</s>FBI BIRMGHAM FBI LOS ANG 9:13PM URGENT 4-24-68 DPK TO DIRECTOR(CAA-38861), ATLANTA (44-2386), BIRMINGHAM (44+1740), HOUSTON, MEMPHIS (4444-1987), AND NEW ORLEANS FROM LOS ANGELES (4445-1574) MURKIN RE LOUIS LOMAX - CHARLES STEIN. PACIFIC TELEPHONE COMPANY, LOS ANGLES, TODAY ADVISED IN STRICTEST CONFIDENCE THEY HAD BEEN REQUESTED BY JAMES B. POTTER. JR. . MEMBER OF CITY COUNCIL. Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, TO FURNISH S UBSCRIBER TO TELEPLOPE NUMBERS THAT LOUISA LOMAK MIGHT SECURE IN ATTEMPTING TO TRACE A LONG DISTANCE TELEPON CALL THAT THE SUBJECT OF THIS CASE MADE SOMEWHERE NEAR HOUSTON, TEXAS, DURING THE TRIP SUBJECT MADE WITH STEIN IN MID-DECEMBER SIXTY SEVEN. ACCORDING TO THE COMPANY'S INFORMATION, LOMAX WILL ATTEMPT TO GET CHARLES STERN TO ACCOMPANY HIM IN AN ATTEMPI TO LOCATE A PHONE BOOTH WHERE SUBJECT ALLEGEDLY MADE CALL DURNG THIS TRIP TO NEW ORLANS FROM LOS ALLEGLES. COMPANY ADVISES THAT POTTERS'S POLITICAL STATURE PLACES THEM IN AN EMBARRASSING SITUATION, BUT THAT IF REQUESTed, THEY MIGHT POSSIBLEY GRANT THE REQUEST END PAGE ONE 44-1740-1290 HOCKED. SURVIVALED. FIELD FBI-BIRMINGHAM 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The declassified documents consist of **FBI internal communications** from April 1968, primarily focused on the investigation into the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (April 4, 1968) and related activities. Key elements include FBI efforts to track James Earl Ray, the convicted assassin, through fingerprint comparisons, vehicle records, and teletypes detailing his movements and associates. The documents also reference civil rights journalist Louis Lomax’s correspondence with Attorney General Ramsey Clark, highlighting tensions between Black journalists and segregationist groups like the White Citizens Councils and the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). Technical details such as laundry records, gas receipts, and code names (e.g., "code 20-3") are used to trace suspects. Some entries contain anomalies, including date confusion ("4/24/08" likely a typo for 1968) and fragmented text, suggesting transcription errors or incomplete records. The materials reflect the FBI’s surveillance of civil rights activists during the 1960s and its reliance on logistical tracking methods like Thermo Seal Marking Machines.  

Key People  
- **James Earl Ray**: Convicted of assassinating MLK; investigated via fingerprint checks, vehicle records (1966 Ford Mustang), and teletypes detailing his associates (e.g., Rita Stein, Marie Martin).  
- **Louis Lomax**: Black journalist and civil rights activist who corresponded with Attorney General Ramsey Clark about racial violence and media coverage of MLK’s funeral.  
- **Eric Stavro Galt**: Suspect linked to locksmithing and financial transactions (e.g., Canadian postal money orders).  
- **William Kyle Livingston**: Driver whose movements were tracked via truck logs, though leads were later dismissed as unrelated.  
- **Rita Stein** and **Marie Martin**: Associates of Ray investigated for potential connections to the assassination or other crimes.  

Key Locations  
- **Memphis, Tennessee**: Site of MLK’s assassination; referenced in FBI tracking efforts (e.g., gas receipts linking Ray to movements from Montgomery to New Jersey).  
- **Birmingham, Alabama** and **Atlanta, Georgia**: Mentioned as locations tied to FBI field offices and civil rights activities.  
- **Buena Park, California**: Site of a 1967 bank robbery linked to Ray’s fingerprint comparisons.  

Key Events  
- **MLK’s Assassination (April 4, 1968)**: Central event under investigation; the FBI tracked James Earl Ray as the primary suspect.  
- **FBI Surveillance and Tracking**: Use of laundry records, gas receipts, and code names to trace suspects’ movements and activities.  
- **Civil Rights Correspondence**: Louis Lomax’s letter to Ramsey Clark discussing racial violence and media coverage of MLK’s funeral.  
- **Interagency Coordination**: References to FBI field offices (e.g., Memphis) and telegraphic communication ("airtel") for case updates.  

Key Organizations  
- **FBI**: Conducted investigations into Ray, his associates, and civil rights activists; used logistical tracking methods like Thermo Seal Marking Machines.  
- **Ku Klux Klan (KKK)**: Mentioned as a potential motive or connection to suspects linked to racial violence.  
- **White Citizens Councils**: Segregationist groups referenced in Lomax’s correspondence, reflecting civil rights-era tensions.  

Significance  
These documents illustrate the FBI’s post-assassination investigation into James Earl Ray and broader surveillance of civil rights activists during the 1960s. They highlight the agency’s reliance on technical tracking methods (e.g., laundry records, code names) and interagency collaboration. The materials also underscore the role of Black journalists like Louis Lomax in documenting racial tensions and media dynamics during this period. Anomalies such as date confusion and fragmented text suggest incomplete or transcribed records, complicating full interpretation.

MLK Declassified Files

44-bh-1740_729219_06-04-part_1_of_4.pdf

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