone from activists protesting the Vietnam War to troubled teenagers who Jones teaches at a local school. The new members of the church share a streak of political idealism and a desire for a better way of life. But most of the new congregants are white, a far cry from the rainbow coalition Jones pushed for in Indiana.
At the same time, Jones was nervous about the pace of the church's growth. By the spring of 66, the People's Temple only has about 150 members. But a national tragedy offers Jones a rare opportunity, a chance to recruit more members from a wider range of backgrounds.
Because on an overcast spring day in the Bay Area, following the assassination of Martin Luther King in April of 1968, dozens of black congregants of a Baptist church in San Francisco gathered together for a memorial.
♪♪
Until the doors open in the back of the church and at least 150 people suddenly file in. Almost all of them are white. Leading the pack is a white man in a suit with dark hair combed over to the side. This man, apparently the group's leader, walks toward the pulpit, looking both solemn and self-assured. He shakes hands with the minister while his followers fill out the church's standing area.
The whole scene is strange and even a bit disorienting. No one in this black congregation seems to have any idea what's happening. But the church's minister soon begins his memorial service for Dr. King, and it's a moving speech. And strangely enough, this group of white visitors starts to clap along with the minister's invocations of God and his spirited hallelujahs.
And toward the end of the service, the minister calls up the group's leader to the pulpit. The room grows quiet and curious as the man introduces himself as Reverend Jim Jones. Jones thanks the congregation for welcoming him and his flock. Then he leans in toward the microphone and begins to exalt the work of Martin Luther King Jr., saying that at this moment, we have to come together and follow Dr. King's example.
Many in the audience have never heard a white minister preach like this before, but they're moved by what Jones is saying. Black members of this Baptist church, along with Jones' white followers, all call out amen. Jones says his own church in Mendocino County is working to preserve King's vision of racial harmony. They're hosting a special community service next month, and they'd be grateful if members of this church would join them for a cause of justice and peace.
The members of the Baptist congregation call out in support. And the clouds that were darkening the mood of the room seem to part. Only a few minutes ago, the congregation was beset by grief and despair. But now there's an almost palpable sense of hope that Dr. King's message of racial harmony will live on.
Soon enough, the mostly white members of the People's Temple begin to mingle, smiling, chatting, and taking down names and addresses. The People's Temple, they say, would like to send some information about their church. They're trying to find a way to join together to carry on with Dr. King's work.
More than one is moved by this small but meaningful gesture. Many have been feeling so hopeless since the assassination, but coming together with like-minded people and fighting for justice, that's a reason to be optimistic. And maybe this people's temple can provide a place where Dr. King's work can continue, where people of any race can feel like their home.
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In 1968, Jim Jones carries out a bold plan. Seizing on the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Jones and the People's Temple begin a recruitment drive in San Francisco, looking to bring in new black members to the church. The plan seems to work. More and more black Christians make the trip up north from San Francisco to Mendocino County, where they sit in on People's Temple services. Preaching from the pulpit, Jones speaks out against racism, poverty, and injustice.
And after services wrap up, the visitors are surprised to find that the People's Temple members are willing to help them with practical matters, like disability paperwork or getting an elderly relative into a nursing home. This focus on worldly issues is an echo of Jones' earlier days as the leader of what was then known as the Community Unity Church. Jones sends a message that at the People's Temple, the church gets things done.
That message resonates throughout the area. And by late 1969, the People's Temple membership has tripled, and Jones has built a racially diverse following. But underneath his public successes, privately, Jim Jones continues to unravel. His family members have already witnessed signs of Jones' growing paranoia, his beliefs back in Indiana that he was being persecuted for his politics, that he needed to stock up on weapons, that a nuclear attack was imminent.
But now Jones also begins to abuse drugs. It's not an entirely new development. As far back as at least the mid-1960s, Jones has been using pills, supposedly to deal with pain. But by the early 70s, Jones' drug use escalates. He begins taking amphetamines to get through the day, then tranquilizers to come down in the evening.
Jones's eyes become inflamed and sensitive from using amphetamines, so he begins wearing dark sunglasses, which he adopts as a signature look. Jones does his best to hide the effects of his drug use from his followers, but he can't hide from his family. And on one day in the early 1970s, two of his children make a shocking discovery.
Stephen and Jim Jr. are walking back into their family home in Mendocino County after playing a game of basketball outside. But as Stephen walks through the house and toward the hallway, he stops frozen in place. Because on the living room floor is his father, Jim Jones, lying face down completely still. Stephen calls out, but his father doesn't respond. Stephen wonders if his father is just meditating. He's done that a few times.
But the way his body is splayed out on the floor, it looks like something bad has happened. Steven realizes he has to do something. So he calls out to his brother, and Jim Jr. comes running in. But like Steven, he's frozen in place at the sight of his father, face down on the floor.
Getting over his shock, Stephen tells Jim Jr. that they need to do something. Stephen kneels down and tells his brother that they have to flip him over. But Jim Jr. doesn't move. Stephen repeats himself, raising his voice, saying their father could be dying. They have to flip him over.
Jim Jr. snaps out of it and comes hurrying over. He kneels down, and together, Stephen and his brother summon all their strength, trying to flip their father onto his back. After a struggle, they manage to do it. But when Jim is finally lying face up, Stephen recoils in horror. His father's eyes have rolled into the back of his head. His mouth is hanging open. In a panic, Stephen tries to think what could have caused this, then decides it must have been all those pills and liquids his father keeps taking.
