</s>15721063 FD-245 (REV. 4:13:40) D-45 MATERIAL MATERAL MUST NOT BE REMOVED FROM OR ADDED TO THIS FILE O NOT DESTROY - PRESENTE - SELECT COMMITTEE O NOT ASSASSINATIONS 3/33/3 FEDERAL BUREAU 3/3/4/3 FLE STRIPPED of TIAL DO NOT DESTRY - PENDING LITIGATOT! INVESTIGATION K4.3856/1 Volume Number Serial: HISTORICAL VALUE DO NOT RESERVED ENTIRE FILE REVIEWED FOR HISTORICAL NATIONAL RECHIBITATION NATIONAL RESERVE ENTIRE FILES DECLASSIFICATION D-106579-A - Newspaper clippings only. See also No. See also Nos. 357-10673-Seb 2 - Original 30/6 & Original Roc-1067-Sb 2 Seb-10679-Sib 2 - Inferd 30/2 and Inserts, only. Collateral 10/2/2-1 ALL INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREVER-UNCLASSIFIED DATE FORAL-CLASSIFIED DO NOT NCTRACY - PRESERVE FOR UN AS.AS.ASJ.INATIONS 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary:  
The documents detail FBI communications between New Orleans and Los Angeles offices regarding investigations into James Earl Ray, linked to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Charles Stein, a contact of Ray, was interviewed in February 1969. Stein provided information about Ray’s activities, including phone numbers and travel details from December 1967. The FBI sought to verify connections between Ray and Raul Victor Esquivel, a Louisiana State Police trooper, noting Esquivel’s schedule during August 1967. References include allegations that Ray met with "RAUL" in Montreal and New Orleans, and that "RAQUIL" was in Memphis on April 4, 1968, allegedly firing the shot that killed MLK. The FBI also tracked Stein’s interactions with journalists and his claims about Ray’s movements, including a phone call to a Greyhound Bus Station in New Orleans. The trial of Ray for MLK’s assassination was postponed from March 3, 1969, to April 7, 1969, prompting FBI alerts about potential disruptions during planned memorial events on April 4, 1969.  

Key People:  
- James Earl Ray (suspected assassin of MLK)  
- Charles Stein (contact of Ray, provided travel and phone details)  
- Raul Victor Esquivel (Louisiana State Police trooper under investigation)  
- Jerry Cohen (Los Angeles Times reporter involved in contact with FBI)  
- Dave Lawson (reporter who documented conversations with Stein)  

Key Locations:  
- New Orleans, Louisiana (Esquivel’s assignment, Stein’s contacts)  
- Los Angeles, California (FBI office, Stein’s interviews)  
- Memphis, Tennessee (MLK assassination site, trial location)  
- Montreal and Mexico (alleged meeting locations between Ray and "RAUL")  

Key Events:  
- Ray’s alleged meetings with "RAUL" in Canada (1967), New Orleans (1967), and Mexico (1968)  
- Stein’s phone call to Greyhound Bus Station in New Orleans (1968)  
- FBI investigation into potential disruptions during MLK’s memorial observance on April 4, 1969  
- Postponement of Ray’s trial from March 3, 1969, to April 7, 1969  

Key Organizations:  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- Louisiana State Police (LSP)  
- Los Angeles Times (media involvement in contact with Stein)  
- Shelby County Criminal Court, Memphis, Tennessee (trial location)

MLK Declassified Files

157-no-10673_hs1-852666771_127-01-part_1_of_4.pdf

Document Summary

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