</s>PAGE TWO EMPLOYEES HANDLE LARGE VOLUME OF MAIL AND KEY WAS ONLY NOTICED AFTER DUMPING ON CONVEYOR BELT AT POST OFFICE. THIS IS DIFFICULT JOB AND WILL TAKE TIME. ACCORDING TO EGERTON. ABOVE INFORMATION PREVIOUSLY TELEPHONICALLY FURNISHED BUREAU FOR REFERRAL TO LEGAT MEXICO AND CHECK RE POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS BUREAUN FOR REFRERRAL TO LEAGAT ALBERT JAMES WALTON. INNATE. CHILLICOTHE CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION CHILLICOTHES, OHIO, AND FORMER PCI, ADVISED GEORGE CLUND AT FORT PAYNE ALABAMA, MEMBER OF KKK. OFFERED HIM FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS TO KILL MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. IN CLEVELAND, OHio, WHERE HE WAS TO APPEAR FOR A SPEECH. GEORGE LUND IS IDENTIFIED HE GEORGE KILLIAN, THE EXALATED CYCLOPS OF THE KKK AT FORT PAYNE, ALABAMAS, AND HIS WHEREABOUTS ON APRIL FOR FOUR DETERMINED TO BE IN FORT PAYNE, Alabama. KILLILL IS KNOWN TO DALKING "BIG." AND THE FORT PAYNE,ALABAMA. KLAVERN IS ALWAYS PRESSED FOR FUNDS. BOTH WALTOYNE AND KILLIAN ARE KNOWN TO EXAGGERAT. MACK ELKINS IS A FRIEND OF WALTON AND KILLIAN, AND ELKNS' DESCRIPTION IS FAR FROM THAT OF UNSUB. OPERATOR OF TRUCKING COMPANY, DE KALB COUNTY, ALAMABAMA REFERRED TO BY WALTON IS EDGAR HAMMOND, WHO IS KNOWN TO BIRMINGHAM AGENT AND IS NOT I DENTICAL TO DESCRIPTION OF UNSUBS. THE NAME LOMEYER DISCREETLY. CHECKED AT DE KALE COUNTY, Alabama; SHERIFF'S OFFICE WITH REFERENCE END PAGE TWO. 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary:  
The documents detail FBI investigations into potential threats against Martin Luther King Jr., focusing on individuals linked to the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and other groups. Albert James Walton, an inmate at Chillicothe Correctional Institution, Ohio, offered George Killian, a KKK leader in Fort Payne, Alabama, $50,000 to assassinate MLK Jr. during a speech in Cleveland. A key found in Birmingham mail, associated with Mexican identification tags and numbers (e.g., "1131 ALBA," "MIR 39034"), was flagged for analysis. The FBI coordinated with local law enforcement and used teletype communications to share findings, including fingerprint comparisons and suspect location updates. Investigations into John Willard, Harvey Lonketer, Eric Starvo Galt, and others involved checks of military records, credit histories, vehicle registrations, and divorce records. Fragmented records from April 1968 also reference witness accounts of MLK’s assassination at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, forensic evidence from a 1966 Ford Mustang, latent fingerprint analysis, and coordination between FBI divisions in Memphis, Birmingham, and Atlanta. An investigation into an individual described as "BOB" based on an artist's sketch included interviews with IDA GOODE and reviews of Lawrence Howell’s personnel records at the Federal Aviation Administration (F.A.A.).  

Key People:  
- Albert James Walton (inmate at Chillicothe Correctional Institution, Ohio)  
- George Killian (exalted cyclops of the KKK in Fort Payne, Alabama)  
- John Willard (suspect with military service records and American Express credit cards)  
- Harvey Lonketer (no record found in Utah; linked to a 1967 airplane crash)  
- Eric Starvo Galt (investigated for connections to Utah laundries and divorce records)  
- Morris Clayton Skaggs (suspected assailant, described as racist and hostile toward MLK)  
- Rex Armstead (resembling a composite sketch of the killer, with violent racism history)  
- IDA GOODE (described "BOB," worked at Parliament House Motor Hotel in Birmingham)  
- Lawrence Chancelor Howell (subject of personnel records review at F.A.A.)  

Key Locations:  
- Chillicothe Correctional Institution, Ohio  
- Fort Payne, Alabama  
- Birmingham, Alabama (post office, FBI offices, Original Equipment Auto Parts Company)  
- Cleveland, Ohio (MLK Jr. speech location)  
- Memphis, Tennessee (Lorraine Motel, York Arms)  
- Salt Lake City, Utah (laundry investigations)  
- Atlanta, Georgia (F.A.A., Fisher Road address)  

Key Events:  
- Offer of $50,000 to George Killian for assassinating MLK Jr. in Cleveland  
- Discovery of a key with Mexican identification tags and numbers linked to the investigation  
- FBI coordination across states to track suspects via military records, credit checks, and vehicle registrations  
- Witness account of MLK’s assassination at the Lorraine Motel balcony (April 4, 1968)  
- Forensic examination of a 1966 Ford Mustang linked to the case  
- Latent fingerprint analysis and evidence collection (floor mats, clothing, license plates)  
- FBI investigation into "BOB" based on an artist’s conception and witness accounts  
- Review of Lawrence Howell’s personnel records at F.A.A.  

Key Organizations:  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), including SACs in Memphis, Birmingham, and Atlanta  
- Ku Klux Klan (KKK)  
- American Express Credit Bureau  
- Utah State Motor Vehicle Department  
- U.S. Army (reference to Skaggs’ military service)  
- Local law enforcement agencies (e.g., Birmingham, Salt Lake City, Memphis police departments)  
- Veterans Administration Hospital (Birmingham, AL)  
- Federal Aviation Administration (F.A.A.)  
- Original Equipment Auto Parts Company (Birmingham, Alabama)

MLK Declassified Files

44-bh-1740_729219_04-03-part_2_of_6.pdf

Document Summary

Try AI Search