</s>AL 44-493 GEORGIA Blum's Furnished previously to Macon, Georgia Atlanta and already contacted Caldwell Lidry & Clnrs Atlanta and already contacted SN 31424 Greenbore, Georgia SN 32425 J. R. Cheshire Co ., 379 Piedmont Ave ., N.E. SN 32735 Atlanta, Georgia Chokis ClnRS, & Ldry Village SN 33115 529 Baxter Street Athens, Georgia Decatur Laundry SN 32333 250 Trinity Place Decatur, Georgia Dial Cleaners SN R32511 3442 Shallowford Road Chamblee, Georgia Dixie Cleaners SN 31477 31113 Pio Nona Avenue Macon. Georgia Ideal Cleaners La Grange, Georgia SN 32050 Ideal Cleansers 331 Northside Drive SN 31402 Gainesville, Georgia Launcher House SN 31635 170 Walton Way Augusta, Georgia -13- 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14178

Summary  
The document contains multiple entries from the FBI’s Albany office detailing investigative efforts related to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK). A press release dated April 19, 1968, announces that James Earl Ray, an escapee from Missouri State Penitentiary, has been identified as Eric Starvo Galt, linked to MLK’s fatal shooting. The FBI’s identification process involved comparing latent fingerprints from the MLK case with records of over 53,000 individuals in their files. Ray, 40 years old at the time, had a criminal history dating back to 1949, including convictions for burglary, armed robbery, and forgery. His escape from prison in Missouri on April 23, 1967, led to federal charges of unlawfully fleeing the state. The FBI warns that Ray is armed and dangerous, urging public cooperation in locating him. Additional entries include teletyped communications about laundry tape coding investigations, directory checks for names like Harvey Loweyr, and administrative records related to FBI operations in Albany, Memphis, and other locations.  

Key People  
- James Earl Ray (identified as Eric Starvo Galt)  
- J. Edgar Hoover (FBI Director)  
- Ramsey Clark (U.S. Attorney General)  
- Special Agents in Charge (SACs) at Albany, Memphis, and Atlanta  
- Peter Vukovich (Thermo Seal machine distributor)  
- Ralph Yonkies (American Laundry Institute)  

Key Locations  
- Jefferson City, Missouri (Ray’s escape from Missouri State Penitentiary)  
- Albany, New York (FBI office involved in the investigation)  
- Washington, D.C. (FBI headquarters)  
- Syracuse, New York (Textile Marking Machine Co.)  
- Memphis, Tennessee (FBI field office)  

Key Events  
- FBI’s identification of James Earl Ray as Eric Starvo Galt through fingerprint analysis  
- Press release announcing Ray’s connection to MLK’s assassination on April 19, 1968  
- Investigation into laundry tape coding systems linked to potential evidence in the case  
- Directory checks and police department inquiries for names associated with suspects (e.g., Harvey Loweyr)  
- FBI warnings about Ray’s fugitive status and public safety risks  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- Missouri State Penitentiary  
- American Laundry Institute  
- Thermo Seal Machine Company  
- U.S. Department of Justice (via Attorney General Ramsey Clark)

MLK Declassified Files

44-al-493-493a_729423_01-01-part_4_of_8.pdf

Document Summary

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