He was a member of the International Relations committee in the house. He got permission from the chairman. He originally had another member going with him. The other members did not attend. Leo ryan said he did not need to come. He went down and brought a number of media with him. One of his top staffers who is now a member of congress. He was met by the temple. There is video is him saying you can see why people like it here. They put on a show for him. They had singing, i rock band. As he was ready to leave, someone slipped a note to don harris, one of the reporters with him saying we want to go with you. That opened the floodgates. More people wanted to go. Jim jones had been paranoid of these things happening. He did not want to people people to go back and see jonestown was a failure. This was an airport. They were going to an airstrip outside of jonestown in a remote part of the country, which is already a remote country. We are talking about south america. They are going to the plane, getting people on, and someone starts shooting. They kill leo ryan and three of the reporters and wound many others, including the congresswoman who later on the tarmac for about 22 hours until help came. Jim jones went back and with 900 of his followers committed mass suicide, also called mass murder because a lot of his followers had no choice. They were given the option to flavoraid. De in if they did not drink it, they would be shot. They did not have much of a choice. This did change policy on overseas travel. Any congressional delegation has a military escort and is partnering with the department of defense. Goingeo ryan did by to him with himself to a dangerous area, it could not have happened now because there would have been much more protection in place to protect the congressman, the media, and staff. Jackie speier worked for leo ryan in law school. From all accounts, she was a very good staff are. But she was nervous about going on much of to jonestown. She updated her will. She had spoken about the danger in going there. She had warned the congressman. But the kind of guy leo ryan was and is described as is somebody who was not scared of things. This is the same congressman who spent a week undercover in a prison to learn about prison conditions. Leo ryan would not have been deterred. Jones hadible jim been talking about suicides entire career and this was inevitable. Perhaps leo ryan was the fuel that ignited jim jones, but it is also possible leo ryan was on a mission to find out what happened to these people and that jim jones was a madman going to do whatever it took to preserve his legacy in the way he believed it should be. Jackie speier was shot five times. I am told she still has two bullets inside of her, so she carries this figuratively and literally with her everywhere she goes. Seatid run for leo ryans in the special election right after he was killed. She did not win, but six years later she ran for his seat in the state assembly and won that one. When he passed away in office, jackie spears succeeded him in a special election where she is now in congress. She has spoken of this a number of times. When she was elected to congress, she has given media interviews on this and does speak about this in the spirit of what kind of person leo ryan was and the mission he went on and why it was so important for him, and also the way he was a mentor. In some accounts, he is described as a father figure to her. You are watching American History tv all weekend, every weekend on cspan3. To join the conversation, like us on facebook. Visitedcan history tv the National Archives in washington to talk with billionaire Philanthropist David Rubenstein about what he calls patriotic giving. On