</s>1. S. Department of Justice MATERIAL MUST NOT HE REMOVED FROMOR ADDED TO THIS FILEY ENTIRE FILE REVIEWED FOR HISTORICAL DECLASSIFICATION FEDERAL BUREAU ALL INFORMATION CONTAINED HERRIN IS UNCLASSEHED of DAT 9/22/22-9/29/22 by S.S.P.F.J.G.A.E. INVESTIGATION Volume Number: Sedile: 663-1-m1 Bureau File Number 44-38861 Bureau File Number 4/4-38961 See also Nos. DO NOT DESTROY - PRESERVE FOR SELECT COMMITTEE ASSASSINATIO Rue 1-2-20 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigative activities in May 1968 concerning James Earl Ray (JER) and his alleged connection to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK). Key actions include witness interviews, phone call tracking, and dissemination of JER’s photograph for identification. The FBI sought to link JER to unsolved crimes and monitor his movements, including a long-distance call from Houston, Texas, to Roxboro, North Carolina. References to the alias "Eric Starvo Galt" are noted as part of JER’s identity investigation. Additional memos describe efforts to verify travel records of passengers on Piedmont Airlines (MC BRYNE) and Eastern Airlines (JOHN WILLARD), cross-referencing hotel registrations and telephone calls. The FBI also requested assistance from state and local agencies to locate unidentified deceased individuals potentially linked to Ray. A separate report mentions an alleged $100 million reward offered by the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (WKKKOM) for MLK’s assassination, involving Leroy McManaman, an inmate at Leavenworth Penitentiary, and Sybil Eure in Jackson, Mississippi. The FBI interviewed Eure in August 1967, who denied involvement with Klan activities or knowledge of the plot.  

Key People  
- **James Earl Ray (JER)**: Suspect in MLK’s assassination; described as a white male, approximately 30 years old, weighing 180–185 lbs., wearing an olive-colored business suit.  
- **Eric Starvo Galt**: Alias used by JER during identity investigations.  
- **Charles W. Miller**: FBI Special Agent involved in tracking JER’s movements.  
- **Ralph Hill**: Charlotte PD Complaint Clerk.  
- **W. D. Shaw**: Commercial Manager, Central Telephone Co. (telephone records referenced).  
- **Revis C. Carver**: Drug Store Employee interviewed for witness identification.  
- **TALLEY**: Witness who reported observing an individual matching JER’s description at O'Hare Airport on May 8, 1968.  
- **Leroy McManaman (Levery Basil McManaman)**: Inmate at Leavenworth Penitentiary allegedly approached about the $100 million reward for MLK’s assassination.  
- **Sybil Eure**: Woman in Jackson, Mississippi, with whom McManaman corresponded and who was allegedly involved in planning the assassination.  
- **Floyd**: Honorary Colonel in the National Guard at Jackson, Mississippi, mentioned as a contact through whom McManaman might have been connected to others.  
- **Charles Sutherland**: Chief Deputy United States Marshal in Jackson, Mississippi, identified by Eure as someone associated with the Marshall’s Office.  

Key Locations  
- **Memphis, Tennessee**: Context of MLK’s assassination.  
- **Charlotte, North Carolina**: FBI field office involved in investigations of MC BRYNE and JOHN WILLARD.  
- **O'Hare Airport, Chicago, Illinois**: Site of TALLEY’s sighting of an individual matching JER’s description.  
- **Roxboro, North Carolina**: Location of a telephone call tracking reference.  
- **Houston, Texas**: Origin of a long-distance call linked to JER’s movements.  
- **Leavenworth Penitentiary, Kansas**: Where Leroy McManaman was incarcerated.  
- **Jackson, Mississippi**: Location of Sybil Eure’s residence and alleged planning activities for the KKK plot.  
- **Piedmont Airlines, Fayetteville, North Carolina**: Recorded flight details for MC BRYNE.  
- **Eastern Airlines, Atlanta, Georgia**: Flight information for JOHN WILLARD.  

Key Events  
- **May 7–8, 1968**: TALLEY reported observing an individual at O'Hare Airport matching JER’s description.  
- **April 5, 1968**: MC BRYNE booked a flight on Piedmont Airlines from Fayetteville to Atlanta; later investigated for potential ties to JER.  
- **April 10, 1968**: JOHN WILLARD traveled on Eastern Airlines Flight 277 from Atlanta to Miami; his hotel registration in Charlotte was checked.  
- **December 15, 1967**: A telephone call placed from Houston, Texas, to Rosboro, North Carolina, linked to Marie Carré Jackson’s number.  
- **June 2, 1967**: Donald James Nissen reported to the Dallas FBI Office about an alleged $100 million reward for killing MLK Jr., involving Leroy McManaman.  
- **August 8, 1967**: Sybil Eure was interviewed in Jackson, Mississippi, and denied any involvement with Klan activities or knowledge of the plot.  
- **May 13, 1968**: Mrs. Sybil Eure was re-interviewed to clarify her potential connection to the alleged conspiracy following MLK Jr.’s assassination.  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Conducted investigations into JER, MC BRYNE, JOHN WILLARD, and telephone calls linked to the MLK assassination case.  
- **White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (WKKKOM)**: Alleged group offering the $100 million reward for MLK Jr.’s assassination.  
- **U.S. Census Bureau**: Contacted regarding potential records of unidentified deceased individuals.  
- **State Vital Statistics Offices**: Requested for assistance in verifying death records related to Ray.  
- **Southern Bell Telephone Co., Asheville, North Carolina**: Provided information on telephone numbers linked to the investigation.  
- **National Guard**: Mentioned in connection with Floyd, an individual allegedly associated with McManaman.  
- **United States Marshals Service**: Involved through Charles Sutherland, identified by Sybil Eure as a contact.  
- **Central Telephone Co.**: Referenced for telephone records related to JER’s long-distance call tracking.

MLK Declassified Files

44-ce-1365_738554_05-01-part_1_of_3.pdf

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