</s>ADDENDUM, ASSISTANT TO THE DIRECTOR DE LOACH CDD:vea 6/8/68 The Attorney General asked me to come to his office at approximately 2:20 p.m. In his office were his wife, Assistant Attorney General Lindsey Vinson, Assistant Attorneys General Pollack, his Executive Assistant Sol Lindenbaum, Assistant Assistant Attorney General, Warren Christopher. The Attorney general first congratulated the FBI and stated that this Attorney General has had ever heard. The next into into a long song was the greatest news he had ever Heard. The Next into went into a Long evasion and dance on the absolute necessity of security and the avoidance of generation of civil rights to the subject. James Earl Ray. The Attorney Generation of civil affairs has concerning the quality of our Agent personnel in London and I told him that he was responsible for the quality and the evidence of otherwise we would not have assigned them there. He stated he thought we should send additional men to London to assist in this case. I told Him otherwise was not both foolish and unnecessary. He asked me about Legal Attache Mimmich's background and I provided this information for I asked him both foolish to represent me about with the FBI if he was the representative he asked me the same cell block this man was under British custody, we could not even talk to the prisoner unless he, the prisoner, agreed to the interrogation. He said he did not and that asked if he had a man next to the man cell block. It told him the we did not that he must realize that this man was an inter-generational. The Attorney General not the responsibility of American authorities. The attorney General stated he would feel better if he knew the exact provisions under which security was prisoner was being maintained. I made no comment. The AttorneyGeneral asked me if I thought it was necessary to send a Departmental representative to London. I would I thought I thought that this was competent representative to represent him he would be going for the purpose of immediately necessary. He would have to represent himself in the federal state of Attachment. He also wanted to go for the purpose of expediting legal activities in connection with the extraction of the subject, He added that the Departmental Representative would also check with the British authorities to make certain there are ample security. Furthermore, to make certain that the prisoner's civil rights were right being protected. The Attorney GENERAL asked me whom I thought should be responsible for bringing the prisoner back to the United States. I could hold him I previously discussed this with the Director and that the Director was agreeable to the FBI escorting the prisoner behind to the Unted States. He was asked how many men would do this. Itold him he could utilize three very capable men. He stated he thought he would need him to would him I did him I disagreed and that three men. -3- CONTINUED - OVER - -3- 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary: This document compiles details from multiple declassified government records concerning the U.S. Justice Department’s investigation into the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., focusing on James Earl Ray’s arrest in London (June 8, 1968), extradition proceedings, and forensic evidence linking him to the crime. The FBI identified Ray through a rifle found near King’s hotel in Memphis, purchased in Birmingham, Alabama. Extradition required coordination with British authorities and Tennessee legal systems, including charges of illegal entry, weapon possession, and conspiracy to murder. Ray was arrested at London International Airport under a Canadian passport (Ramon George Sneyd), carrying a concealed revolver. His identity was confirmed via fingerprints, and he faced prosecution in Shelby County, Tennessee, with Judge Preston Battle presiding over the trial scheduled for November 12, 1968. The FBI also investigated potential connections to the Ku Klux Klan, including a meeting between Arthur Hanes (Ray’s attorney) and Robert Shelton, Imperial Wizard of the United Klans of America. Additional records include administrative details about Pernell Ezzell’s license revocation in Florida, hotel billing for Ramon George Sneyd, and an anonymous call to the Greensboro Record claiming Ray’s innocence.  

Key People:  
- **James Earl Ray** (arrested in London; defendant in MLK assassination case)  
- **Ramsey Clark** (U.S. Attorney General overseeing extradition)  
- **John Edgar Hoover** (FBI Director coordinating investigation)  
- **Phil M. Canale, Jr.** (Tennessee prosecutor)  
- **Robert K. Dwyer** (assistant prosecutor)  
- **Arthur Hanes** (Ray’s attorney)  
- **Robert Shelton** (Imperial Wizard of the United Klans of America)  
- **Pernell Ezzell** (individual with Florida license revocation and car registration)  
- **Judge Preston Battle** (Tennessee judge presiding over Ray’s trial)  

Key Locations:  
- **London International Airport** (Ray’s arrest site)  
- **Memphis, Tennessee** (MLK assassination location; King’s hotel)  
- **Birmingham, Alabama** (rifle purchase linked to Ray)  
- **Florida** (Ezzell’s license revocation and car registration)  
- **Shelby County Jail** (Ray’s temporary detention post-arrest)  
- **Northfield House Hotel, London** (Ramon George Sneyd’s stay)  

Key Events:  
- **Arrest of James Earl Ray in London** (June 8, 1968) under a Canadian passport.  
- **FBI investigation linking Ray to MLK’s assassination** via forensic evidence (rifle, fingerprints).  
- **Extradition coordination with British and Tennessee authorities** for legal proceedings.  
- **Trial of James Earl Ray in Shelby County, Tennessee**, scheduled for November 12, 1968, presided over by Judge Preston Battle.  
- **Anonymous call to Greensboro Record** (July 1, 1968) claiming Ray’s innocence; FBI requested a tape for voice comparison.  
- **Meeting between Arthur Hanes and Robert Shelton** in Birmingham, Alabama (July 14, 1968).  

Key Organizations:  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**  
- **U.S. Department of Justice**  
- **Shelby County Bar Association**  
- **Tennessee legal system** (prosecution of Ray)  
- **United Klans of America** (linked to Shelton’s meeting with Hanes)

MLK Declassified Files

190-hq-709_sec_012_ser_231_only-part_07_of_11.pdf

Document Summary

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