</s>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE APRIL 17, 1968 ATTORNEY GENERAL RAMSEY CLARK ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT ERIC STARVO GALT IS BEING SOUGHT BY THE FBI AS A FUGITIVE ON A FEDERAL CHARGE ARISING FROM THE FATAL SHOOTING OF THE REVEREND DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR ., IN MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, ON APRIL 4, 1968. DIRECTOR J. EDGAR HOOVER STATED THAT A FERAL COMPLAINT VAS FILED BY THE FBI IN BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, TODAY CHARGING GALT WITH CONSPIRING TO VIOLATE THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF DR. KING IN VIOLATION OF TITLE 18, SECTION 241, OF THE UNITED STATES CODE: THE FBI COMPLANT CHARGES THAT ON "ON" ABOUT MARCH 29, 1968, AT BIRMINGHAM, ALABABA ,... ERIC STARVO GALT AND AN INDIVIDUAL WHOM HE ALLEGED TO BE HIS BROTHER, ENTERED INTO A CONSPISIRACY WHICH CONTINUIL ON OR ABOUT APRIL 5, 1965, TO INJURE, OPPRESS, THREATEN, OR INTIMIDATE MARTINE LUTHERKING, JR ...... IN THE FREE EXERCISE OR ENJOYMENT OF A RIGHT SECURED TO HIM BY THE CONSTITUTION OR LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES, NAMELY, THE RIGHT TO FREELY TRAVEL FROM STATE TO STATE. IN FURTHERANCE OF THIS CONSPIRACY, ERIC STAVO GALT DID, ON OR ABOUT MARCH 30, 1968, PURCHASE A RIFLE AT BIMINGHAM , ALABAM ... " 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary: The document details FBI investigations into Eric Starvo Galt and James Earl Ray, both linked to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Galt, charged with conspiring to violate civil rights under Title 18, Section 241, was identified as a fugitive with aliases including John Willard, Harvey Lowyer, and James Earlyray. A 30.06 rifle purchased in Birmingham, Alabama, on March 30, 1968, was found near Memphis, Tennessee, shortly after King’s assassination on April 4, 1968. Galt’s movements included Memphis (April 3–4), Atlanta (abandoned Mustang discovered April 11), and other locations. A federal warrant issued April 17, 1968, charged him with conspiring to interfere with King’s constitutional rights. The FBI linked Galt to the assassination through his possession of the rifle and travel patterns. James Earl Ray, an escapee from Missouri State Penitentiary (escaped April 2–3, 1967), was also investigated as a suspect. Ray had prior convictions for burglary and armed robbery, including a 1955 case in Kellerville, Illinois, where he and Walter Terry Rife stole postal money orders. The FBI coordinated nationwide efforts to locate both suspects, noting their associations with individuals linked to the Nazi Party and other criminal activities.  

Key People:  
- **Eric Starvo Galt**: Fugitive charged with civil rights conspiracy; used aliases John Willard, Harvey Lowyer, James Earlyray.  
- **James Earl Ray**: Fugitive linked to King’s assassination; escapee from Missouri State Penitentiary (April 1967); prior convictions for burglary and armed robbery.  
- **Walter Terry Rife**: Co-defendant in 1955 burglary case with Ray; associated with Quincy, Illinois, criminal history.  
- **J. Edgar Hoover**: FBI Director who oversaw the investigation.  
- **Ramsey Clark**: Attorney General who announced Galt’s fugitive status.  

Key Locations:  
- **Birmingham, Alabama**: Site of rifle and car purchases; Galt’s alleged residence.  
- **Memphis, Tennessee**: Location of King’s assassination; rooming house where rifle was found.  
- **Atlanta, Georgia**: Abandoned Mustang discovered April 11, 1968.  
- **Kellerville, Illinois**: Site of 1955 burglary case involving Ray and Rife.  
- **Quincy, Illinois**: Ray’s alleged criminal history; Rife’s association with local crime networks.  
- **Jefferson City, Missouri**: Location of Missouri State Penitentiary where Ray was incarcerated.  

Key Events:  
- **April 4, 1968**: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in Memphis, Tennessee.  
- **March 30, 1968**: Galt purchased a 30.06 rifle and telescopic sight in Birmingham, Alabama.  
- **April 17, 1968**: Federal warrant issued for Galt’s arrest on civil rights conspiracy charges.  
- **April 11, 1968**: Galt’s white Mustang abandoned in Atlanta, Georgia.  
- **April 1968**: FBI investigation into anonymous call about Galt at a bar in Villa Eric Galt; no match found.  
- **April 2–3, 1967**: James Earl Ray escaped from Missouri State Penitentiary.  
- **1955**: Ray and Walter Terry Rife burglarized U.S. Post Office in Kellerville, Illinois.  

Key Organizations:  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Conducted investigations into Galt, Ray, and their associates; issued warrants and coordinated nationwide searches.  
- **U.S. Department of Justice**: Authorized FBI actions and filed federal complaints against suspects.  
- **U.S. Postal Service**: Linked to 1955 burglary case involving Ray and Rife.  
- **Missouri State Penitentiary**: Site of Ray’s incarceration prior to escape.

MLK Declassified Files

44-dl-2649_sec_001_ser_1-200-part_7_of_9.pdf

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