Summary  
The documents detail investigative efforts by U.S. federal agencies, including the FBI, Customs, and airlines, to track individuals associated with the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) in 1968. Investigations focused on flight records, passenger manifests, financial institutions, and telephone directories for specific names linked to the case: ERIC STARVO GALT (alias used by James Earl Ray), HARVEY LOWEYER, JOHN WILLARD, and others. Agencies queried airlines such as Eastern Airlines, Bahamas Airways, Tifford Flying Service, and American Flyers for travel records between April 4–12, 1968, departing from locations including Miami, West Palm Beach, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; Key West, Florida; and the Bahamas. No matches were found for targeted individuals on examined flights or documents. Additional checks included financial institutions in Miami and Atlanta, as well as long-distance call records from the Saint Francis Hotel in Los Angeles. The FBI also investigated connections between James Earl Ray’s alias Eric Starvo Galt and potential links to MLK’s assassination, including fingerprint checks, credit card records, and inquiries into stolen vehicles.  

Key People  
- ERIC STARVO GALT (alias for James Earl Ray)  
- JAMES EARL RAY (accused in MLK assassination)  
- HARVEY LOWEYER  
- JOHN WILLARD  
- ROBERT W. WISEMAN (FBI agent)  
- SA GAY R. SHAHAN (agent)  
- LESLIE SALSBURY (Customs official)  
- BARRY BEAL (individual associated with contact number 48-48-0726)  
- GUY E. RAY (subject of investigation)  
- JESSE KELLER (attorney in Alabama)  
- OLIVER BRIGHT (bank official in Florida)  
- BUFORD GARNER (bank official in Alabama)  
- JOHN B. SWIFT (Florida contact for Walter Lohmeyer)  
- CARLTON LOHNEYER (brother of Walter Lohmeyer)  
- MICHEL ST. PIERRE (linked to stolen Cadillac)  

Key Locations  
- Miami International Airport (MIA), Florida  
- West Palm Beach, Florida  
- Port Everglades, Florida  
- Atlanta, Georgia  
- Key West, Florida  
- Bahamas (via Grand Bahama Line and Bahamas Airways)  
- Montreal, Canada  
- Los Angeles, California (Saint Francis Hotel)  
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida (Holy Cross Hospital)  
- St. Louis, Missouri (driver’s license check)  
- Hialeah-Miami Springs, Florida  
- Muscle Shoals, Alabama  
- Florence, Alabama  
- Palm Beach County, Florida  

Key Events  
- Investigation into flight records for ERIC STARVO GALT, HARVEY LOWEYER, JOHN WILLARD, and others between April 4–12, 1968.  
- Review of passenger manifests from Eastern Airlines, Bahamas Airways, Tifford Flying Service, and American Flyers.  
- Examination of financial institutions, telephone directories, and airline reservation systems in Miami and Atlanta.  
- Fingerprint checks at Miami police departments for James Earl Ray.  
- Inquiry into long-distance calls made from the Saint Francis Hotel in Los Angeles.  
- Identification of James Eugene Gault as a suspect due to shared birth date with JER’s alias Eric Starvo Galt.  
- Dissemination of identification orders for James Barl along and Ray to federal agencies (April 23–25, 1968).  
- Investigation into stolen 1967 Cadillac (VIN F71112795) linked to Montreal, Canada.  
- FBI analysis of credit card and rental agreement signatures, concluding they were not from James Earl Ray.  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)  
- Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)  
- Eastern Airlines (EAL)  
- Bahamas Airways  
- Tifford Flying Service  
- American Flyers (non-scheduled airline)  
- Florida Airmotive, Lantana Airport (charter service)  
- Miami Police Department  
- Saint Francis Hotel, Los Angeles  
- Holy Cross Hospital, Fort Lauderdale  
- Southern Travel Agency, Augusta, Georgia  
- Hialeah-Miami Springs Bank  
- State National Bank of Muscle Shoals  
- Montreal Police Department  
- Crafts Limited, Inc. (rental agency)

MLK Declassified Files

44-bh-1740_729219_08-01-part_7_of_9.pdf

Document Summary

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