</s>MO 157-2627 JTB:alg SEARCHED NOXED 1 SENIALIZED 9/9-FILLED FBI-HOUSTON. CALLS FROM PUBLIC TELEPHONES INVERSTATE 10, DECEMBER 15-17, 1967 R. GERARD ROBINSON: The following investigation was conducted by SA On May 7, 1968, Mr. WALTER FRIDAY, Administrator, Choctaw general Hospital, Butler, Alabama, advised that tele- phone number 459-2461 has been assigned to that hospital for several telephone calls received at this hospital from Orange. Texas, or any out-of-state calls in December 1967, as such concerns that could not recall any patient at the hospital cancelled or not received any patient with several he said that he could not receive any patient in the hospital who might logically have received any telephone calls from Orange, Texas. FRIDDAY advised that he checked with several times on telephone duty but none could recall any long dis- tance calls from the State of Texas. ROBERT D. The following Investigation was conducted BY SA CAMPBELL: On May 8, 1968. Mr. CHARLES B. STEPHENES, SEMMES Nursery, Semmes, Alabama advised that He has had telephone number 342-1435 for a long time and that during the middle of December, Alabama and that he called from Houston, of December to the name of PATFIELD, who called fromHouston, Texas, he said that PATFIELD had a short time before gone into the nursery business and then, making most of his telephone calls from public telephone. Road, Mobile 8, 1969, WILLIAM T. HODGES, 1107 Hannon number 179-8740 for the past ten years. He said that He occasionally drives a truck moving furniture for Van Lines and on December 16, 1967, he was in Congress that the desks as it was his sister-in-law's birthday, and on that occasion, he called his wife in Mobile from Corpus Christi. 44/09-3532 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary:  
The documents detail FBI investigations into long-distance telephone calls made from public telephones along Interstate Highway 10 during December 15–17, 1967, with a focus on calls originating in Texas. The FBI conducted interviews with individuals in Alabama, Texas, Florida, California, and New York to identify potential callers linked to the calls. References to "JAMES EARL RAY" and "RAY" appear frequently, though no direct connection to Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination is established. Investigations also included verification of telephone records, personnel files, and interviews with individuals such as Walter Friday, Charles B. Stephenes, and others. The Miami Division concluded no further leads existed after investigating a call from Vidor, Texas. A separate investigation in May 1968 referenced James Earl Ray as a "Top Ten Fugitive" linked to MLK’s assassination, with efforts to verify phone calls along Interstate Route 10 during December 1967. The third summary describes an FBI inquiry into Eric GALT’s travel from Los Angeles to New Orleans (December 15–19, 1967), including his stay at the Provincial Motel in New Orleans and interviews with motel guests. Photographs of James Earl Ray were provided for identification purposes. Social Security numbers are noted but redacted.  

Key People:  
- **James Earl Ray** (repeatedly referenced as a subject of interest; linked to MLK’s assassination in some documents)  
- **Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.** (subject of the investigation)  
- **Eric GALT** (traveler under investigation, stayed at Provincial Motel in New Orleans)  
- **Charles J. STEIN** (travel companion of GALT)  
- **Walter Friday** (Choctaw General Hospital administrator in Alabama)  
- **Lester Brooker** (Villa Park, Illinois; checked for phone call records)  
- **Mrs. Guadalupe Herrera** (Shelby, Michigan; denied connection to MLK’s murder)  
- **Charles Markle** (Imokalee, Florida; contacted regarding potential calls)  
- **Ray Easterwood**, **E. D. Elliott**, **N. R. Hinec**, and other motel guests listed by city and date  

Key Locations:  
- **Los Angeles, California** (origin of GALT’s travel)  
- **New Orleans, Louisiana** (Provincial Motel, 1024 Chartres Street; GALT’s stay December 17–19, 1967)  
- **Houston, Texas**, **Vidor, Texas**, **Birmingham, Alabama**, **Memphis, Tennessee**, **Detroit, Michigan**, **Miami, Florida**, **Fort Worth, Texas**  
- **Mobile, Alabama**, **Tampa, Florida**, **San Diego, California**, **Seattle, Washington**  

Key Events:  
- FBI investigations into long-distance calls from public telephones on Interstate Highway 10 during December 15–17, 1967.  
- Verification of telephone records and interviews with individuals in Alabama, Texas, Florida, Illinois, and Michigan to determine connections to the calls.  
- Reference to James Earl Ray as a "Top Ten Fugitive" linked to MLK’s assassination in May 1968.  
- Interviews with Mrs. Guadalupe Herrera, Lester Brooker, and Charles Markle denying any connection to MLK’s murder.  
- FBI coordination between offices (Memphis, Atlanta, Miami) for reporting findings.  
- Investigation into Eric GALT’s travel from Los Angeles to New Orleans, including interviews with motel guests and distribution of James Earl Ray’s photographs for identification.  

Key Organizations:  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**  
- **Boeing Company** (mentioned in personnel file reviews)  
- **General Telephone Company** (telephone records reviewed)  
- **Cedar Crest College** (Allentown, Pennsylvania; Linda Peters’ affiliation)  
- **Semes Nursery** (Alabama; Charles B. Stephenes’ ownership)  
- **Captain Pete's Restaurant** (Mobile, Alabama; Frances Patronas and waitresses interviewed)  
- **Bureau of Identification** (Du Page County Sheriff’s Office, Illinois)  
- **Local police departments** (e.g., Villa Park, Illinois; Fort Worth, Texas)

MLK Declassified Files

44-ho-1509_sec_004_ser_269-365-part_2_of_7.pdf

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