Welcome back viewers
This week we will honor two heroes who share a connection
They are...
Congressman Leo Ryan and Tsutsumi Sakamoto
Intro
Leo Ryan and Tsutsumi Sakamoto were two public servants for their countries. When they heard of a dire situation involving their countrymen, they both went to investigate and resolve the matter peacefully. Unfortunately both of them would pay a heavy price for their actions.
Part I
Leo Ryan was born on May 5, 1925, in Lincoln, Nebraska. During World War II he served in the US Navy as a submariner. After the war he worked as an english and history teacher before he moved to California. In 1962, Ryan was elected to the California State Assembly as a Democrat. He served at that position for 10 years before he was elected to the United States Congress from California's 11th District. For the next five years, Ryan advocated for prison and educational reform and made many changes in the state.
In 1977, Congressman Ryan received word that there were a number of human rights violations and abuses being inflicted on American citizens who were living abroad. The reports were coming from a notorious religious cult called, "Peoples Temple". Headed by a zealot pastor named, Jim Jones, Peoples Temple had relocated from California to the South American country of Guyana. Once there, they had constructed a small town on the outskirts of Guyana's capital called, "Jonestown". By that year, more than 900 American citizens were living in Jonestown. Although many of them called it paradise, it was not long before allegations of abuse and criminal activity began to be inflicted on the Jonestown's residents. And many began to hope for a way out.
At the urging of concerned relatives, Congressman Leo Ryan took it upon himself to investigate the allegations. On November 1, 1978, he publicly announced that with a small group of aides, journalists, and concerned relatives he would personally fly down to Guyana and investigate Jonestown. Two weeks later Congressman Ryan and his group boarded a plane, took off from Washington, and landed in Georgetown, Guyana on November 14.
Three days later Ryan along with his aide (future Congresswoman Jackie Speier), nine journalists, and four relatives boarded a small plane and landed at an airstrip at the town of Port Kaituma, which was a few miles from Jonestown. Upon arrival, Ryan and his entourage received a warm welcome from the people of Jonestown. Through the night, they treated them to a celebration and openly spoke about how Jim Jones had changed their lives for the better and had nothing but praise for their community.
During the celebration however, one of the members of Jonestown (Vernon Gosney) slipped a note to NBC reporter Don Harris (whom he mistook for Ryan). Ryan then made a speech giving his thanks for the warm reception. Once he was finished he walked over and spoke to a handful of individuals who were determined to leave Jonestown. They warned Ryan that things were not at all what they seemed to be and that Jim Jones had become highly erratic and was on the verge of insanity. Ryan also noticed that Jones seemed quite delusional during the celebration and promised the defectors that he would get them out by the next day.
On November 18, 14 members of Peoples Temple boarded a truck and headed for the Port Kaituma airstrip. Once there, they began to board two airplanes that would fly them out. Just as they were preparing to board however, a large tractor pulled onto the tarmac ahead of the planes. A group of armed men got out and opened fire on Ryan's group. Congressman Leo Ryan, Don Harris, and three others were all killed. Another nine (including Jackie Speier and Vernon Gosney) were wounded. Those that survived quickly fled into the brush.
Part II
Tsutsumi Sakamoto was born on April 8, 1956, in Yokosuka, Japan. He graduated from Tokyo University with a degree in law. In 1984, he officially became a lawyer who represented clients in Japan's civil court. It was not long before he began to put his profession to good use.
Sakamoto quickly gained a reputation as an anti-cult lawyer. Most of the clients he took on were former members of Japanese cults who had filed lawsuits against the groups they had left. One doomsday cult in particular drew Sakamoto's attention. It was the largest in Japan and at its height, one of the largest in the world. Its name was, "Aum Shinrikyo".
Aum Shinrikyo was headed by a self-proclaimed guru named, Chizuo Matsumoto (better known as: Shoko Asahara). Asahara had formed Aum in 1984 using a combination of radical Buddhism and Apocalyptic Christianity. He claimed to be a supernatural being with hidden powers that could perform miracles. It wasn't long before he had successfully recruited thousands of people across Japan.
However, it was also not long before controversy and abuse allegations began to be leveled against the cult. The allegations included, drug trafficking, sexual abuse of children, and even murders of cult members who tried to leave. Many of those who left began to file lawsuits against Aum. And Tsutsumi Sakamoto was by far, the most successful at winning them. Unfortunately, his successes also made him a target.
On October 31, 1989, Sakamoto managed to pursuade Asahara to take a medical test and prove that he really did have supernatural powers in his blood. The results revealed however, that Asahara's blood contained no abnormalities nor anything to suggest he was anything other than a regular human being. Sakamoto then gave an interview for the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) regarding his activities against Aum. Unfortunately, the TBS members intentionally broke their source protection policy and showed the interview to members of Aum (including Asahara himself).
Asahara became enraged and decided that Tsutsumi Sakamoto was a threat and needed to be eliminated, not matter the cost. On November 3, 1989, four members of Aum Shinrikyo drove to Yokohama. At 3 AM the next morning, the snuck into Sakamoto's apartment. Once there, they abducted and murdered Tsutsumi along with his wife (Satoka), and his infant son (Tatsuhiko).
Epilogue
The killing of Congressman Ryan started a chain reaction that would end with hundreds of more people losing their lives. Within minutes of Ryan's departure, Jim Jones called all of his followers to the pavilion for a, "White Night". He then told them that because some members had "betrayed" the group by electing to leave, it was time for the rest to commit a revolutionary suicide. During the meeting, the shooters from the airstrip returned and confirmed that Leo Ryan was among the dead. After this, Jim Jones and more than 900 of his followers either committed suicide or were forced to do so. When the Guyanese army arrived on the scene the next day, there were only six survivors (along with those who survived the shooting at the airstrip). It was the largest loss of American civilian life in a deliberate act until the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The ghastly murder of the Sakamoto family would not be solved for at least six years. As far as any friends or extended family knew, they had simply disappeared. Like the killing of Leo Ryan before him, Tsutsumi Sakamoto's murder would also bring further tragedy in it's wake. As the years went by, Shoko Asahara's mental state became even more erratic. He became convinced that everyone outside of Aum Shinrikyo was a threat that needed to be eliminated before it became too dangerous. On March 20, 1995, five members of Aum snuck onto three lines of the Tokyo Metro. Once there, they punctured packets containing deadly sarin gas. The result was devastating. At least 12 people were killed and more than 6,000 were admitted to hospitals around the city (many suffered permanent injuries).
However, this attack quickly brought the full wrath of Japan's law enforcement on the cult. By the end of the year, Shoko Asahara and hundreds of his followers were arrested. It was only then, that the fate of the Sakamoto family was finally revealed. For all the crimes they committed, Shoko Asahara and a dozen others were sentenced to death by the Japanese supreme court. They were executed in June of 2018.
In the latter half of the 20th Century to the present day, the danger presented by cults had become all too real. However, there have always been good people who have stood up to this danger and tried to do what they could to help those in need. Congressman Leo Ryan and Tsutsumi Sakamoto were among the bravest and most noble of these people. They both used their positions to answer cries for help and both gave their lives for it. I believe that they should be remembered as some of the greatest heroes in the world.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/jonestown-bio-leo-ryan/
https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/07/world/japanese-police-find-body-of-a-lawyer-believed-killed-by-cult.html
https://www.creighton.edu/creightonmagazine/2018smrfeaturehewantedtogothere/
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2018/07/17f82a8e8b7d-aum-executions-spark-mixed-feelings-among-victims-relatives.html
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/04/03/Japan-TV-network-fights-ethics-charges/3444828507600/
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