</s>VIA TELETYPE Mr. Tolson. Mr. DeLeoach. Mr. Mohr. Mr. Bishop. JAN 2 81959 Mr. Bohr. WASHINGTON 92 Mr. Bishap. Mr. Lahhan. Mr. Lehman. 450 PH JURGENT 1-28-69 ECK ENCIPHERED Mr. Felt. Mr. Gale. Mr. Sullivan. TO DIRECTOR CODE) Mr. Sullivan. Mr. Travier. FROM PHILADELPHIA (69-31113) 2P Bevel Tickeler Mr. Taylor. Telle Room. Miss Holmes. Miss Candy. UNSUBS; JAMES E. BEVEL - VICTIM. POSSIBLE EXPORTION RENYTEL ONE TWENTYSEVEN LAST. RENYTEL ONE TWENTYSEVEN LAST. WHO HAS RESIDED IN PHILA. CEDRIC MOORE, OF MEMPHIS, TENN ,, WHO HAS RISEDED IN PILA. "A FEW WEEKS" AT NINE ONE NINE NINE n. EIGHTEENTH ST ., RESIDENCE OF JAMES BEVEL AND SCLC HOS ., INTERVIEWED THIS DATE AND ADVISED THAT ON EITHER ONE NINETEEN OR ONE TWENTY LAST MICKEY MC MILLAN OF PHILA ... NOT FURTHER IDENTIFIED, TOLD MOORE THAT A GROUP OF "CATS" WERE IN- CENSED AT BEVEL'S STATEMENTS RE JAMES EARL RAY, ALLEGED KILLER OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, AND THAT BEVEL RESIDES. BURN DOWN THE BUILDING, AND WHICH BEVEL RISIDES. ON SAME DATE HE OVERHEARD CONVERSATION IN BUILDINING IN WHICH UNIDENTIFIED PERSON STATED BEVEL SHOULD BE CAREFUL." EFFORTS MADE TO INTERVIEW BEVEL ONE TWETYEIGHT INSTANT ALL UNSUCCESSFUL BECAUSE BEVEL WAS TIED UP IN PRESS CONFERENCES AND SCLC MEETINGS. CAROLINE DE LOATCH, PHILA, SCLG STAFF MEMBER, CONTACTED BEVEL IN MEETING AND ARRANGEMENTS MADE FOR INTERVIEW EIGHT AM ONE TWenty. NINE NEXT. END PAGE ONE LOT. 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigations into threats against Reverend James Bevel, an SCLC leader in Philadelphia, stemming from his public defense of James Earl Ray, accused of assassinating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cedric Moore, an informant for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), reported that individuals including Oliver Riddick (aka Shep) and Reuben Butler expressed violent intentions toward Bevel due to his stance on Ray’s innocence. The FBI sought to verify these threats, coordinate with local authorities in Philadelphia and Memphis, and assess potential violations of extortion statutes. Efforts to locate Moore and corroborate claims were ongoing, with the Bureau requesting assistance from the Memphis office to track down Moore, believed to be in Tennessee. Counterintelligence measures involving Reuben Butler, a disabled veteran, and his alleged threats against Bevel were also considered. Separate documents reference VICTOR LLOYD BEVEL’s embezzlement from the United Steelworkers’ Federal Credit Union, his admission to a VA Hospital in Cleveland for mental health treatment, and his brother JAMES LUTHER BEVEL’s claims of James Earl Ray’s innocence in MLK’s assassination. The FBI also coordinated with U.S. agencies and foreign liaisons to arrange witness interviews in Mexico City, Toronto, Montreal, London, and Lisbon for the trial of James Earl Ray, scheduled for November 12, 1968. Diplomatic challenges arose due to tensions with Mexican authorities over U.S. narcotics operations.  

