</s>UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION In Reply, Please Refer to St. Louis, Missouri File No. April 9, 1968 POSSIBLE PARTICIPATION BY AMERICAN FEDERATION OF STATE, COUNTY, AND MUNICIPAL EMPLOYERS UNION (AFSCME) IN MARCH, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE APRIL 8, 1968 A source, who has furnished reliable information in the past, advised on April 4, 1968, that the American Federation of State, County, and municipal Employees Union (AFSME) was considering sending a representative number of people to participate in the march on April 8, 1966, in Memphis, Tennessee. This source that any participation in such a march might great further disorders and any participation is in the state. The participants leave the tentative discussions did indicate the participants leaving by bus from St. Louis. The various bus companies in the St.Louis area all advised on April 6, 1967, that they would have no chartered or special buses going to Memphis, Tennesse, and would refuse to send any. The above-mentioned source advised on April 7, 1968. that plans to send representatives to participate in this march had been cancelled, and this source did not know of any individuals who might go to Memphis by car to participate, although suggested that probably some would go. 8 - Bureau (RM) - USA, SL (RM), 113th MI MI Group 3, SL(RM) St.Louis (157-5883) 1+ (11) paw PROPERTY OF FBI, This communication and its contents are loaned to you by the FBI, and neither it nor its contents ARE to be distributed outside 36 of the agency to which, loaned. 15-57-93-36 INIALIZED INDEXED FILLED 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary:  
The documents consist of FBI memoranda and informant reports from April 1968 detailing civil rights activism, protests, and unrest following Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination on April 4, 1968. Key events include memorial marches in St. Louis and Atlanta, vandalism incidents in Charleston, Missouri, a proposed firebombing plot in East St. Louis, curfews imposed by authorities, and FBI monitoring of informant networks. Later memos from 1993 reference Frank Guinan’s potential testimony about James Earl Ray’s involvement in King’s assassination, noting their shared imprisonment at Potosi Correctional Center and Guinan’s alleged knowledge of Ray’s escape planning. The text also includes garbled code numbers and unclear sections requiring further decryption.  

Key People:  
- Dora Scales (participant in planned St. Louis march)  
- Ella Burcham (coordinated March activities)  
- Al Williams (linked to March logistics)  
- Frank Guinan (prisoner at Potosi Correctional Center, alleged informant about James Earl Ray)  
- Penny Thiel (Guinan’s wife, contacted regarding his testimony)  
- Sheriff Simmons (noted vandalism incidents in Charleston)  

Key Locations:  
- St. Louis, Missouri (site of the March for King)  
- Charleston, Missouri (vandalism incidents)  
- East St. Louis, Illinois (proposed firebombing plot)  
- Potosi Correctional Center, Missouri (Guinan’s imprisonment)  
- Jefferson City, Missouri (Missouri State Prison, referenced in Guinan’s statements)  

Key Events:  
- Planning and coordination of a March for Martin Luther King Jr. in St. Louis (April 7–9, 1968)  
- Vandalism incidents in Charleston, Missouri (April 5–7, 1968)  
- Proposed firebombing plot targeting white-owned businesses in East St. Louis  
- Curfews imposed by authorities in response to unrest  
- Frank Guinan’s potential testimony about James Earl Ray’s involvement in King’s assassination  
- Guinan’s alleged information on Ray’s escape planning and accomplices  
- Guinan’s impending execution date (October 6, 1993) and willingness to share details with the FBI  

Key Organizations:  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) (monitored civil rights activism and investigated assassination-related claims)  
- Potosi Correctional Center (institution where Frank Guinan was incarcerated)  
- Missouri State Prison (referenced as a location for Guinan’s prior employment)

MLK Declassified Files

157-sl-5883_sec_001_ser_1-part_2_of_2.pdf

Document Summary

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