</s>KC 44-760 2 CLARA LE VAN, Office Manager, Waitress Union Local 503, 2164 West 12th Street, Kansas City, Missouri, advised on April 26, 1968, she has no record of MARY LOUISE PORTER currently working as a waitress. One Mary LOUISSE PORTER, 5025 Michigan, Kansas city, Missouri. worked at the Wishbone and La Louisiana Restaurants in 1965, but has not paid dues since that time and therefore is not an active member. HELEN DONLEY, Credit Bureau of Greater Kansas City, 1110 Grand, advised on April 28, 1968 , that records reveal a credit report dated September 24, 1965, that for ROBERT DALE PORTER and wife, MARY PORTE, 3819 Wyandotte, Kansas for four or five months at the Town Topic Sandwich shops, 6618 for four of five months on June 1, 1969. The town topic sandwich shops, GR 1- South Benton, owner, and wife. CLAude J. SPARKS, telephone number. Kansas for the record shows the age and 37 in the number of Army for the records shows the record that was issued in the Texas No credit established. The record shows a divorce was filed in Kansas City on May 17, 1966. Circuit Court records, Jackson County Courthouse, Kansas City, Mississippi, 3315 Baltimore, Kansas CITY, Missouri , that MARY MARTHA CITY, Missouri, reveal under number 67814, that Mary a petition for the release of the petition Attorney CHRIS KAHMANN, 432 Aitman Building and the petition shows MARY MARTHA PORTHER, Kansas Cty, Missouri; filed shows MARTINIA PORTERN and ROBERT DALE PORTER of the Missouri Maysville, Missouri . That that Robert Porter and who wholly disregarded his duties as a husband, being convicted of a felony at Cameron, Missouri in March 1961, and being sentenced to a after marriage that PORtera had been convicted of seven or eight occasions in various states. A degree of default was granted to MARY MARTINA PORTR on June 2, 1966, LEE CHAPMAN, Clerk, KansasCity, Missouri Police Department, furnished an arrest record regarding Robert DALE PORTER. furnished an arrest record regarding robert DALE arrested Kansas City. Missouri on September 3, 1963, on was investigation of armed robbery and was released to the Clinton County Sheriff's Office, Missouri .. Police Department records show PORTHA has an arrest second dating back to 1946. No record was located for MARY MANTHA Porter. 145 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary:  
This document is a federal investigation file from April 1968 related to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK), who was killed on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. The focus is on Lynn Ray Cleveland, a suspect questioned by authorities due to his alleged connection to the crime. Cleveland was arrested in Joplin, Missouri, on April 9, 1968, and booked for "Hold for Investigation – Homicide Other Cities." He denied involvement in MLK’s assassination but provided an inconsistent timeline of his movements around the time of the event. Cleveland claimed he was in Springfield, Missouri, on April 4, 1968, after hitchhiking from Kingman, Arizona, and stayed at Hoff’s Hotel that night. However, his account of being in Memphis around late March or early April 1968 conflicted with his claim to have left Springfield before receiving $20 from Western Union on April 3. Physical evidence included a Social Security card (SSN redacted), a key possibly linked to a locker at the Greyhound Bus Station in Springfield, and personal items like a gold safety razor and religious pamphlets. Cleveland had prior arrests, including an attempted murder charge in Creve Coeur, Missouri, and admitted to being interned at Terrill State Hospital (Texas) for mental health issues in 1965–1966. The FBI and local police found no conclusive evidence linking him to MLK’s murder. Reverend Ken Rasdale reported seeing Cleveland on April 5, 1968, but details were unconfirmed. The document notes inconsistencies in his timeline, lack of direct physical evidence, and his mental health history as red flags, though no definitive link to the crime was established. It concludes that Cleveland was not directly connected to MLK’s assassination, though his erratic behavior raised suspicion. The actual assassin, James Earl Ray, was later captured in 1998 and died in prison.

Key People:  
- **Lynn Ray Cleveland**: Suspect questioned for MLK’s assassination; arrested in Joplin, Missouri, on April 9, 1968.  
- **James Earl Ray**: Identified as the actual assassin of MLK, captured in London in 1969 and later died in prison.  
- **Reverend Ken Rasdale**: Reported seeing Cleveland on April 5, 1968, but details were unconfirmed.  
- **Arthur J. Hanes**: Attorney representing Ray; sought passport for travel to London for legal proceedings.  
- **Edgar Hoover**: FBI Director who praised the Birmingham News for supporting the Bureau’s work in a letter.  

Key Locations:  
- **Memphis, Tennessee**: Site of MLK’s assassination on April 4, 1968.  
- **Joplin, Missouri**: Where Cleveland was arrested on April 9, 1968.  
- **Springfield, Missouri**: Claimed to be Cleveland’s location on April 4, 1968.  
- **Kingman, Arizona**: Alleged origin of Cleveland’s journey to Springfield.  
- **Terrill State Hospital (Texas)**: Where Cleveland was interned for mental health issues in 1965–1966.  

Key Events:  
- **April 4, 1968**: MLK assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.  
- **April 9, 1968**: Lynn Ray Cleveland arrested in Joplin, Missouri, for "Hold for Investigation – Homicide Other Cities."  
- **April 5, 1968**: Reverend Ken Rasdale reported seeing Cleveland, though details were unconfirmed.  
- **June 1968**: FBI records reflect ongoing investigation into James Earl Ray’s movements and financial transactions.  
- **1969**: James Earl Ray arrested in London; later convicted and died in prison.  

Key Organizations:  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Conducted investigations into Cleveland and James Earl Ray, coordinated with local law enforcement, and managed legal challenges.  
- **U.S. Department of State**: Issued passports for Arthur J. Hanes, including passport J584770 for travel to England, Scotland, and Ireland.  
- **Birmingham Police Department**: Collaborated with the FBI on witness statements and financial records.  
- **First National Bank of Florence (Alabama)**: Traced checks linked to Oscar Johnson Jr., a suspect connected to Ray’s finances.

MLK Declassified Files

44-bh-1740_729219_09-02-part_4_of_4.pdf

Document Summary

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