</s>OPTIONAL FORM NO. 4 01-01-19-04 BSA CBL RED. NO. JP UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT Memorandum Memorandum SAC (44-374) (P) DATE: 4/30/68 TO : : SA R. GORDON EDDY FROM : SUBJECT: MURKIN MURKKIN RE: Eric County Mutual Aid Group Attached hereto is one copy of the description of JAMES EARL RAY one and copy of two press releases issued of the Bureau concerning captioned case. If supplementary copies of 10 requested of Bureau are received prior to the next MAG meeting, sufficient copies should be taken along to furnish one to each officer in attendance. LEAD BUFFALO AT BUFFALOO, NEW YORK, Will discuss MURKINS case with Officers in attendance at next MAG meetings, utilizing attached description and press releases. Bureau has instructed that press releases are not to be amplified upon. Nature of process outstanding appears on 10. JAMES EARLY RAY SHOULD BE CONSIDERED ARMED AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. 1- SA JAMES A. COMFORT (Attachments 2) SE-21-162. SE-41-1-1/2 RGE:Rik 1-SA JAMESA. COMFORT (AttachMENTS 2) SUMPLIFIED 1-2/2/1/12) 1-4/1-11/10 Buy U.S. Savings Bonds Regularly on the Payroll Savings Plan 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary:  
The documents detail FBI investigations into James Earl Ray (JER), identified as Eric Starvo Galt, as a suspect in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. Ray’s criminal history includes multiple incarcerations, including a 20-year prison sentence in Missouri (served 1960–1980) and prior convictions dating to 1949. The FBI tracked his movements via a stolen Mustang with Alabama license plates, driven over 19,000 miles between August 1967 and April 1968, linking him to Los Angeles, New Orleans, Atlanta, and Birmingham, Alabama. Ray purchased a 30.06 rifle with a telescopic sight from a Birmingham dealer on March 30, 1968, which was later found near the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis. FBI press releases (April 17, 1968; January 19, 1968) charged Ray with conspiring to assassinate King and violating civil rights. The investigation also referenced administrative directives from May 1968, including protocols for handling threats against public figures and the use of informant operations (IOs). A letter from Professor Joseph Lonero of Geneseo College, New York, was noted as containing information about Eric Starvo Galt in Alante, NY, and a group allegedly involved in robberies targeting "Negroes." Ray was described as "ARMED AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS," with warnings to law enforcement to report sightings immediately.  

Key People:  
- James Earl Ray (also known as Eric Starvo Galt, Harvey Lowery)  
- J. Edgar Hoover (FBI Director)  
- Ramsey Clark (Attorney General)  
- SAC Neil J. Welch (FBI Special Agent in Charge)  
- Mrs. Viola V. Born (witness reporting a left-handed individual matching Ray’s description)  
- Joseph Lonero (Professor at Geneseo College, New York; provided information on Eric Starvo Galt)  

Key Locations:  
- Memphis, Tennessee (Lorraine Hotel, site of assassination)  
- Birmingham, Alabama (rifle purchase, FBI investigation)  
- Buffalo, New York (central to license plate checks and witness interviews)  
- Rochester, New York (Stylecraft Cleaners, Inc., Ackerman’s Restaurant)  
- Waterloo, New York (linked to license plate registrations)  
- Geneseo College, New York (Lonero’s affiliation)  
- Alante, New York (location associated with Eric Starvo Galt)  

Key Events:  
- Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, in Memphis  
- FBI investigation into Ray’s movements, criminal history, and alleged purchase of a rifle  
- Tracking of Ray via stolen Mustang license plates (OA 5560) and cross-referencing with state registrations  
- Press releases charging Ray with civil rights violations related to the assassination  
- Distribution of informant operations (IOs) to law enforcement agencies in Buffalo, New York  
- Reference to Ray as a suspect in unsolved bank robberies and armed crimes  
- Administrative directives from May 1968 on handling threats against public figures and legal procedures  

Key Organizations:  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- U.S. Department of Justice  
- New York State Police (NYSP)  
- Eastman Kodak Company (involved in photographic equipment purchases)  
- Local police departments (Buffalo Division, Memphis, Rochester City Directory)  
- Geneseo College, New York (associated with Joseph Lonero’s letter)

MLK Declassified Files

44-bf-374_sec_003_ser_150-289-part_2_of_9.pdf

Document Summary

Try AI Search