</s>13-0023 Seb 2 FEDERAL BUREA DESTROY - PRESENTED FOR SELECT COMMUNIONS ENTIRE FILE REVIEWED FOR HISTORICAL of DECLASSIFICATION INVESTIGATION Volume Number: Sample: 20-1-0-0 Bureau File Number DO NOT DESTROY ALL INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS UNCLASFIED DO NOT RESTROY HISTORICAL VALUE DATE: 12/02/02-S.1-CK-K-Ht NATIONAL ARCHIVES See cago nos. www.l.com 18-3/1715 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14178

Summary  
The documents consist of multiple FBI FD-302 forms dated May 14–21, 1968, detailing telephone records, financial inquiries, and investigative interviews related to James Earl Ray (FBI Number 405 942 G), a suspect in the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK). The FBI reviewed Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company subscriber data for numbers linked to potential connections with Ray or unsolved crimes, including calls received by individuals in Louisiana on December 16, 1967. Interviews with witnesses in White Castle, Louisiana, focused on identifying callers from Beaumont, Texas, and cross-referencing photographs of Ray with respondents. Financial records from banks in New Orleans and Louisiana parishes were examined for large withdrawals ($10,000+) during April–May 1968, though bank officials noted such transactions were routine. The FBI also investigated unidentified deceased males between April 5–May 21, 1968, contacting coroners and sheriffs in multiple parishes.  

Key People  
- **James Earl Ray**: Suspect in MLK’s assassination; subject of FBI inquiries into potential connections to unsolved crimes and financial transactions.  
- **SOPHONIE ELSY**: Reported receiving calls from Beaumont, Texas, on December 16, 1967; identified her husband Cleveland Frank Elsy and stated they were not affiliated with militant organizations.  
- **Cleo Snipes**: Subscribed to telephone number 24/7/2021 (likely a typo; original text may have been corrupted), employed as a painter for W.H. Johnson.  
- **Walton C. Hall, Jr.**: Subscribed to number 867-7744, employed as a pipe fitter at the Automatic Sprinkler Company.  
- **Richard Rod**: Subscribed to number 64604-6464 (likely a typo; original text may have been corrupted), billed to Mrs. J.O.L. Rod.  
- **Donald Edward Johnson**: Subscribed to number 867.6469, employed as a sales engineer for Clark Brothers.  
- **Major Henry Morris**: New Orleans Police Department detective who discussed a December 1967 conversation with Ann Foster about a meeting in Biloxi, Mississippi, involving burglars; noted MLK was mentioned as a "well-known burglar" but found no reference to Ray in his notes post-assassination.  
- **Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.**: Mentioned as a "well-known burglar" from the Mississippi Gulf Coast area in Morris’s notes, though no direct connection to the investigation is established.  

Key Locations  
- **New Orleans, Louisiana**: Central location for FBI investigations, telephone records, and bank inquiries.  
- **White Castle, Louisiana**: Home of SOPHONIE ELSY and her husband Cleveland Frank Elsy; site of FBI interviews.  
- **Beaumont, Texas**: Source of reported calls to SOPHONIE ELSY on December 16, 1967.  
- **Lake Charles, Louisiana**: Telephone number 477-485 assigned to Reverend J.E. Murdock (not directly related to MLK).  
- **Multiple parishes in Louisiana** (e.g., Ouachita, Caldwell, Tonsas, Franklin, Lincoln, Union, Moorehouse, West Carroll, Richmond, Madison, East Carroll, Jackson, Winn): Sites of coroner and sheriff contacts during the investigation into unidentified deceased males.  

Key Events  
- **December 16, 1967**: FBI reviewed Southern Bell records for numbers linked to potential suspects or witnesses, including calls received by SOPHONIE ELSY from Beaumont, Texas.  
- **Telephone record inquiries**: FBI cross-referenced Southern Bell subscriber data with individuals associated with James Earl Ray and unsolved crimes.  
- **Post-Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination (April 4, 1968)**: Major Henry Morris reviewed notes for mentions of James Earl Ray but found none.  
- **Financial inquiries**: FBI examined bank records in New Orleans and Louisiana parishes for large withdrawals ($10,000+) during April–May 1968.  
- **Investigation into unidentified deceased males**: Contacts with coroners and sheriffs in multiple Louisiana parishes between April 5–May 21, 1968.  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Conducted telephone record reviews, interviews, and financial inquiries as part of the MLK assassination investigation.  
- **Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company**: Provided subscriber data for FBI investigations into potential connections to James Earl Ray.  
- **New Orleans Police Department**: Collaborated with the FBI on inquiries involving Major Henry Morris.  
- **Local law enforcement agencies in Louisiana parishes**: Contacted during the investigation into unidentified deceased males.  
- **Banks in New Orleans and Louisiana** (e.g., Hibernian National Bank, Colonial Bank, National Bank of Commerce, Metropolitan Bank of Jefferson, Bank of New Orleans and Trust Company): Subject of financial transaction inquiries.

MLK Declassified Files

157-no-10673_hs1-852666771_130-05-part_1_of_3.pdf

Document Summary

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