</s>APPROVED FOR RELEASE 2025 UNDER EXECUTIVE ORDER 14176 CONFIDENTIAL- Received: 12/29/98 02:41:29 PM ASGMT NUMBER: L98-00208 ASGMT NAME: BILL LANN LEE OGC - DOCUMENT RECORD DOC NUMBER : OGG-LD-1998-00883 REFERENCE NO: DJ 144-72-1991 ASGMT TYPE(S): DOJ-INVESTIGATION DOCUMENT DATE: 12/2998 DATE RECEIVED: 12/28/98 AUTHOR: JERRY N. OWENS-C- AUTHORS ORG: JERRYN. OWENSCO ADDRESSEE: ORG; GUYON C. WATTS ADDRESSEE: GUYUN C. WAITS ADRESSEE'S ORG. DCI/OG/OC/C/LD FIRST ROUTED TO: *NONE)* COPIES TO: *NONE* DOCUMent DESCRIPTION LETTER FROM DOJ TO GUY WATITS RE: REVIEWING FILES PERTAINING TO THE ASSASSINATION OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. CONFIDENTIAL-

Summary  
This document is a letter from Bill Lann Lee, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, addressed to Guy Watts at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The letter pertains to an investigation into new allegations related to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It references Marcell McCollough, a former Memphis Police Department agent who was hired in 1974. The DOJ seeks to review documents and materials from McCollough’s hiring process, including polygraph results, his location during hiring, and any potential prior relationships or intelligence assets he may have had with the CIA before his full-time employment in 1974. The DOJ asserts that reviewing thirty-year-old information is relevant to their investigation and raises no disclosure concerns. The letter requests coordination to facilitate the review of these materials and mentions ongoing discussions with other parties involved in the case.  

Key People  
- Bill Lann Lee: Acting Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division  
- Guy Watts: Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Office of the General Counsel  
- Marcell McCollough: Former Memphis Police Department agent hired in 1974  

Key Locations  
- Memphis Police Department (Tennessee)  
- Washington, DC (U.S. Department of Justice headquarters)  
- Langley, Virginia (CIA headquarters)  

Key Events  
- Investigation into allegations related to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  
- Review of Marcell McCollough’s hiring records, including polygraph results and pre-employment background checks  
- Coordination between the DOJ and CIA regarding potential prior relationships or intelligence assets involving McCollough  

Key Organizations  
- U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division  
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)  
- Memphis Police Department

MLK Declassified Files

07167610_ogc_document_record_asg.pdf

Document Summary

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