Congressman Ryan meant well. This being said, did he really believe that chatting with a cult would straighten out the problems?

Kids, this is just one of the reasons why cults are dangerous.  Don't join a cult!

Ryan was a California congressman with a record of criticizing what he termed "destructive cults," notably Scientology and the Unification Church of Sun Myung Moon. He became interested in the activities of the Peoples Temple in Jonestown, Guyana after reports of abuse began to filter out of that organization.

Ryan visited Jonestown as part of a government investigation, asking other members of the California congressional delegation and congressman Dan Quayle to join him, but all declined.

In Jonestown, Ryan met with Peoples Temple leader Jim Jones, and with a number of members of the cult. Of the 60 people he interviewed, none wanted to leave, although 14 other persons approached the delegation and wanted to defect. Ryan agreed to provide them transportation back to the U.S. Interestingly, before leaving Jonestown, Ryan told Temple attorney Charles Garry that he would issue a report that would describe Jonestown "in basically good terms."

Ryan, his delegation and the defectors left Jonestown to travel to a nearby airport. While waiting for a plane, they were attacked by Jones loyalists. Ryan and four others were killed.

Subsequently, within hours of the killing, over 900 cultists in Jonestown committed suicide by poison.

Pretty tough to beat for wandering unprepared into a real life nightmare.

The only Congressmen killed in the line of duty, I do believe. His death figured in to Jim Jones fateful Kool Aid party...