</s>Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is an appro- private agency of the legislative arm to oversee the performance of the Bureau. Both the Office of Pro- fessional Responsibility and the Senate Select Committee should be expressly designated in their respective enabling regulations and resolutions to be a place to which Bureau subordinates may complain, confidently and with impunity, of orders which they believe to threaten a violation of the civil rights and liberties of citizens and inhabitants of the United States. 5. It seems to be to us that the unauthorized malicious dissemination of investigative data from FBI files should be more than the presently prescribed misdemeanor (5 USC 552a(i)(1). A felony penalty should be added. Parenthetically, it should be noted here that it should be made clear that it is improper (but not criminal) -148- 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary:  
The documents include a 1963 memorandum discussing communist influence on racial matters and the Negro movement, referencing Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) as a target of communist activities. It notes heightened Communist Party efforts to dominate Negro developments post-August 28, 1963, and urges field offices to investigate communist-Negro relations. A 1976 letter from the Attorney General’s task force requests an interview with James Earl Ray regarding his indictment for MLK’s assassination. Ray’s legal complaint against TIME Inc. alleges civil rights violations related to his 1968 indictment, including claims that information used in the case was obtained through coercion and unreliable sources. Ray details alleged connections between phone numbers, addresses (e.g., Vera C. Staples), and individuals linked to organizations like the Tennessee Valley Labor Union and Palestine Arab cause. The text also references legal proceedings involving Ray’s plea bargain, appeals, and post-trial investigations into his indictment.  

Key People:  
- James Earl Ray (accused of MLK’s assassination)  
- Percy Foreman (attorney representing Ray)  
- W. Henry Hallie (justice department attorney)  
- Gerald Frank (defendant in legal complaint)  
- Robert M. Morris (judge involved in appeals)  
- Brenda Pollicotti (defendant in legal complaint)  

Key Locations:  
- Shelby County, Tennessee (indictment and trial location)  
- New Orleans, Louisiana (telephone number linked to MLK case)  
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana (address associated with MLK investigation)  
- St. Louis, Missouri (labor leader referenced)  
- Nashville, Tennessee (prison facility)  

Key Events:  
- 1968 indictment of James Earl Ray for MLK’s assassination  
- 1974 evidentiary hearing into Ray’s plea bargain  
- 1975 U.S. Court of Appeals upholding judicial ruling against Ray  
- Legal complaint by Ray against TIME Inc. alleging civil rights violations  
- Post-trial investigation into information used in Ray’s indictment  

Key Organizations:  
- Communist Party, USA (discussed as influencing Negro movements)  
- Tennessee Valley Labor Union (linked to address and telephone number)  
- Palestine Arab cause (alleged connection to New Orleans individual)  
- U.S. Department of Justice (task force involved in MLK assassination review)

MLK Declassified Files

44-dl-2649-1a_sec_001_ser_1a1-part_7_of_8.pdf

Document Summary

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