</s>245 (CKEY 4-12-40) H. S. Department of Justice MATERIAL MUST NOT BE REMOVED FROM OR ADDED TO THIS FILE DO NOT DESTROY - PRESERVE FOR SELECT COMMITTEE ON ASSASSINATIONS FEDERAL BUREAU DO NOT DESTROY. "DO NOT DETROYof HISTORICAL VALUE, NATIONAL ARCHIVES" INVESTIGATION INVENTIGATION Volume Number Series. 1st this 3/31 Bureau File Number DO NOT DISTROY- PENDING LITIGATION "DO NO NOT DESTRYO See also No. HISTORKICAL VALU NATIONALARCHIVES. 2 DO NOT DISTROY- PENDINO LITICATION DO NOT DETROY- ee 197-2-5-2222-3C-11/88 ee 199-2.5-32-2C-2/89 See 197-5.5.2-2:2-3/2-1/89 ee 199 -2-6-5 Top page closed 2188 199-2 -2.3-2,3-3-4/2,2,5-3,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,9 199-4-5,4-4,6-9,7-10,9 eoe 199-1-4.4-6,5 -4,9-9-1,9 -10,0 19-44251 1999-25-4593-91-6/95 1999-95-5 -5-5274-2 .- 6/95

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigations in 1967–1968 focusing on James Earl Ray’s movements and communications during December 15–17, 1967, and subsequent tracking of individuals linked to potential criminal activities. Ray traveled by automobile from Los Angeles to New Orleans via Texas cities including El Paso, Van Horn, San Antonio, Fabens, and Holbrook, Arizona. The FBI requested long-distance call records from payphones in El Paso, Fabens, Houston, and other locations along his route, noting he made approximately sixteen calls during the trip. Investigations also examined stolen vehicles recovered in Georgia and Texas, with connections to military personnel and federal agencies. The Select Committee on Assassinations (SCA) and multiple FBI field offices coordinated efforts to retrieve toll call records from telephone companies such as General Telephone Company of Southwest, Southern Bell Telephone Co., and Western States Telephone Company. Key figures included Robert Dale Porter, a suspect linked to Ray through Neal Abey (a drug dealer) and John Stout (an ex-guard at MSP USP), whose movements were tracked, including potential stays in Van Horn, Texas, around the time of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. The FBI sought information on Porter’s whereabouts and connections to Ray, with follow-up actions planned in Kansas City, Memphis, and other locations.  

Key People  
- James Earl Ray (suspect in MLK’s assassination)  
- Robert Dale Porter (FBI number 4590482)  
- Neal Abey (drug dealer associated with Ray)  
- John Stout (ex-guard at MSP USP, linked to Ray)  
- J.R. Keller (Leavenworth Prison associate of Ray)  
- Kenneth E. Commons (security director, General Telephone Company of Southwest)  
- Robert Metts (security supervisor, Southwestern Bell Telephone Co.)  
- SA John J. Gorman (FBI Special Agent in Charge, El Paso)  

Key Locations  
- Los Angeles, California  
- New Orleans, Louisiana  
- El Paso, Texas  
- Van Horn, Texas  
- San Antonio, Texas  
- Fabens, Texas  
- Holbrook, Arizona  
- Kansas City, Missouri  
- Memphis, Tennessee  
- Waverly, Iowa  
- Terrell County, Texas  
- Sierra Blanca, Texas  
- Van Horn, Texas (repeated in multiple contexts)  

Key Events  
- FBI requested long-distance call records from payphones along Ray’s December 1967 travel route.  
- Investigation into J.R. Keller’s association with Ray and his absence from FCI records.  
- Interview of Robert Dale Porter, who claimed no knowledge of Ray’s whereabouts post-escape.  
- Tracking of Porter’s movements, including potential stay in Van Horn, Texas, during MLK’s assassination.  
- FBI coordination between El Paso, Phoenix, Memphis, and Kansas City to locate and interview suspects.  
- Examination of stolen vehicles recovered in Georgia and Texas, linked to military personnel and federal agencies.  
- Request for review of long-distance phone records from payphones in Terrell County, Texas.  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- Select Committee on Assassinations (SCA)  
- General Telephone Company of Southwest  
- Southwestern Bell Telephone Co.  
- Western States Telephone Company (Fabens, Texas)  
- Federal Correctional Institution (FCI), Florence, Arizona  
- Metropolitan State Penitentiary (MSP USP)  
- National Archives (declassification references)

MLK Declassified Files

157-ep-186_hs1-852950407_179-03-part_1_of_9.pdf

Document Summary

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