</s>APPROVED FOR RELEASE 2025 UNDER EXECUTIVE ORDER 14176 24 May 1973 SUBJECT: Bernard Fensterwald, Jr. 1. Bernard Fenterwald, JR. was born on 2 August 1921 in Nashville, Tennessee. He graduated magna cur. Laude from Harvard College in 1942 and received his law degree in 1949 from Harvard Law School. During World War I was served in the US Navy. He then attended the School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D. C. during 1949 and 1956 and attended Cambridge University in Cambridge, England during 1954 and 1955. From 1950 to 1956 he was the assistant to the legal advisor, US Department of State. 2. During 1956 he served as a foreign policy-advisor to Senator Eates Kaufewer in the late Democratic senator's vice- presidential bid. The next two years he served at administrative assistant to Missouri Senator Thomas C. He served as administrator- and 1960 Fensterward served as chairman. He in 1959 committee to Committee Chairman on the Senate Sub- Senator Kennedy, who was appointed to the Senate Subcommittee Monroe County Subcommittee, He then went to The Senate Subcommittee on Administrative Practices and Procedures of the Judiciary Committee as its chief counsel. Here he became involved in investigating wiretapping and other electronic surveillance by US government agencies. 3. In 1969 he, together, with several other people, founded the Committee to investigate Associations, acronyms, CIA. The founders of this committee included such individuals as Jim Garrison, conversarial New Orleans district attorney (1969). Mark Lane, author of a book on the assassination of President Kennedy in which he criticized the findings of the Warren Commission, and Mort Sahl. APPROVEO FOR RELEASE DOCUMENTS SEP 1984

Summary  
Bernard Fensterwald, Jr., born on 2 August 1921 in Nashville, Tennessee, was a legal and political figure involved in investigations related to U.S. government surveillance and assassination conspiracies. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College (1942) and earned his law degree from Harvard Law School (1949). During World War II, he served as an ensign in the U.S. Navy. Fensterwald held various roles in U.S. government agencies, including assistant to the legal advisor at the Department of State (1950–1956), foreign policy advisor to Senator Eates Kefauver (1956), and chief counsel for Senate subcommittees focused on administrative practices and procedures (1963–1969). In 1969, he co-founded the Committee to Investigate Assassinations (CIA), a group that alleged conspiracies linking the assassinations of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as Senator Robert F. Kennedy. The committee claimed U.S. government agencies and the Warren Commission engaged in cover-ups regarding these killings. Fensterwald represented James Earl Ray, the convicted killer of MLK, during legal proceedings. He also interacted with CIA officials and discussed claims about a book allegedly published by the agency that referenced assassination plots.  

Key People  
- Bernard Fensterwald, Jr.: Legal and political figure involved in investigations of government surveillance and assassination conspiracies.  
- James Earl Ray: Convicted killer of Martin Luther King Jr., represented by Fensterwald.  
- Committee to Investigate Assassinations (CIA): Group co-founded by Fensterwald that alleged conspiracies involving MLK’s assassination.  

Key Locations  
- Nashville, Tennessee: Birthplace of Bernard Fensterwald, Jr.  
- Washington, D.C.: Sites of government roles and committee activities.  

Key Events  
- Founding of the Committee to Investigate Assassinations (CIA) in 1969, which linked MLK’s assassination to broader conspiracies.  
- Representation of James Earl Ray in legal proceedings related to MLK’s murder.  
- Interactions with CIA officials and discussions about alleged government involvement in assassination plots.  

Key Organizations  
- Committee to Investigate Assassinations (CIA): Focused on examining connections between JFK, RFK, and MLK assassinations.  
- U.S. Department of State: Fensterwald served as a legal assistant here.  
- Senate Subcommittees: Including those on administrative practices and procedures, where he worked on investigations into government surveillance.

MLK Declassified Files

00192251_bernard_fensterwald_jr.pdf

Document Summary

Try AI Search