</s>FED. 245 (NEV. 413.160) H. S. Department of Justice (MATERIAL MUST NOT BE REMOVED FROM OR ADDED TO THIS FILE) CALLED BY NO. 57-3FO FEDERALN BURPFAU AL VALLE A NATIONAL ARCHIVES of INVESTIGATION Volume Number: Bureau File Number 44-38861 Scratch. Do NOT DESTROY HISTOICAL VALUE See also Nos. Sub. B. NATIONAL ARGHIVES Sub.B. Rue 10/19/76 1A Section Approquatic retorte excelct 10/9/76 px of 30/76 Hc. 8/31/76 nierdimus 01/15/76 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary:  
The documents detail an investigative report from 1968 focusing on individuals linked to potential criminal activities, including a case involving James Earl Ray, who was later convicted of assassinating Martin Luther King Jr. The investigation spans Oregon, California, and Washington, with efforts to track suspects through informants, media outreach, and cross-agency collaboration. Key figures include James Earl Ray, Eric Starvo Galt, John Willard, John Kelly (also known as Jimmy), Chester J. Lis, and Donald Churchill. The report outlines investigative steps such as APB alerts, fingerprint analysis, vital records checks, and interviews with informants. While some suspects were eliminated due to lack of evidence or contradictions, others remained unidentified or unconfirmed. The document references a white 1966 Mustang associated with the MLK assassination but does not explicitly link Ray to that crime at the time.  

Key People:  
- James Earl Ray (central suspect in the investigation)  
- Eric Starvo Galt (suspect linked to the case)  
- John Willard (examined through FBI records and descriptions)  
- John Kelly (also known as Jimmy; Korean War veteran)  
- Chester J. Lis (eliminated via FBI records)  
- Donald Churchill (investigated in Oregon but deemed unrelated)  
- James Leonard (involved in a bar incident discussing MLK’s assassination)  

Key Locations:  
- Portland, Oregon  
- Multnomah County, Oregon  
- Rogue River, Oregon (logging town)  
- San Francisco, California  
- Olympia, Washington  
- Coos Bay, Oregon  
- Eugene, Oregon (bar incident involving two men)  
- Nehalem, Oregon  
- Washington, D.C.  

Key Events:  
- APB issued for Eric Starvo Galt and a white Mustang in April 1968  
- Media outreach to track suspects via photographs distributed to newspapers and Spanish-language media  
- Investigation into Donald Churchill’s movements (April 9–11, 1968)  
- Description of an unknown suspect in Montana (April 5, 1968)  
- Greyhound bus passenger sighting from San Francisco to Olympia (April 30, 1968)  
- Interview with John Williard by Mrs. Cockrell (April 6, 1968)  
- FBI review of Chester J. Lis’s records (April 14, 1968)  
- Bar incident in Eugene, Oregon, involving two men discussing MLK’s assassination (April 4, 1968)  

Key Organizations:  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- United States Department of Justice  
- Local police departments (Portland, Memphis, San Francisco)  
- Oregon State Bureau of Identification  
- U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)  
- International airlines (for passport/immigration checks)

MLK Declassified Files

157-pd-380_628415_06-01-part_1_of_7.pdf

Document Summary

Try AI Search