</s>NO 157-10673 PJD:njc The following investigation was conducted by Special Agent PATRICK J. DENTE at New Orleans International Airport, Kenner, Louisiana. Agent PATRICI J. DENTE at NEW ORLEANS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Airlines, advised that SEAKS, Supervisor, Ticket Counter, Delta Airlines. advised that seats on Delta Flight Number 106 for April 5 and 6, 1968, are assigned according to the customer's preference and availability prior to boarding the craft; however, preference is available and availability to the aircraft however, assign- ment. He explained that the customer chooses a seat number from a chart of the aircraft when checking in prior to departure, and this seat number is placed on the customer 's ticket folder. Mr. SPEAKS furnished a copy of the manifest for the above flights, including passengers who have boarded these flights at New Orleans International Airport. Indicating passengers who were named these flights failed to reveal the subject under his name of these airlines as being a passenger on either of these flights. 80 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14178

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigations into multiple aspects of the Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) assassination inquiry, focusing on flight records, telephone calls, and witness accounts. On April 5-6, 1968, agents reviewed Delta Airlines flights 106 and 107 to identify potential suspects linked to MLK’s assassination. Crew members and passengers, including stewardess Rita Rehkoff, did not recognize James Earl Ray as a passenger or observer. Telephone calls from Yuma, Arizona (December 15-17, 1967), and Alpine, Texas (December 16, 1967), were examined for connections to the assassination. Interviews with Hertz Rent-A-Car employees in Lake Charles and patrons at the Curtis Park Bar in Bossier City yielded no confirmed ties to MLK’s murder.  

Separate inquiries explored sightings of Ray at Wanda's Seven Seas Bar in New Orleans, Louisiana, during December 1967. A man resembling Ray was involved in a disturbance involving a dog, leading to arrests for fighting. Witnesses, including bar owner Wanda Lormand and staff members Ann Uhllich and Dana Barger, denied knowledge of disturbances or arrests linked to Ray. The New Orleans Police Department’s records noted arrests at the location but did not identify Ray among those arrested.  

The investigation also included an inquiry into Robert Hood Strader, who allegedly claimed in 1968 he had been informed by Raymond Henry Starns in Baton Rouge about a group planning to assassinate MLK during the summer of 1967. Starns denied involvement in any plot but described Strader as mentally unstable and erratic, noting his theft from the Earnest C. Donnell Construction Company in Denham Springs, Louisiana, and possible institutionalization.  

Key People  
- **James Earl Ray** (subject of investigation, alleged assassin of MLK)  
- **Robert Hood Strader** (alleged participant in assassination plot)  
- **Raymond Henry Starns** (alleged informant about assassination plot)  
- **Rita Rehkoff** (stewardess on Delta Flight 106)  
- **Margie Griffith** (Hertz Rent-A-Car manager in Lake Charles)  
- **Thelma Russell** (bar patron in Bossier City, linked to phone call investigation)  
- **Edward Hunsucker** (truck driver, alleged caller from Texas)  
- **R.L. Hammett** (subscriber to telephone number 938-5368)  
- **Wanda Lormand** (owner of Wanda's Seven Seas Bar)  
- **Ann Uhllich** (barmaid at Wanda's Seven Seas Bar)  
- **Dana Barger** (regular patron and employee at the bar)  
- **Paul Fleming** (Patrolman, New Orleans Police Department)  
- **Ronnie Campbell** (Tactical Unit officer, New Orleans Police Department)  

Key Locations  
- **New Orleans International Airport, Kenner, Louisiana** (flight records and interviews)  
- **Metairie, Louisiana** (Delta Airlines crew members)  
- **Lake Charles, Louisiana** (Hertz Rent-A-Car office, telephone logs)  
- **Bossier City, Louisiana** (Curtis Park Bar, phone call investigation)  
- **Yuma, Arizona** (origin of December 15, 1967, phone call)  
- **Alpine, Texas** (origin of December 16, 1967, phone call)  
- **Wanda's Seven Seas Bar**, 608 Iberville Street, New Orleans, Louisiana  
- **Denham Springs, Louisiana** (community where Starns and Strader were based)  
- **Baton Rouge, Louisiana** (alleged location of assassination plot planning)  

Key Events  
- FBI agents reviewed Delta Airlines flight manifests for April 5-6, 1968, to identify MLK assassination suspects.  
- Crew members and stewardesses on Delta Flight 106 did not recognize James Earl Ray as a passenger or observer.  
- Telephone calls from Yuma, Arizona, and Alpine, Texas, were investigated as potential links to the assassination.  
- Interviews with Hertz Rent-A-Car employees in Lake Charles and bar patrons in Bossier City yielded no confirmed connections to MLK’s assassination.  
- Arrests for fighting at Wanda's Seven Seas Bar in December 1967; witnesses denied knowledge of disturbances or arrests linked to Ray.  
- Investigation into alleged assassination plot against MLK involving Strader and Starns.  
- Description of Strader’s erratic behavior, theft from the Donnell Construction Company, and possible institutionalization.  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)** (conducting telephone call and flight record investigations)  
- **Delta Airlines** (flight manifests, crew member details)  
- **Hertz Rent-A-Car** (telephone log reviews)  
- **New Orleans Police Department** (Robbery Detail, Tactical Unit)  
- **Earnest C. Donnell Construction Company** (business linked to Starns and Strader)

MLK Declassified Files

44-at-2386_hs1-852715321_162-03-part_3_of_3.pdf

Document Summary

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