</s>FD-280 (Rev. 8-28-58) DECODED COPY MAY 22, 1968 Radio Teletype TO: ALL FIELD DIVISIONS FROM: DIRECTOR, FBI URGENT MURKIN INASMUCH AS RAY IS KNOWN TO STAY AT "FLOPHOUSES" AND LOWER CLASS ROOMING HOUSES, ALL OFFICES WILL FURNISH COPY OF IDENT IF IFCATION ORDER REGARDING RAY TO SALVATION ARMY AND OTHER CHARITABLE TYPE MISSIONS. ALL OFFICES COVERING STATE CAPITALS, IF NOT ALREADY DONE, WILL AT DRIVERS LICENSE BUREAU CHECK ALL DRIVERS LICENSES APPLICATIONS FOR MONTHS OF APRIL AND MAY, SIXTYEIGHT, CONCERNING ALL MALE CAUGASIANS OVER THIRTY YEARS OF AGED AND FIFTYIVE YEARS, IN VIEW OF FACT IT IS POSSIBLE SUBJECT SECURED DRIVERS LICENSE USING ANOTHER NAME OTHER THAN THAN ALL ALIASES KNOWN, AS RESULT OF REVIEWING THESE APPLICATIONS, YOU SHOULD CONDUCT APPROPRIATE INVESTIGATION TO DETERME IN IF ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL IDENTICAL WITH SUBJECT. 15-78-28.23 ARMED AND DANGEROUS. SEARCHED IN INDEXED SERIALIZATION 1968 2-7-1968 FBI-NEW HAVEN TOR: 8:34 A.M./DH If the intelligence contained in the above message is to be disseminated outside the Bureau, it is suggested that it be suitable purpurpurposed in order to protect the Bureau's cryptographic systems. 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 1476

Summary: The documents detail FBI investigative efforts related to James Earl Ray, a suspect in the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., focusing on tracking his movements and activities in 1967-1968. Field divisions were instructed to check driver's license applications for males aged 30-55 in April-May 1968, searching for individuals matching Ray's description. The FBI coordinated with telephone companies to review long-distance calls made from specific locations (e.g., San Antonio, Texas) during December 1967, including calls linked to Charles Stein. Records of phone numbers, call dates, and destinations were compiled for investigative purposes. The documents also reference procedures for handling unidentified deceased individuals in Connecticut, noting a skeleton over five years old not yet identified.  

Key People:  
- James Earl Ray (suspect in MLK's assassination)  
- Julian C. Nichols (Special Agent in Charge, SAC)  
- John A. Danaher Jr. (Special Agent, FBI)  
- Albert Pethick (Chief of Identification, Connecticut State Police)  
- Miss Aint Panelola (Connecticut State Bureau of Vital Statistics supervisor)  

Key Locations:  
- San Antonio, Texas  
- Mexico City, Mexico  
- Atlanta, Georgia  
- Chicago, Illinois  
- Dallas, Texas  
- Hartford, Connecticut  
- New Haven, Connecticut  

Key Events:  
- FBI directive to check driver's license records for males aged 30-55 in April-May 1968.  
- Investigation into long-distance calls made by James Earl Ray and Charles Stein from December 1967, including locations like Highway 80 and Interstate Highway 10.  
- Coordination with telephone companies to identify callers and recipients of specific phone numbers.  
- Connecticut State Police procedures for handling unidentified deceased individuals, including submission of fingerprints to the PBI Identification Division.  

Key Organizations:  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) field divisions  
- Connecticut State Police  
- Connecticut State Bureau of Vital Statistics  
- U.S. Department of Defense (mentioned in context of driver's license checks)

MLK Declassified Files

157-nh-818_626213_20-01-part_7_of_7.pdf

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