</s>190-HQ-309 Bulky 231-ONLY FBI - CENTRAL RECORDS CENTER HQ - HEADQUARTERS Class: Case # Sub Vol. Serial # 0190 709 10 231 ONLY 8/19/351239 REPOIALQUOTH 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail a Department of Justice (DOJ) request for Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) records related to Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK), his family, associates, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). The DOJ directed the FBI to provide inventories of all materials concerning MLK, including COINTELPRO proposals, electronic surveillance logs, and files from the assassination investigation (case 44-38861). The request emphasized detailed descriptions of file contents such as tapes, transcripts, photographs, and bulky exhibits. The FBI was instructed to assign personnel for review with a deadline of December 12, 1975. Internal communications also reference ongoing reviews of surveillance records, anonymous letters connected to MLK, and coordination between the DOJ and FBI regarding access to sensitive files. Discussions include an anonymous letter found in former FBI Director William C. Sullivan’s papers, uncertainty about its connection to Mrs. King receiving a similar letter, and technical surveillance of MLK during events like the 1964 Democratic National Convention. A package allegedly mailed to Mrs. King from Tampa, Florida, under Sullivan’s direction is mentioned, though its contents remain unclear. Missing tapes from surveillance operations and coded references to "34 days" as a critical timeframe are also noted.  

Key People  
- Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK)  
- Coretta Scott King (wife of MLK)  
- Stanley David Levison (designated for review)  
- J. Stanley Pottinger (Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division)  
- James P. Turner (Deputy Assistant Attorney General)  
- John C. Law (Supervisor, General Investigative Division)  
- Edward J. McDonough (Supervisor, General Investigative Division)  
- J.G. Degan (FBI Intelligence Division)  
- R.L. Thornburgh (Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division)  
- William C. Sullivan (Former FBI Director)  
- Fish Whitson (retired FBI agent)  
- Michael Epstein (Senate Select Committee staff member)  
- S. F. Phillips (FBI supervisor)  
- James M. Turner (Civil Rights Division official)  

Key Locations  
- FBI Headquarters and field offices  
- Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division  
- Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) headquarters  
- Washington, D.C. (Willard Hotel, FBI headquarters)  
- Atlanta, Georgia (Mrs. King’s residence, technical coverage operations)  
- Tampa, Florida (origin of alleged package to Mrs. King)  
- New York City (hotel incident involving King and Dolores Evans)  
- Los Angeles, California (1964 hotel coverage)  
- Newark, New Jersey (FBI field office)  
- Hilton Hotel (location mentioned in Whitson’s account)  

Key Events  
- DOJ directive to FBI for comprehensive review of materials related to MLK, his family, associates, and SCLC.  
- Request for inventories of files, including COINTELPRO actions, electronic surveillance records, and assassination investigation documents (case 44-38861).  
- Analysis of an anonymous letter found in Sullivan’s papers, with uncertainty about its connection to Mrs. King receiving a similar letter.  
- Examination of electronic surveillance coverage at the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  
- Alleged mailing of a package to Mrs. King from Tampa, Florida, under Sullivan’s direction.  
- Discussions about missing tapes from surveillance operations and their potential connection to the package.  
- Senate Select Committee inquiries into FBI files related to MLK.  
- Coordination between FBI and Department of Justice for file access and review.  
- Reference to coded messages mentioning "34 days" as a critical timeframe.  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- U.S. Department of Justice (Civil Rights Division, Criminal Division)  
- Senate Select Committee on Intelligence  
- Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)  
- American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) (implied in context of surveillance and civil rights issues)

MLK Declassified Files

190-hq-709_sec_010_ser_231_only-part_1_of_2.pdf

Document Summary

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