</s>AT 44-2386 RSK.bjc 1 The following investigation was conducted by SA ROBERT S. KENNEMURT: On May 7, 1968, RANDOLPH D. JONES, Pure Oil Station, America, was reviewed the credit card purchase slips which were obtained from the Chicago Office regarding purchases at this station on April 15, 16, 17, and 18, 1968. Mr. JONES advised that all of the purchases and 18. 1968. He was advised that he was a member of the Chicago office as persons who are known to him with the exception of him purchases made by GEORGE B. FRANKS, Pure OIL Credit Card Number: Mr. J. JONE'S observed that this credit number was expire the person who was chosen to be awarded that this was possible the person to whom he had sold the gas who resembled the photograph of JAMES EARL RAY. The Pure Oil Company, Retail Department, Palatine, Illinois, had furnished the address of Mr. FRANKS as 707 Virginia Avenue, Glenville, Georgia. 14-2908-1676 SEARCHED SEARCHD INDEXED SERIALIZED MAY 15 1980 - - 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigations into potential connections between individuals in Georgia, Tennessee, and California to events related to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. They include credit card transaction records, flight manifests, prison files, and hotel check-ins linked to James Earl Ray, a suspect in the case. Pure Oil credit card purchases at Chicago stations are tied to Ray and George B. Franks, with Franks’ address in Glenville, Georgia. Delta Airlines flight records from April-May 1968 reference passengers named "RAY" or aliases, including John William Sabe (later identified as John O. Villard), who stayed at the Downtown Motor Inn in Atlanta. Frank William Brickley’s prison release and escape history are noted, along with his brother Roy D. Brickley, whose family residence in Rossville, Georgia, is referenced. Leamont White, a Western Union employee in Los Angeles, is linked to financial transactions and gun purchases. The FBI also examines drug-related activities, safe deposit boxes, and postal mail handling for Ray, while tracking his movements via license plate numbers, car rentals, and interactions with individuals like Barry L. Real and Louis Willard Jr. Investigations span multiple FBI field offices (Atlanta, Chicago, Memphis, Los Angeles) and include inquiries into potential homosexual relationships or other associations among suspects.  

Key People  
- **James Earl Ray**: Suspect in MLK Jr.’s assassination; tracked via flight records, hotel stays, and vehicle details.  
- **Frank William Brickley**: Subject of prison records, including release from federal custody and prior escape.  
- **Roy D. Brickley**: Brother of Frank William Brickley; mentioned in connection to the investigation.  
- **Leamont White**: Western Union employee in Los Angeles linked to financial transactions and gun purchases.  
- **John O. Villard**: Identified through Delta Airlines reservations and hotel check-ins in Atlanta.  
- **Barry L. Real**: Linked to GALT (code name) and investigated for potential connections to Ray.  
- **Louis Willard Jr.**: Resided on Witherspoon Road, investigated as a possible associate of Ray.  
- **Ralpu Carpenter**: Psychiatric hospital admission noted for alleged insanity.  
- **Samuel Lewis**: Linked to a Memphis rooming house.  

Key Locations  
- **Chicago, Illinois** (Pure Oil station and credit card purchases).  
- **Glenville, Georgia** (address provided for George B. Franks).  
- **Memphis, Tennessee** (rooming house and prison records).  
- **Rossville, Georgia** (residence of Roy D. Brickley, Sr.).  
- **Chattanooga, Tennessee** (phone calls referenced in the investigation).  
- **Los Angeles, California** (Western Union offices, Clark Hotel, Harold’s Cafe).  
- **Atlanta, Georgia** (Downtown Motor Inn, postal services, drug investigations).  
- **Savannah, Georgia** (flight records and hotel check-ins).  
- **New York City** (car rentals and corporate affiliations).  

Key Events  
- Credit card purchase review at a Chicago Pure Oil station linked to James Earl Ray.  
- Delta Airlines flight records from April-May 1968 involving passengers named "RAY" or aliases, including John O. Villard’s Atlanta hotel stays.  
- Frank William Brickley’s prison release and escape history documented.  
- Leamont White’s financial transactions and gun purchases in Los Angeles investigated.  
- FBI tracking of James Earl Ray via license plate numbers, car rentals, and interactions with Barry L. Real and Louis Willard Jr.  
- Examination of drug-related activities near King’s residences and safe deposit boxes in Atlanta.  
- Postal mail handling for Ray at Atlanta Post Office General Delivery, with efforts to identify him through clerks.  
- Surveillance efforts involving "GALT" code name and neighborhood investigations yielding negative leads.  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Conducted primary investigation; coordinated with field offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Memphis, and Los Angeles.  
- **Delta Air Lines**: Provided flight records linked to Ray and Villard.  
- **Western Union**: Financial transactions involving Leamont White in Los Angeles.  
- **U.S. Postal Service**: Handled mail for Ray at Atlanta’s General Delivery.  
- **National Crime Information Center (NCIC)**: Used to verify stolen vehicle information.

MLK Declassified Files

44-at-2386_hs1-852715321_161-05-part_1_of_3.pdf

Document Summary

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