Key People  
- **Reverend James Bevel**: SCLC leader in Philadelphia; defended James Earl Ray’s innocence regarding MLK’s assassination.  
- **Cedric Moore**: Informant and assistant to nonviolent education programs at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC); reported threats against Bevel.  
- **James Earl Ray**: Alleged assassin of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; subject of Bevel’s public defense.  
- **Oliver Riddick** (aka Shep): Linked to conversations involving threats against Bevel.  
- **Reuben Butler**: United Veterans for Freedom member; allegedly threatened to burn Bevel’s residence and harm him for his statements on Ray’s innocence.  
- **VICTOR LLOYD BEVEL**: Embezzled over $1,800 from the United Steelworkers’ Federal Credit Union before being relieved of his position in 1968; admitted to a VA Hospital in Cleveland for mental health treatment.  
- **JAMES LUTHER BEVEL**: Reverend associated with SCLC; claimed James Earl Ray’s innocence in MLK’s assassination.  
- **Phil M. Canale Jr.**: State Attorney General of Shelby County, Tennessee; coordinated witness interviews in Mexico and Portugal for the MLK case.  
- **SAC Robert G. Jensen**: FBI Memphis agent involved in facilitating international witness interviews.  
- **William D. Neumann**: FBI Extra Duty Supervisor; facilitated communication with foreign authorities during the MLK assassination investigation.  

Key Locations  
- **Philadelphia, Pennsylvania**: Headquarters of the SCLC and location of Bevel’s residence.  
- **Memphis, Tennessee**: Mentioned as a possible location for Cedric Moore and ties to James Earl Ray.  
- **Cleveland, Ohio**: VICTOR LLOYD BEVEL’s residences and workplace (Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation, VA Hospital).  
- **Mexico City, Mexico**: Target of witness interviews for the MLK assassination investigation; diplomatic tensions with U.S. narcotics operations.  
- **Toronto, Montreal, London, Lisbon**: Locations where witness interviews were coordinated by U.S. agencies for James Earl Ray’s trial.  
- **Ottawa, Paris**: Foreign liaison offices involved in coordinating international witness interviews.  

Key Events  
- **Threats against Reverend James Bevel**: Reported by Cedric Moore, involving individuals like Reuben Butler and Oliver Riddick, who allegedly planned violence due to Bevel’s defense of James Earl Ray.  
- **FBI investigation into extortion claims**: Bureau sought to verify threats against Bevel, determine if they constituted legal violations, and coordinate with local police in Philadelphia and Memphis.  
- **Counterintelligence actions**: Consideration of committing Reuben Butler, a disabled veteran, due to his alleged threats against Bevel.  
- **Embezzlement by VICTOR LLOYD BEVEL**: Discovered in 1968, leading to his removal from the United Steelworkers’ Federal Credit Union.  
- **Mental health treatment for VICTOR LLOYD BEVEL**: Admitted to VA Hospital in Cleveland in July 1968 with depressive and dissociative symptoms.  
- **FBI coordination of witness interviews**: Efforts to secure testimony in Mexico, Canada, and Europe for James Earl Ray’s trial, facing diplomatic hurdles with Mexican authorities.  
- **Trial of James Earl Ray**: Scheduled for November 12, 1968, focusing on Ray’s alleged fugitive status and anti-Negro sentiments during his time in Mexico.  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Conducted investigations into threats against Bevel, coordinated witness interviews for the MLK assassination case, and facilitated communication with foreign authorities.  
- **Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)**: Organization led by Reverend James Bevel; involved in nonviolent education programs and civil rights activities.  
- **United Veterans for Freedom**: Group associated with Reuben Butler, who allegedly participated in threatening conversations against Bevel.  
- **United Steelworkers’ Federal Credit Union**: Institution where VICTOR LLOYD BEVEL embezzled funds.  
- **Tennessee State Attorney General’s Office**: Coordinated witness interviews in Mexico and Portugal for the MLK assassination investigation.  
- **Scotland Yard (UK Metropolitan Police)**: Involved in London-based witness interviews during the trial of James Earl Ray.  
- **Mexican and Canadian diplomatic/embassy offices**: Engaged in communication with U.S. agencies regarding witness interviews for the MLK case.

MLK Declassified Files

190-hq-709_bulky_231_sec_005_ser_231_only-part_03_of_12.pdf

Document Summary

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