Episode 15 The Nuclear Family

Long before Jonestown, Jim Jones was preaching a prophecy of nuclear annihilation down to the exact minute it would begin. In this episode, we trace how Cold War hysteria, doomsday visions, and a now-infamous  article in Esquire magazine led Jones from Indiana to Brazil, chasing fallout-free havens and gathering power through fear. Was he fleeing scandal, unraveling mentally, or being drawn into something more sinister? Fear, especially irrational fear opens the floodgates of our imaginations, unleashing upon ourselves the monsters and demons we let live in our subconscious.Did Jim Jones learn to weaponize that fear, or was he its most devout believer? Featuring interviews with former Peoples Temple members and rare archival recordings, The Nuclear Family investigates how atomic dread became doctrine laying the foundation for one of the most infamous cults in American history. Transmissions from Jonestown is produced using archival tapes, first-person interviews, and original research for educational purposes.  

Om Podcasten

On November 18, 1978, in Jonestown, Guyana, over 900 people died in one of the largest mass murder-suicides in modern history. Locked deep within an FBI vault, the audio tapes documenting the rise and fall of Peoples Temple were sealed away until they were finally made public more than 20 years later. From Jim Jones’ shadowy beginnings as a faith healer to the final, tragic night when his devoted followers drank cyanide laced Flavor Aid, Transmissions from Jonestown pieces together the story of a movement that spiraled into catastrophe. Transmissions from Jonestown is a true crime podcast and investigative audio documentary that exposes the untold story of Peoples Temple and the Jonestown tragedy using rare archival recordings, interviews with survivors, and original research. More than the story of a cult, this is an important chapter of American history that challenges everything we thought we knew about power, belief, and the cost of blind devotion.