Our Assessment:

The views of the anti-cult movement are hopelessly divergent from those of sociologists and NRM (New Religious Movements) researchers. Our beliefs, for what it is worth, are that the main contributing factors to the Jonestown tragedy were:

	Jim Jones' mental illness, aggravated by his use of drugs.
	The group's intense fear of the imminent end of civilization.
	The extreme isolation of the Agricultural Project.
	Opposition and pressure from anti-cult groups, the media and U.S. government.

Freedom of Information:

The Committee on Foreign Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives (now called the Committee on International Relations) conducted an investigation into Congressman Ryan's death. Much of the documentation that they collected on Jonestown was classified and has "remained inaccessible for the intervening decades to scholars, individuals who lost family members at Jonestown, and the general public." ₉ An academic group of NRM scholars asked the House committee to declassify the documents. They held a press conference on the 20th anniversary of Ryan's death, 1998-NOV-18 in Washington. Dr. Gordon Melton of the Institute for the Study of American Religion said:

"Twenty years later there appears to be no compelling issues of national security or interest to keep these documents secret...it is our belief that the time has come for the release of these documents so that a more thorough assessment of what occurred at Jonestown can be made. Our understanding of the Jonestown deaths is still hindered by the unavailability of numerous key documents that would highlight the situation at Jonestown immediately prior to and during Congressman Ryan's visit, the relationship of the State Department to the Jonestown community, and the state of mind of Peoples Temple leader, Rev. Jim Jones."

Over 6000 pages of information were obtained from the U.S. Department of State by an unknown person who has posted it on the Internet. ₇