</s>FD-302 (Rev. 1-25-60) FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION Date: April 23, 1968 1 Mrs. BETTY CRAFE, Clerk, Congress Airport Inn, 3433 North Lindbergh Boulevard, Clerkk, Congress Airport Inn, knowingly seen guest JAMES RAY, advised that she had never the movingly seen guest James RAY. who occupied Room 114 at during the mid-maj-hour hours on April 19, 1968, however, at the motel switchboard, received an incoming call from an unknown male who asked for RAY and she referred the call to room #114, the room occupied by RAY." outgoing local also recalled having recorded two twenty-cent CRAFE also recalled the local call slip for RAV's room. outgoing locaes calls are not otherwise recorded at the motel however, such calls are NOT otherwise recorded in the motel and guest JAMES RAY left the motel on April 18, 1968. 1963, without setting for such calls. 4/20/68 of St. Louis County, Missouri File # SL 44-775 On SA JOHN J. BUCKLEY (A) 4/22/68 by DAW Date dictated D62 This document contains neither recommendations nor conclusion of the FBI. It is the property of the Fbi. (and is learned to your agency) It ond the contents are not to be distributed outside your agency. 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The document details FBI investigations into James Earl Ray’s potential connections to the Congress Airport Inn in St. Louis, Missouri, following his arrest for Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. On April 18–19, 1968, a guest registered under the name “James RAY” at Room #114, paying $79.79 in cash. The guest was described as a white male in his late 30s wearing a light sport coat and dark trousers. Motel staff noted outgoing calls from Room 114 but no recorded numbers. A night auditor later identified the guest as resembling Ray, whose name appeared in FBI records (FBI #405). The room was cleaned after the guest left on April 19, and a car parked outside was reported missing. Other suspects, including CHARLEY ROBERTS, GEORGE STEVEN RUDE, RONALD SPIVEY, DONALD LEROY WILLARD, and JOHN RUFUS WILLARD, were investigated but found not to match Ray’s description or records. The FBI also reviewed military and insurance records for potential links.  

Additional investigations in 1968 included sightings of individuals resembling Ray in Missouri and Arkansas. On April 11, 1968, a man described as matching Ray’s appearance was observed at the Miami International Hotel. A Tennessee license plate (KX-57590) was linked to a white male seen in Kirkwood, Missouri, between April 22–26, 1968, by Missoupi Fuchs. The National Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (NKKK), including its formation as Klavern #14 in St. Louis, Missouri, in November 1965, and later under James R. Venable’s leadership, were referenced in connection to anti-minority activities and operations from Tucker, Georgia.  

Key People  
- James Earl Ray (suspect in MLK assassination)  
- JAMES RAY (motel guest, possibly Ray)  
- WALTER L. BROOKS (motel manager)  
- HARVEY MINK (night auditor)  
- NAOMI HAWKINS (housekeeper)  
- JOHN J. BUCKLEY (FBI special agent)  
- CHARLEY ROBERTS, GEORGE STEVEN RUDE, RONALD SPIVEY, DONALD LEROY WILLARD, JOHN RUFUS WILLARD (suspects investigated)  
- MISSOUPi FUCHS (reported sighting in Kirkwood, Missouri)  
- JAMES R. VENABLE (NKKK leadership)  

Key Locations  
- Congress Airport Inn, St. Louis, Missouri  
- St. Louis County, Missouri  
- Memphis, Tennessee  
- Kirkwood, Missouri  
- Steele, Missouri; Blytheville, Arkansas  
- Tucker, Georgia  
- St. Louis, Missouri (NKKK Klavern #14)  

Key Events  
- April 18–19, 1968: Guest “James RAY” registered at Congress Airport Inn.  
- April 20–24, 1968: FBI reviewed motel records, phone logs, and compared guest descriptions to James Earl Ray’s profile.  
- April 25, 1968: FBI checked military and insurance records for suspects.  
- April 11, 1968: Sighting of an individual resembling James Earl Ray at the Miami International Hotel.  
- April 22–26, 1968: Tennessee license plate linked to a white male observed in Kirkwood, Missouri.  
- November 1965: Formation of Klavern #14 (NKKK) in St. Louis, Missouri.  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- National Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (NKKK), including Klavern #14  
- U.S. Army Service Records Center  
- Veterans Administration (VA)

MLK Declassified Files

44-bh-1740_729219_08-02-part_9_of_9.pdf

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