</s>02 (Rev.) FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION 1 Date 5/8/68 JAMES W. BROWN, Route 1, Box 176-B, Return, Alabama, advised that he was sentenced to the Missouri State Penitentiary, advised him that he has sentenced in April of 1960 and was released on June 15, 1965, He stated that he knew JAMES EARL BAY while he was in prison and first met him sometime in 1963. He stated that he had and first him sometime to 1963. His stated that the had and had talked to him personally a few times. BROWN stated that RAY made the statement that he was glad when JOHN J. KENNEDY was killed, and had made some statements at this time to the effect that he is one "Nigger." negros and that during the time Martin Luther King was leading negros at that during his time Martin LUTHER KING was leading some of his demonstrations to the impact that he made being published at the time martin Luther King is being the newspaper. This time was used to curse was used. to aggregate him considerably. He started that RAT made the statement that KENNedy was running the country and especially statement that he did not have the country to get the Federal Government to do anything that wanted to go to. BROWN further advised that the he had heard some prison rumors that in Missouri State Pentitentiary. was in the Missouri state Penitentiaries. BROWN advised that something in the Fall of 1963, RAY made the Statement that he went to get MARTIN LUTHR KING when he got out. He said that he heard that he said something KING when the he got to out. $10,000.00 to have KING dead. He stood that he could furnish no further information concerning this and RAY did not mention it again in his presence. BROWN farther advised that RAV seemed to have a sufficient supply of money that RAP seemed to be a other supply of more money that he gambled with the convicts used chips made from bottle caps or gambled for cigarettes and they would settle their gambling losses at the end of the month. He stayed that RAK indicated at one time he got. On 4/30/68 at Reform, Alabama File # BH 44-1740 SA CLARENCE E. WRIGHT:bal Date dictated 5/6/68 This document contains neither recommendations nor conclusions of conclusions of the PBI is the property of the FBI and is loomed to your agency, it and its contents are not to be distributed outside your agency. 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary:  
The documents detail FBI investigations into James Earl Ray’s activities following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) on April 4, 1968. Testimony from James W. Brown, a former inmate at Missouri State Penitentiary, describes Ray’s alleged statements during incarceration in 1963, including admiration for John F. Kennedy’s assassination and discussions about killing MLK. Brown claimed Ray mentioned a group called the Cooley organization would pay $10,000 for MLK’s death, referenced prior criminal ties such as robbery in Atlanta, Georgia, and described Ray’s involvement in prison gambling operations and escape planning. Ray allegedly expressed disdain for Catholics and African Americans and discussed hiding in Virginia.  

Separate FBI efforts focused on identifying Ray through hotel registrations, employment records, transportation logs, and laundries, with Peter Cherpes and Herbert Kelly confirming Ray’s resemblance to Eric Galt, a man they had encountered at the Economy Rooming House in Birmingham, Alabama, during August–October 1967. The FBI also reviewed telephone directories for matches to Ray’s description, contacting companies like Electra-Dakota Corporation and Computa-Date Corporation in Honewood, Alabama, which found no records of Ray under his name or aliases.  

Key People:  
- **James W. Brown**: Testifier who described Ray’s alleged prison conversations and criminal history.  
- **James Earl Ray**: Central figure in the investigation; identified as Eric Galt by Cherpes and Kelly.  
- **Peter Cherpes**: Owner of the Economy Rooming House in Birmingham, Alabama; identified Ray as Eric Galt.  
- **Herbert Kelly**: Cook at the Economy Rooming House; confirmed Ray’s resemblance to Galt.  
- **Johnny Valenti**: Inmate associated with Ray during incarceration.  
- **Cooley organization**: Alleged group linked to Ray’s plot against MLK.  

Key Locations:  
- **Missouri State Penitentiary** (Jefferson City, Missouri): Site of Ray’s alleged prison conversations.  
- **Birmingham, Alabama**: Economy Rooming House where Ray resided in 1967; location of Cherpes and Kelly’s identification.  
- **Atlanta, Georgia**: Mentioned in context of Ray’s alleged robbery history.  
- **Honewood, Alabama**: Location of Electra-Dakota Corporation and Computa-Date Corporation.  
- **Memphis, Tennessee**: Referenced in FBI directory reviews.  

Key Events:  
- **Ray’s alleged statements about killing MLK** during incarceration, including Cooley organization’s $10,000 offer.  
- **Identification of Ray as Eric Galt** by Cherpes and Kelly based on physical description and rooming house encounters.  
- **FBI review of Ray’s movements**: Examination of hotel registrations, employment records, transportation logs, and laundries.  
- **Telephone directory checks** in 1968 to identify Ray under aliases or true name.  
- **Corporate contacts** by FBI to verify Ray’s presence through business records.  

Key Organizations:  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Conducted primary investigations into Ray’s activities and associations.  
- **Cooley organization**: Alleged group linked to Ray’s plot against MLK.  
- **Electra-Dakota Corporation** and **Computa-Date Corporation**: Businesses contacted by FBI for potential records on Ray.

MLK Declassified Files

44-cg-1114_738662_06-01-part_4_of_4.pdf

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