</s>FD-36 (Rev. 5:22:64) FBI Date: Transmit the following in (Type in plantext or code) CV 44-565 Via (Priority) PAGE THREE HE HAD KNOWN AS A DRINKING COMPANION IN SIXTYONE. WILLIAMS ADVISED THAT HE NEVER KNEW THIS INDIVIDUAL BY NAME, WHERE HE WAS EMPLOYED, OR ANY BACKGROUND INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS MAN: WILLIAM'S ADVISED THAT THIS INDIVIDUAL, ALHOUGH HE HAD TALKED WITH HIM ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS HAD ONLY MENTIONED THE PLOT TO KILL KING ON ONCE. WILLIANSS STATED THAT ON RECOLLION HE IS NOT SURE IF THIS INDividUAL WAS SERIOUS AT THAT TIME OR NOT. WILLIAS STATED THA HE HADE ONLY SEEN THIS INDINDIVIDUAL AT THE CARNEGIE BAR IN CLEVELAND, AND BELIEVES HE HAS SEEN HIM AS RECENTLY AS FOUR MONTHS AGO. INVESTIGATION CLEVELANDS AGAO. UNKNOWN INDIVIDENTIAL. P ARMED AND DANGEROUS. END: Approved: Special Agent in Charge Sent M Per 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigations into threats against Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) and efforts to identify suspects in his assassination. A complaint describes a white male, later identified as RAY, seen near MLK’s funeral procession in Memphis on April 18, 1968. Mary Chortos reported observing RAY in a 1966 blue Cadillac with Missouri license plates at the Fulton Shopping Center in Memphis on January 22–26, 1968, later correcting details to describe the car as green and noting a plate number containing "PS 6." Investigations into COFFEEY, employed at Gallon Iron Works and later in the U.S. Army, were conducted due to potential ties to suspicious activities. Paul Lomeyer’s employment history and physical description were noted but no direct link to MLK’s case was established. Don Donald Cramer’s brother, Thomas, was mentioned as having made threats against MLK, though his credibility was questioned due to a history of fabricating stories. A car lease from Sandoza Pharmaceuticals to James Little in Paducah, Kentucky, was tracked for potential connections to suspects.  

Additional documents from April 24–28, 1968, focus on FBI efforts to track James Earl Ray (JER), the primary suspect in MLK’s assassination, including verifying his aliases (e.g., Eric Starvo Galt) and monitoring his movements. The Bureau coordinated surveillance across Cleveland, Memphis, and Richmond, instructed to check for JER at "hippie" rooming houses and monitor media references to him. Investigations included reviewing car recoveries in Georgia, fingerprint analysis, and interviews with informants like Howard and Myrtle Porter, who reported a man resembling JER near Pierpoint, Ohio. The documents emphasize urgency, noting JER’s potential presence in Atlanta, Georgia, and the need for immediate action.  

A separate investigation from April 5–29, 1968, examined a threatening note found in a package from A.L. Garber Co., Ashland, Ohio, dated "4/14/68," which falsely claimed MLK would be dead by that date. George Charles Gray, an employee at the company, admitted writing the note on April 5, 1968, as a prank targeting coworker Roger Dove. The FBI verified Gray’s employment history, legal record (including probation for theft at ages 14–15), and fingerprint matches in Mansfield, Ohio, but no further action was taken due to lack of jurisdictional violation.  

Key People  
- **RAY**: Identified as the suspect in MLK’s assassination; described as a white male with conflicting physical details provided by witnesses.  
- **Mary Chortos**: Reported sighting RAY in a Cadillac at Memphis shopping center; provided conflicting descriptions of the vehicle and license plate.  
- **COFFEEY**: Employed at Gallon Iron Works and U.S. Army; investigated for potential ties to suspicious activities.  
- **Paul Lomeyer**: Former Pittsburgh resident, employed by Carling’s Brewery Co-owner; physical description noted but no direct link to MLK case.  
- **Thomas Cramer**: Brother of Don Donald Cramer, who allegedly made threats against MLK; described as an alcoholic with a history of fabricating stories.  
- **James Little**: Recipient of a leased 1966 Cadillac from Sandoza Pharmaceuticals in Paducah, Kentucky.  
- **James Earl Ray (JER)**: Primary suspect in MLK’s assassination; aliases include Eric Starvo Galt.  
- **Murray Streeter**: Investigated as a possible suspect but did not match JER’s description.  
- **Howard and Myrtle Porter**: Ohio residents who reported seeing a man resembling JER.  
- **George W. Clinard**: Informant who provided details about a man observed at the Plaza Cafe in Bucyrus, Ohio.  
- **George Charles Gray**: Employee at A.L. Garber Co., Ashland, Ohio; admitted writing the threatening note about MLK’s assassination.  
- **Roger Dove**: Coworker of Gray, mentioned as a potential target of Gray’s prank.  
- **Donald Mullin**: Sergeant, Mansfield, Ohio PD; noted Gray’s prints were in FBI records but no further action was taken.  

Key Locations  
- **Memphis, Tennessee**: Site of MLK’s funeral procession and sightings of RAY; Fulton Shopping Center where Mary Chortos observed the suspect.  
- **Cleveland, Ohio**: FBI office coordinating surveillance and investigations.  
- **Paducah, Kentucky**: Destination for leased Cadillac linked to James Little.  
- **Pittsburgh, Ohio**: Former residence of Paul Lomeyer.  
- **Atlanta, Georgia**: Focus of car recovery checks linked to JER’s possible movements.  
- **Pierpoint, Ohio**: Location where Howard and Myrtle Porter reported a sighting.  
- **Bucyrus, Ohio**: Site of Clinard’s observation of the suspect.  
- **Ashland, Ohio**: A.L. Garber Co., where Gray worked and the note was found.  
- **Mansfield, Ohio**: Gray’s legal history and fingerprint records linked to local police.  
- **Canton, Ohio**: Mentioned in unrelated administrative memos (dance schools, laundries).  

Key Events  
- **April 18, 1968**: MLK’s assassination; subsequent investigation into threats and suspects.  
- **January 22–26, 1968**: Mary Chortos’ initial and corrected sightings of the suspect; FBI follow-up on vehicle details.  
- **April 24–28, 1968**: FBI efforts to track JER’s whereabouts, including monitoring media references to him and coordinating surveillance across Cleveland, Memphis, and Richmond.  
- **April 5, 1968**: Gray wrote the threatening note about MLK’s assassination as a prank.  
- **April 25–29, 1968**: FBI investigation into the threatening note, including interviews with Gray and verification of his employment and legal history.  
- **April 14, 1968**: Date referenced in the threatening note (likely a typo for April 4, 1968, as MLK was assassinated on that date).  

Key Organizations  
- **FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)**: Conducted investigations into threats against MLK, tracking suspects like RAY, JER, and Gray; coordinated surveillance and interviews.  
- **Sandoza Pharmaceuticals**: Linked to the leased Cadillac potentially connected to suspect movements.  
- **Gallon Iron Works**: Employer of COFFEEY, subject to FBI scrutiny for potential ties to suspicious activities.  
- **A.L. Garber Co.**: Company where Gray worked and where the threatening note was found.  
- **Mansfield, Ohio PD**: Provided fingerprint records linked to Gray’s legal history.  
- **U.S. Department of Justice**: Referenced in declassification markings (E.O. 14176).

MLK Declassified Files

44-cv-565_738446_03-03-part_2_of_6.pdf

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