</s>TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1. INTRODUCTION. 1. A. The Mission of the Task Force. 1. The Problem. 1. 2. The Attorney General's Directive. 3. The Attorneys of April 26, 1976. 1. 2. Task Force and its Method of Review. 3. B. The Task Force for April 4, 1968. II. THE ASSASSINATION INVESTIGATION. 14 1. Events Surrounding April 4. 1968. 1. P. Poor Peoples Campaign. 14 1. Memphis Sanitation Worker's Strike. 14 1. 2. 3. 4. FBI Initiatives Activities and Local Police 15 21 Activities. 2. FBI Informations of Invaders. 24 a. FBI informations of INVADERS. 24 25 a. a. of Detective Redditt from Duty. 25 d. MPD Surveillance Detail and Removal d. Details of Two Black Firemen. 26 d. Details on Two Black Firemen. e. MFD Tactical Units-Their Deployment and 33 e. MPD Tactical Units -Their Deployments and Activities on the Evening of April 4, 1988. 37 April 4. 1988. B. 1. Department of Justice Response and 37 April 4th, 1968, of the Assassination. 47 1. FBI Performance. 47 1. the Murder a. The Department of Investigation Ordered 47 b. a. Progress of the Investigation Ordred 47 e. Bessie Brewer's Rooming House. 48 e. Progress Of the Investigation 48 Bessie brewer's Roaming House. 48 3) Canipie Amusement Company. 50 3) Canipideanise Amusemment Company Evidence Tracked. Physical <loc_562><loc_643><loc_643><loc_643><loc_656><loc_394><loc_656>52 Los Angeles. <loc_471><loc_729><loc_392><loc_729>54 <loc_847><loc_746><loc_826><loc_746>55

Summary  
The document provides an overview of the U.S. Department of Justice’s review of FBI files related to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination on April 4, 1968, and its pre-assassination surveillance activities. The Attorney General directed a comprehensive investigation to assess whether the FBI’s actions influenced or contributed to MLK’s death. Key findings include the FBI’s extensive counterintelligence operations against MLK from late 1963 through 1968, involving technical surveillance, harassment, and efforts to discredit him as a civil rights leader. The review team examined over 200,000 documents, FBI field office files, and witness interviews, concluding the Bureau’s investigation was thorough but found no direct evidence linking it to MLK’s death. The document also details events surrounding the Poor People’s Campaign (POCAM) and the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike, which brought MLK to Memphis in March 1968, culminating in the violent march on April 4, 1968. A separate section describes the immediate police response following the assassination, including conflicting accounts of officers’ movements, observations of suspects, and the FBI’s takeover of the investigation under SAC Robert G. Jensen.  

Key People  
- **Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.**: Central figure of the civil rights movement; targeted by FBI surveillance and counterintelligence operations.  
- **James Earl Ray**: Suspected assassin of MLK; his activities and statements were central to the investigation.  
- **Reverend James M. Lawson, Jr.**: Memphis minister instrumental in bringing MLK to support the sanitation workers’ strike.  
- **Charles L. Cabbage and John B. Smith**: Leaders of Black Organizing Power (BOP), a group linked to the Invaders, which was involved in the Memphis strike.  
- **Lieutenant E.H. Arkin**: Memphis Police Department official who provided insights into the March 28, 1968, disturbances.  
- **Patrolmen Douglas, Wright, Gormley, Dufour, Dollahite, Morris, Baker, Landers, Maley, Dum**: Memphis police officers involved in the immediate response to MLK’s assassination.  
- **Canipe (Owner of Canipe's Amusement Co.)**: Individual associated with a location where evidence was found after the shooting.  
- **SAC Robert G. Jensen**: FBI agent coordinating the investigation into MLK’s assassination.  
- **Inspector Nevelyn E. Zachary**: MD Homicide Squad official who collected evidence from the scene and transferred it to the FBI.  

Key Locations  
- **Memphis, Tennessee**: Site of the sanitation workers’ strike and MLK’s final visit; key locations include the Lorraine Motel (where MLK was shot), Mason Temple, Claytown Temple, Beale Street, Mulberry Street, South Main Street, and Canipe's Amusement Company (424 S. Main St.).  
- **Washington, D.C.**: Center of the Poor People’s Campaign (POCAM).  
- **Atlanta, Georgia**: MLK’s home base and departure point for his Memphis trip.  
- **Baltimore, Maryland**: Scheduled destination after MLK’s Memphis visit.  
- **St. Joseph’s Hospital**: Where MLK was taken following the shooting.  

Key Events  
- **Poor People’s Campaign (POCAM)**: A 1968 initiative to mobilize poor communities in Washington, D.C., which influenced MLK’s travel plans and led to his involvement in the Memphis strike.  
- **Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike**: A labor dispute in February–March 1968 that brought MLK to Memphis; the strike was supported by black ministers and community groups like OME (Community on the Move for Equality).  
- **March 28, 1968, Protest**: A planned demonstration in Memphis turned violent, with looting, arson, and clashes between protesters and police. The event preceded MLK’s assassination.  
- **April 4, 1968, Assassination**: MLK was shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis; the FBI’s investigation into the crime and its broader counterintelligence activities were central to the review.  
- **Immediate Police Response**: Memphis police officers rushed to the scene of the shooting, with conflicting accounts of their movements and observations. Landers observed an elderly white male and female near a bathroom window but ordered them to retreat. A bundle containing a rifle was found at Canipe's Amusement Company.  
- **FBI Takeover**: The FBI took over the investigation under 18 U.S.C. 241, with SAC Jensen coordinating efforts in Memphis.  

Key Organizations  
- **FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)**: Conducted surveillance, technical monitoring, and counterintelligence operations against MLK and civil rights groups; took over the investigation into MLK’s assassination.  
- **Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)**: Led by MLK; involved in both POCAM and the Memphis strike.  
- **Memphis Police Department (MPD)**: Oversaw the March 28, 1968, disturbances and provided reports on the events; officers were involved in the immediate response to MLK’s assassination.  
- **Black Organizing Power (BOP)**: A group linked to the Invaders, which sought to promote black identity and consciousness; associated with the Memphis strike.  
- **U.S. Department of Justice**: Directed the review of FBI files and investigations into MLK’s assassination and pre-assassination activities.  
- **MD Homicide Squad (Memphis Division)**: Collected evidence from the scene and transferred it to the FBI.

MLK Declassified Files

44-dl-2649-1a_sec_001_ser_1a1-part_4_of_8.pdf

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