</s>10-24-68 AIRTEL AIR MAIL TO: DIRECTOR, FBI (44-38861) FROM: SAC, BERMINGHAM (44+1740) JAMES EARL RAY; DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. - VICTIM; CR - CONSPIRACY 00: ME Rebutel 10-24~68. Enclosed is LHM requested, original and four copies. 3-Bureau (enc. 5) 3-Birmingham RJ.Mirlig (4)log 44-1946-2079 SEARCHED INDEXED SERIALIZED 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary:  
The document contains multiple FBI records from November 1968 detailing investigations into potential connections between individuals and Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK). One segment focuses on hotel registration checks for John L. Raynes at the Granada Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri, around August 1967. The FBI sought to identify "RAOUL," a figure linked to an article in *Look* magazine alleging involvement with Ray. Registration details include Raynes' arrival date (August 25, 1967), room assignment (Room 210), and unspecified travel method. A follow-up note references Ray using the alias Eric S. Galt in Birmingham, renting a room from Peter Cherpes on Highland Avenue. The FBI forwarded hotel records to its laboratory for analysis and requested copies to be sent to New Orleans, Mobile, and San Antonio.  

Another segment details an interview with Robert Lee Saunders, an Army private arrested in Memphis. Saunders claimed he overheard four men discussing harming MLK during a confrontation near Beal Street. He described one man as a large Negro male with a beard who stated, "Let me be the one to get him," and others with specific physical traits. Saunders later learned of MLK's assassination but initially did not connect the incident to the individuals he observed.  

Key People:  
- John L. Raynes (subject of hotel registration checks)  
- Eric S. Galt (alias used by Raynes in Birmingham)  
- Robert Lee Saunders (Army private who overheard alleged plot details)  
- "RAOUL" (individual linked to MLK via *Look* magazine article)  

Key Locations:  
- Granada Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri  
- Beal Street, Memphis, Tennessee  
- Highland Avenue, Birmingham, Alabama  
- Ft. Campbell, Kentucky (Saunders' military assignment)  

Key Events:  
- FBI investigation into hotel records for Raynes and "RAOUL"  
- Saunders' account of overheard conversation about harming MLK  
- Hotel registration details and alias usage by Raynes  
- Forwarding of records to FBI Laboratory and regional offices  

Key Organizations:  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- United States Army (Saunders' military service)

MLK Declassified Files

44-bh-1740_729219_09-05-part_1_of_5.pdf

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