</s>DN 157-203 Since the information in possession of this office does not indicate whether the telephone call made from Quincy, Illinois, or the fully telephone call was made from KELBA MARIE RYAN, or from a public phone in the Virginia Hotel, Illinois and Denver, by sun-star, hotel, available to anyone, in not in a position to above guests located and interviewed. If it appears to Springfield that there might be some relationship or cancelled, there might not be a good one. If you want to RYAN, Springfield should set out appropriate leads. -6- 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigations into James Earl Ray’s movements and activities between December 1967 and May 1968, focusing on telephone calls, credit card transactions, airline ticket records, and witness accounts linked to his alleged travel plans. Key elements include long-distance calls traced to locations such as Denver, Memphis, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Beaumont, Texas, with some calls associated with numbers tied to Colorado. Credit card use for travel arrangements, including tickets to Las Vegas and Phoenix, was investigated, alongside inquiries into a 1967 Chevrolet registered under Charles Chrismer’s name in Colorado. Witness reports described individuals matching Ray’s physical description at Stapleton International Airport on April 30, 1968, and in Castle Rock, Colorado, on April 2, 1968. The FBI sought to verify connections between these individuals and Ray through airline records, credit card purchases, and interviews with ticket agents. Efforts also included tracking latent fingerprints, reviewing transportation receipts, and requesting handwriting analysis to compare signatures attributed to Carl Ray and James Earl Ray.  

Key People  
- **James Earl Ray (JER)**: Suspect in MLK’s assassination; central figure in telephone call investigations, credit card transactions, and witness accounts.  
- **Carl Ray**: Investigated as a potential associate of JER; no hotel registration found under his name during specified dates.  
- **Herman Schumacher**: Linked to airline tickets and credit card transactions involving Frontier Airlines.  
- **William C. Harris**: Witness at Stapleton Airport who reported seeing a man resembling Ray on April 30, 1968.  
- **Morris Fleming**: Civil Defense Director in Castle Rock, Colorado, who reported an individual matching JER’s description on April 2, 1968.  
- **Daryle V. Holtle**: Frontier Airlines ticket agent involved in reviewing Schumacher’s travel history.  
- **Robert Straits** and **Wanda Garrett**: Ticket agents at Phoenix and Falcon who issued tickets to Schumacher and Ray.  
- **Alexander Schreiber**: Empire Supply Company employee who reported sightings of individuals near freight yards.  
- **Bruce R. King**: Yellow Cab driver interviewed regarding passenger drop-offs and sightings of Carl Ray.  

Key Locations  
- **Stapleton International Airport (Denver)**: Site of witness observations on April 30, 1968.  
- **Frontier Airlines offices (Phoenix, Denver, Las Vegas)**: Central to tracking ticket sales and credit card transactions.  
- **Beaumont, Texas**: Linked to multiple telephone calls traced during the investigation period.  
- **Castle Rock, Colorado**: Site of Morris Fleming’s sighting report on April 2, 1968.  
- **Empire Supply Company (4441 Washington Street, Denver)**: Location of witness interviews and reported sightings.  

Key Events  
- Investigation into JER’s movements via telephone calls, credit card transactions, and airline ticket records between December 1967 and May 1968.  
- Witness account by William C. Harris describing a man matching Ray’s physical description at Stapleton Airport on April 30, 1968.  
- Reports of an individual resembling JER observed in Castle Rock, Colorado, on April 2, 1968, by Morris Fleming.  
- Review of Frontier Airlines ticket sales for Schumacher and Ray, including voided tickets and refund checks.  
- Handwriting analysis requested to compare signatures attributed to Carl Ray with known writings of James Earl Ray.  
- Hotel registration checks in Denver from April 28 to May 3, 1968, confirming no Carl Ray registrations.  
- Coordination between FBI offices in Memphis, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., regarding JER’s movements and potential threats.  

Key Organizations  
- **FBI**: Conducted telephone call tracking, credit card investigations, witness interviews, and forensic analysis (handwriting comparisons).  
- **Frontier Airlines**: Documented ticket sales and credit card transactions linked to Schumacher and Ray.  
- **Civil Defense Department (Colorado)**: Provided information on license plates and vehicle registrations.  
- **Law enforcement agencies in Colorado, Wyoming, and other states**: Coordinated efforts to track latent fingerprints and credit card activity.

MLK Declassified Files

157-dn-203_617806_44-01-part_5_of_8.pdf

Document Summary

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