Jim Jr. begins to shake their father, trying to get him to wake up, but he doesn't. Stephen begins shouting out, calling out for their mother, Marceline. A moment later, the door swings open and she comes racing in. Stephen stumbles and sputters as he tries to explain what happened, but Marceline points to the hall and snaps at Stephen to go to his room. Stephen pulls Jim Jr. close and the two boys hurry away.
When Stephen reaches his bedroom, he leaves the door slightly ajar so he can listen to what happens next. Stephen thinks about how much his father has been changing. Sometimes when they're at the dinner table, he gets a crazy look in his eyes. Sometimes he'll even fall asleep in the middle of a sentence. It's all been a little scary and makes Stephen feel unsafe. But as bad as things have gotten, it's never been like this. Stephen has never wondered whether his father was going to live or die.
Jim Jones recovers from his collapse, but his drug use escalates. And by the early 1970s, his problems continue to grow worse. Jones' followers and family members notice that he's becoming increasingly erratic.
In one sermon, Jones praises Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. And when People's Temple member Gary Lambrev speaks up, arguing that Stalin was responsible for killing millions, Jones grows furious and begins screaming. He calls Lambrev an arrogant intellectual and berates him in front of the entire congregation.
Later, Jones privately apologizes for the outburst, but he tells Lambrev that he can't be questioned publicly, that church members cannot be allowed to think he's ever wrong.
And Jones' demand for control and obedience extend beyond the pulpit. He persuades his 24-year-old follower, Carolyn Moore, to start having an affair with him. Jones' wife, Marceline, is having health problems, and Jones argues that he needs gratification in order to be an effective spiritual leader. Despite Moore's reluctance, she eventually gives in. But even that isn't enough to satisfy Jones.
Soon, Johns begins having sex with other members of the church. Those affairs push Marceline Jones to a breaking point. And in 1972, she decides to make one of the biggest changes of her adult life. Marceline is pacing through the family's house when she hears the front door open.
Jim walks in and takes off his dark silver rim sunglasses. What are you doing here, Marceline? I thought you were working. I know. I needed to sign some school paperwork for the boys. But really, I'm here because I have to tell you something. Well, it's going to have to wait. I've got to make some calls and I've got a lot of work to do. So I'll catch up with you later. Jim, stop. I need to tell you I want a divorce. Excuse me? I don't want to be married anymore. I can't take this. The drugs, the affairs. I have to get out. I'm taking the children with me.
Is that right? You're going to take the kids? I am. We're getting out of this madness. Well... Jim turns away from Marceline and calls out, Kids, get in here! The children come filing out of their bedrooms and line up in front of their parents. Jim points to Marceline. You know what she wants?
Your mom wants to break up the family. That's not true. Oh, it is true. Mom's being selfish. She says she's going to take you away from me. Is that what you all want? Jim. Jim, stop. She wants to put you all in a car and drive away from home. You want that? You want to go with her or me? Jim, don't do this. Kids, go on. Tell her. Tell me. Who do you want to go with? You have to answer right now.
Jim stares at his children, and one by one, they all point their fingers at Jim. Jim, they are children. They don't know any better. But I'm leaving, and they're coming with me. We are not going to live this life anymore. Marcellin, if you so much as try to leave me, I'll make sure you're met by the Avengers of Death. These are my children, and this is not some tent revival. Don't talk to me like some sort of preacher. Okay, well, I'll say it a little more plainly. You ever take my boys away, you'll be dead.
Marceline stares at her husband, speechless. His manic swings have been wild these last few months, but he's never threatened to kill her. Before she can say another word, Jim sends the children back up to their rooms and announces the decision is final. No one is going anywhere. The kids run away, and with his eyes cold, Jim stalks into the other room, leaving Marceline standing alone. She's never felt so powerless in her life, and she knows that might not have been an idle threat.
Jim's growing paranoia has got him walking around with a flank of armed bodyguards. He could easily order them to do something, something violent. It's anybody's guess whether they'd follow through with it. So Marceline doesn't think she has options. She's trapped, stuck living with a madman who's increasingly demanding complete obedience from his followers and his family. And Jim is now making one thing very clear. Death is the only way out.
From Wondery, this is Episode 2 of Jonestown for American Scandal. In our next episode, Jim Jones expands the People's Temple up and down the West Coast, but some members find that leaving the church comes with frightening costs. If you'd like to learn more about Jonestown, we recommend the book The Road to Jonestown by Jeff Gwynn, Raven by Tim Reiterman, and the San Diego State University Special Collection Alternative Considerations of Jonestown and People's Temple, available online.
This episode contains reenactments and dramatized details. And while in most cases we can't know exactly what was said, all our dramatizations are based on historical research. American Scandal is hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsey Graham for Airship. Audio editing by Christian Paraga. Sound design by Molly Bach.
Music editing by Katrina Zemrack. Music by Lindsey Graham. This episode is written by A.J. Marischel. Edited by Emma Cortland. Fact-checking by Alyssa Jung Perry. Our senior producer is Gabe Riven. Executive producers are Stephanie Jens, Jenny Lara Beckman, and Marsha Louis for Wondery. It started with a backpack at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games. A backpack that contained a bomb.
While the authorities focused on the wrong suspect, a serial bomber planned his next attacks: two abortion clinics and a lesbian bar. But this isn't his story. It's a human story.
one that I've become entangled with. I saw, as soon as I turned the corner, basically someone bleeding out. The victims of these brutal attacks were left to pick up the pieces, forced to explore the gray areas between right and wrong, life and death. Their once ordinary lives, and mine, changed forever. It kind of gave me a feeling of pending doom. And all the while, our country found itself facing down a long and ugly reckoning with a growing threat. Far-right, homegrown religious terrorism.
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