</s>BA 44-669 PWG:mk 2 JAMES COX Manager Manager Cleaners and Dyers, Inc. Newark Cleaners & 176 East Main Street Newark, Delaware Newark. Delaware GEORGE C. FRANK Manager North Hill Cleaners 211 Philadelphia Pike Wilmington, Delaware ROBERT PURNELL Manager 1 Hour Martinizing 1 Hour Market Street Waldington, Delaware HARRISON GAMBLE Manager 1 Hour Martinizing 111 Greenbank Road Wilmington. Delaware GEORGIA LOPEZ Clerk Dry Cleaners Dry cleaners DuPont Highway and Basin Road New Castle, Delaware MARY CHESEMESEN Assistant Manager Assistant Manager Inc. 1806 Marsh Road Wilmington_Delaware FRANCIS CICCARONE Manager Parkway Cleaners Merchandise Mart Governor Printz Blvd. Willington, Delaware 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary:  
The documents detail FBI investigations into potential involvement in the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK). Carlos Lee Billings, a fugitive linked to a prison break case, was offered $50,000 by the President of Little Rock to kill MLK in March 1965. The FBI interviewed Billings, who was incarcerated at the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, and conducted a psychiatric evaluation. Leads were pursued to locate Johnie Blackwell and June Taylor in Columbia, South Carolina, to confirm details about Billings' alleged plot.  

Investigations also focused on identifying individuals connected to MORAN Printing Co., including a hitchhiker described by Thomas Evans as resembling James Earl Ray (Eric Starvo Galt), who was sought in connection with MLK's assassination. The FBI tracked potential sightings of Ray, including a man seen near the Midway Diner in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and a passenger on American Airlines Flight 338 traveling from Dallas to Philadelphia.  

The documents include administrative memos, form submissions, and internal FBI communications about tracking suspects, verifying identities, and coordinating with local law enforcement. References to unrelated topics such as civil rights initiatives, nutrition studies, and personnel transfers are also present but not directly tied to the MLK assassination investigation.  

Key People:  
- Carlos Lee Billings (fugitive linked to prison break case)  
- James Earl Ray (suspected assassin of MLK, alias Eric Starvo Galt)  
- Thomas Evans (witness describing a suspect resembling Ray)  
- Johnie Blackwell and June Taylor (individuals sought for interview in Columbia, SC)  
- PVT. Paul I. Reid (military personnel tracked via airline records)  

Key Locations:  
- Springfield, Missouri (Billings' incarceration)  
- Columbia, South Carolina (interview leads)  
- Gaithersburg, Maryland (Midway Diner sighting)  
- Dallas, Texas; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (airline passenger investigation)  
- Baltimore, Maryland (FBI office and personnel transfers)  

Key Events:  
- FBI interview of Carlos Lee Billings in 1968  
- Investigation into MORAN Printing Co. connections to suspects  
- Tracking of James Earl Ray via airline travel records  
- Coordination with local law enforcement for witness interviews  
- Administrative memos about form submissions and case updates  

Key Organizations:  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- American Airlines (flight tracking for suspect identification)  
- Maryland Drydock Company (employment history of Thomas Duggan)  
- MORAN Printing Services (suspected business ties to suspects)

MLK Declassified Files

44-ba-669_729218_1-02-part_3_of_8.pdf

Document Summary

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