</s>BH 44-1740 "In connection with identification JAMES EARL RAY as subject instant matter. The source of his funds becomes of paramount interest. Past back- ground of RAY is well known to offices receiving this teletype. Each office should review its underelatents were recovered should identify the case in question and request Bureau search these latents against the latent recovered in Murkin case. "Possibility also exists that RAY may have been involved in burglary and robbery not within FBI jurisdiction and may be matter of interest to FBI police departments. Receiving offices should their jurisdiction and determine whether or not any their divisions and determine where or not an any armed robbers or burglaries perpetrated in which detention of subject RAY." description of subject Ray." of possible help in connection with such contacts, pages 9 and 10 of Birmingham report submitted on 4/17/68 are quoted below showing the dates that the person now identified as RAY, previously known as GALT, was in Birmingham. DATES AND LOCATIONS GALT KNOWN WHILE AT BIRMINGHAM August 26, 1967: Rented room at 2600 Highland Avenue, Birmingham, in boarding house operated by PETER CHERPES. August 28, 1967; Rated safe deposit bon #5517 at Man Office of Birmingham Trust National Bank of downtown Birmingham. August 29, 1967 : Replied to newspaper classified ad for purchase of 1966 white Mustang from local resident, Mustang and local resident. and sale consumed in downtown and sale consumated in downtown Birmingham and the following day, 8/30/67. 2 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigations into James Earl Ray’s activities and alleged connections to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., spanning April 1968 and earlier periods. Key elements include Ray’s movements in Birmingham, Alabama, where he resided at a rooming house operated by Peter Cherpes, engaged in banking transactions, and purchased goods such as photographic equipment and vehicles. The FBI sought to link Ray to criminal activities, including postal money orders cashed with forged names, stolen funds, and potential associations with organized crime networks. Investigations also focused on Ray’s aliases (e.g., Eric S. Galt), employment history, and alleged interactions with individuals like Curtis, a convicted criminal who claimed Ray discussed plans to collect a bounty on MLK’s head during their shared incarceration in Missouri and Illinois prisons. The FBI coordinated with postal inspectors, local law enforcement agencies, and entities such as the Superior Bulk Film Company and American Trade Magazines to trace financial and logistical ties. Discrepancies in witness accounts and incomplete records complicated efforts to confirm Ray’s involvement or connections to the assassination.  

Key People  
- **James Earl Ray**: Suspect in MLK’s assassination; investigated for aliases, residences, financial transactions, and alleged criminal associations.  
- **Peter Cherpes**: Rooming house operator in Birmingham, Alabama, where Ray resided.  
- **Earl Smith**: Interviewed by Nashville agents; claimed to have met an individual resembling Ray seeking grenades for a plot against MLK.  
- **Curtis (Raymond Louis Curtis)**: Convicted criminal who alleged Ray discussed knowledge of a bounty on MLK’s head and potential involvement in the assassination during their shared incarceration.  
- **Melvin Powers**: Owner of Wilshire Book Company; stated no record of Ray as a patron.  
- **Rabbits Foot Club patrons**: Identified an individual resembling Ray using the name "Doug Collins."  
- **Walter Terry Rife**: Mentioned as a suspect in other crimes but not directly linked to MLK’s assassination.  
- **Sheriff G. T. Mauldin**: Provided information on Curtis’s statements regarding Ray and potential involvement in the assassination.  

Key Locations  
- **Birmingham, Alabama**: Central hub for FBI coordination; Ray’s residence and banking activities.  
- **Memphis, Tennessee**: Linked to MLK’s assassination and FBI investigations into Ray’s employment and residences.  
- **Los Angeles, California**: Investigated for Ray’s book purchases, hotel stays, and postal money orders.  
- **Atlanta, Georgia**: Checked for car dealerships, hotels, and financial records related to Ray.  
- **Quincy, Illinois**: Mentioned as a location where Ray allegedly operated in criminal activities.  
- **Jackson County Jail, Kansas City, Missouri**: Site of Ray’s incarceration during the 1950s, where he was incarcerated with Curtis.  

Key Events  
- **April 1968**: FBI inquiries into Ray’s movements and alleged connections to criminal networks following MLK’s assassination.  
- **Interviews with witnesses**: Including hotel staff, book store employees, bank personnel, and Curtis regarding Ray’s presence or transactions.  
- **Postal money order checks**: Traced Ray’s use of U.S. postal money orders (e.g., Series 1908) for payments to the Locksmithing Institute.  
- **Employment verification**: Confirmed Ray’s job at Western Auto Store in Memphis, with claims he was fired due to alcohol-related issues.  
- **Prison interactions**: Curtis and Ray were incarcerated together in Missouri and Illinois prisons during the 1950s and 1960s, where they allegedly discussed criminal activities and potential bounties.  
- **Abandoned vehicle investigation**: An abandoned Mustang was found with markings linked to Sears and Roebuck, prompting FBI inquiries into Ray’s whereabouts.  
- **Curtis’s testimony**: Curtis claimed Ray mentioned plans to collect a bounty on MLK’s head and suggested the assassination might have involved others, including a getaway driver.  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Conducted nationwide investigations into Ray’s movements, prison records, and alleged criminal connections.  
- **U.S. Postal Service**: Reviewed money order records for ties to Ray and other suspects.  
- **Postal Inspection Service**: Collaborated with FBI to investigate postal burglaries linked to Ray and other suspects.  
- **Local law enforcement agencies** (e.g., Sheriff G. T. Mauldin in Georgia): Provided information on Curtis’s statements and Ray’s potential involvement in the assassination.  
- **Superior Bulk Film Company**: Reviewed records of Ray’s correspondence and safe deposit box activity.  
- **American Trade Magazines**: Sought for laundry mark records linked to Ray’s laundromat activity.

MLK Declassified Files

44-bh-1740_729219_06-03-part_2_of_5.pdf

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