</s>ME 44-1987 LAMPHERE, JACK 55 LARSON, ERIC 52 LAUNDRY & CLEANERS 18, 21, 33, 36 LAUNDRY MARKS 18,21, 22, 35, 36, 37 LEE, MARIE 85 LEE ., JIM 83 LILLIBRIDGE, CECIL 83 LOCAL SWINGER 25, 26 LOCKSMITH LEDGER 27 LOCKSMITHSITING INSTITUTE 9, 10, 20, 24, 26, 28, 30, 31 LOMAX, LOUIS 84, 86 LOPEZ, MATEO GARCIA 56 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ADDRESSES 15, 22 LOWEYER, HARVEY 30, 31, 38 MAHER, MILDRED 45 MAHER ., WILLIAM E. 45 MAIL FORWARDING SERVICE 23 MAP OF MEXICO 32 MARTIN, MARIAE 29, 79, 80, 81, 84 MARTINELLO, RUSSELL LEE 57 MARTINKELLO, MARTIE 79 99 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
This declassified government document contains an FBI internal report from June 1968 detailing an investigation into James Earl Ray, a suspect in the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK). The report includes fragmented case notes, administrative records, and witness interviews related to Ray’s movements, potential alibis, and connections to other individuals like Robert Franklin Sanders. Key elements include surveillance efforts, telephone call tracking, and interactions with local law enforcement. The document also references an anonymous phone call made to the *Greensboro Record*’s "Hot Line" column on July 23, 1968, which claimed Ray was in Greensboro at the time of MLK’s assassination. The FBI sought to analyze the call’s recording for voice comparison but did not pursue further investigation due to lack of evidence or follow-up from the newspaper. Administrative details include man-hours spent (3 agents), mileage traveled (20 miles), and no unusual costs reported for July 1968.  

Key People  
- **James Earl Ray**: Central suspect in MLK’s assassination; mentioned as being in Greensboro, NC, on July 23, 1968, during an anonymous phone call.  
- **Dave Alexander**: City Editor of the *Greensboro Record*; facilitated the recording of the anonymous caller’s message about Ray’s innocence.  
- **Arthur Hanes**: Attorney for James Earl Ray; contacted after the anonymous call but did not follow up by August 30, 1968.  
- **Robert Franklin Sanders**: Linked to car theft and check fraud; interviewed as part of the investigation into potential connections to MLK-related activities.  
- **Earl Hall**: Used car dealer in Lenoir, NC; provided witness statements about Ray’s alleged interactions.  

Key Locations  
- **Greensboro, NC**: Site of the *Greensboro Record*’s "Hot Line" column where the anonymous call was made on July 23, 1968.  
- **Daytona Beach, FL**: Mentioned in a 1968 investigation into Ray’s movements; referenced as a location where he allegedly interacted with Jack Mayaran.  
- **Milwaukee, WI** and **Racine, WI**: Locations of FBI investigations into long-distance toll records linked to Union Grove, IL, and potential connections to MLK-related activities.  
- **Lenoir, NC**: Home to the Salvation Army Shelter where Ray’s photo was distributed; mentioned as a witness location.  

Key Events  
1. **Anonymous Call to "Hot Line" (July 23, 1968)**: A man called the *Greensboro Record*’s "Hot Line," claiming James Earl Ray was innocent of MLK’s assassination and stating Ray was in Greensboro at the time of the murder. The caller requested anonymity and threatened to prove Ray’s innocence but did not reveal their identity.  
2. **FBI Request for Tape Recording**: The FBI sought the tape recording of the call from the *Greensboro Record* for voice comparison analysis, as it could potentially link the anonymous caller to Ray or others involved in the case.  
3. **Toll Records Investigation**: The FBI requested long-distance toll records from Union Grove, IL, to Lenoir, NC, on June 1, 1961, but found no evidence of calls to the numbers provided by the anonymous caller.  
4. **"Code-A-Phone" Tape Submission (August 2, 1968)**: A plastic container labeled "Code-A-Phone" was sent to the FBI Laboratory containing a tape recording from the *Greensboro Record*’s Hot Line. The tape included the anonymous call and was later returned to the newspaper after being used for analysis.  
5. **Administrative Costs**: The Charlotte Division reported costs for July 1968, including man-hours spent on the case (3 regular agents, 0 overtime), mileage (20 miles), and no unusual expenses.  

Key Organizations  
- **FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)**: Conducted investigations into Ray’s movements, toll records, and the anonymous call.  
- **Greensboro Record**: Newspaper that operated the "Hot Line" column and provided the tape recording for FBI analysis.  
- **Local Law Enforcement**: Involved in checking fugitive warrants for Ray (e.g., no record found in Winston-Salem, NC).  

Notes  
- The FBI did not pursue further investigation into the anonymous caller due to lack of evidence or commitment from the *Greensboro Record*.  
- The case highlights the FBI’s reliance on taped communications and toll records to corroborate claims about Ray’s activities.  
- Administrative details (e.g., costs, procedures) were included in memos but not directly tied to the MLK assassination investigation.  

Relevance to MLK Assassination  
The documents focus on James Earl Ray’s alleged involvement in MLK’s assassination and efforts by the FBI to verify claims about his innocence or movements. The anonymous call and tape recording remain central to the case, though no conclusive evidence was found to exonerate Ray.

MLK Declassified Files

44-ce-1365_738554_05-02-part_3_of_4.pdf

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