</s>APRIL 10, 1968 PLAINTEXT TELETYPE URGENT TO: DIRECTOR, MEMPHIS, SAN DIEGO FROM: JACKSON (137-9568) MURKIN, RE JACKSON TIL APRIL MINE AND MOBILE TEL APRIL TEN. NO CC SAN DIECO. FOR INFO SAN DIEOO, SURJECT CHECKED INTO ROOMING HOUSE DIRECTLY ACROSS FROM LORATINE HOTEL AFTERNOON APRIIL FOUR, SIXTY KIGH, MRPHIS. TENN, AND USED NAME JOHN WILLARD, AT SIX ZERO ONE P. M ., APRIL FOUR. KING SHOT AND KILLED AS STOOD ON BALCONY. SUBJECT RAN OUT OF ROOMING HOUSE AND DROPPED BAG AND WEAPON . SUBJECT GRERIALLY DESCRIBED AS WHITE MALE, TWENTY SIX TO FORTY, FIVE FERT KIGHT ENGHES TO FIVE FRET ELEVEN INCHES, ONE HUNDRED FIFTY TO ONE HUNDRD SEVENTY POUNDS, DARK BROWN & SANDY HAIR, COMBED STRAIGHT BACK, SYIS BLUE OR GREEN, MEDIUM BUILD, WELL DRESSED, DARK BROWN SUIT, NEAT IN APPEARANCE, PROBARLY NONSMOKER SINCE NO MATCHES Mobile (AM) SEARCHED INDEXED - Jackson SERIALIZED APR 12 1968 FEB-MOBILE 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14178

Summary  
The document contains teletypes and FBI records from April 10, 1968, detailing an investigation into the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) in Memphis, Tennessee. A suspect identified as John Willard was checked into a rooming house across from the Lorraine Hotel on April 4, 1968, the day of MLK’s death. Willard fled the premises after shooting MLK while standing on a balcony, dropping a bag and weapon. Described as a white male aged 26–40 with dark hair and a medium build wearing a dark suit, Willard’s identity remains unclear. A search in Mobile, Alabama, uncovered cigarettes and a weapon traced to Birmingham, purchased on February 29, 1968, and returned March 30, 1968. The FBI sought to locate all John Willards in Mississippi records, including John D. Willard from Ingalles Shipbuilding Corp., Pascagula, Alabama. Donnie Leon Harden’s military and personal records were reviewed, noting allegations of domestic abuse by his wife, including threats against her and their children. Harden’s employment history spans Alabama, Texas, and California, with a 1963 photograph referenced. The SAC in Memphis and St. Louis investigated Harden as a potential suspect, alongside Stanvo Galt, who resided in Birmingham. The document also includes lists of laundries and textile machines capable of producing specific thermo-sealed laundry marks, potentially linked to evidence from the assassination. These machines are detailed across multiple states, including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, and the District of Columbia.  

Key People  
- John Willard (suspect in MLK’s assassination)  
- Donnie Leon Harden (military records reviewed by FBI; allegations of domestic abuse)  
- Robert Benney (Mobile, Alabama; linked to John D. Willard)  
- John D. Willard (Ingalles Shipbuilding Corp., Pascagula, Alabama)  
- Stanvo Galt (suspect in Birmingham, Alabama)  
- Dick Bristow, Joe Combs, Fred Weber, Jack Cody (Textile Marking Machine Company representatives)  

Key Locations  
- Memphis, Tennessee (Lorraine Hotel, MLK assassination site)  
- Mobile, Alabama (search for weapon and cigarettes)  
- Birmingham, Alabama (weapon purchase location)  
- Pascagula, Alabama (Ingalles Shipbuilding Corp.)  
- San Diego, California (FBI office reference)  
- Eau Claire, Racine, Milwaukee, Gainsville, PA; Delaware, Maryland; Syracuse, N.Y.; North Canton, Ohio; Michigan, Indiana, Ohio (laundry and textile operations)  

Key Events  
- Investigation into MLK’s assassination focusing on John Willard.  
- FBI review of Donnie Leon Harden’s military and personal records.  
- Search for textile machines producing specific thermo-sealed laundry marks.  
- Tracking of laundries across multiple states for potential evidence links.  
- Effort to identify laundries capable of producing garment markings associated with "the Ubub."  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- U.S. Army and National Guard  
- Ingalles Shipbuilding Corp., Pascagula, Alabama  
- Textile Marking Machine Company (Syracuse, New York)  
- Laundry and cleaning services listed by name (e.g., Acme Cleaners, Ideal Laundry, Cavalier Cleaners)

MLK Declassified Files

157-mo-2627_625067_25-01-part_4_of_5.pdf

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