</s>F.D. 245 (REV. 413.00 H. S. Department of Justice 15-380-Sub-B MATERIAL MUST NOT BE REMOVED FROM OR ADDED TO THIS FILED LUSTRATION FOR. News clipping. FEDERAL BUREAU of INVESTIGATION Series Volume Number: Bureaua File Number CLOSED SECTION Serials Seenel Vol. See also Nos. DO NOT DESTROY HISTC E VALUE A NATIONAL ARCHIVES PLM 6-10-26 Sheet 4-8-07 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail the aftermath of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, including widespread racial unrest, federal responses, and investigative efforts. News clippings and administrative records reference funeral services in Memphis, Portland, Oregon, and New York City, as well as civil rights activities such as the 1957 bus boycott and sanitation workers’ strikes in Memphis. Investigations into the assassination involved Memphis police and federal agencies, with mentions of a "negro" assassin and a manhunt across multiple states. Federal deployments, including the National Guard and Department of Defense resources, were used to manage riots in cities like Detroit, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C., resulting in over 200 casualties. Political responses included discussions about gun control legislation by Senator Dodd and President Lyndon B. Johnson’s civil rights reforms. A reward for information about the assassin was offered in June 1967, though its relevance to the April 1968 event is unclear. International reactions to MLK’s death were noted, including statements from Jamaica, London, and China. Memorial services and community gatherings occurred in Portland, Oregon; Vancouver, Oregon; and Colorado State University, where a moral fellowship fund was established.  

Key People  
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (assassinated)  
- Rev. Ralph Abernathy (new head of SCLC)  
- Lyndon B. Johnson (U.S. president)  
- Ramsey Clark (attorney general)  
- George Romney (Michigan governor)  
- Senator Dodd (proposed gun control measures)  
- Rev. William Jackson, Rev. Robert Jackson, Rabbi Emanuel Rose  
- Police Chief Frank L. Hollo (involved in Memphis investigation)  
- John Willard/William (linked to potential suspects or witnesses)  
- Austin Scott (reporter)  
- Judge Bailey (U.S. judge involved in Memphis march approval)  
- Robert D. Duncan (lawyer describing post-assassination riots)  
- George Bigel (police chief)  
- Wurl (president of labor union)  

Key Locations  
- Memphis, Tennessee (assassination site; sanitation workers’ strike)  
- Washington, D.C. (riots and federal response; interfaith memorial service)  
- Detroit, Michigan (violence and manhunt)  
- Portland, Oregon (media coverage, community reactions, memorial services)  
- New Orleans, Louisiana (reported casualties)  
- New York City (funeral services)  
- Vancouver, Oregon (memorial services)  
- Colorado State University (moral fellowship fund)  
- Jamaica, London, China (international reactions to MLK’s assassination)  

Key Events  
- Assassination of Dr. King on April 4, 1968, in Memphis  
- Riots and civil unrest across multiple U.S. cities (Detroit, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Portland, Washington, D.C.)  
- Deployment of National Guard and federal agencies to quell violence  
- Investigation into the assassination, including suspect identification and a manhunt  
- Political responses: gun control proposals by Senator Dodd and civil rights reforms by President Lyndon B. Johnson  
- Funeral services for King in Memphis, Portland, Oregon, and New York City  
- Memorial services and community gatherings in Portland, Vancouver, Oregon, and Colorado State University  
- Union negotiations involving $25 million donations to sanitation workers in Memphis  
- International reactions to MLK’s assassination, including statements from Jamaica, London, and China  
- Reward offered for information about the assassin (June 1967)  

Key Organizations  
- Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)  
- U.S. Department of Justice  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (implied through investigative efforts)  
- Department of Defense  
- National Guard  
- Civil Rights Council  
- Labor unions (e.g., sanitation workers’ union)  
- Churches and religious groups in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Oregon  
- U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee (gun control debates)  
- Local law enforcement agencies (e.g., Detroit Police Department)

MLK Declassified Files

157-pd-380_628415_07-02-part_1_of_4.pdf

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