</s>FBI MIAMI 9 5PM DST 6-5-68 URGENT RGT. 9 5SPM DST 6-5 -68 URGEANT RGT .* TO DIRECTOR, ATLANTA (44-2836), CHICAGO, DALLAS, HOUSTON, LOS ANGELES, MEMPHIS, MINNEAPOLIS AND NEW YORK FROM MIAMI (44~1854) (p) MURKIN. RE KANSAS CITY TEL TO THE BUREAU JUNE JUNE THREE LAST. ATLANTA TEL to THE BOREAU JUNE JUNE FOUR LAST AND MIAMI TEL. TO THE PUREAU, JUNE FORFOUR LAST. FOR FUREAU. JUNE OFFICES WHICH DID NOT RECRIVE RE ATLANT TEL, OF JUNE LOUR LAST, THIS TEL REFLECTS ONE RAMON GEORGE SNEVEL, WHOSE PASSPORT PHOTO MAY BE THAT OF SUBJECT RAY. OTAINED BRITISH COMMUNWEALTH'PASSORT ON APRIL TENTYFOUR LAST. IN .- APPLYING FOR PASPORT HE FURNISHED FOLLOWING DESCRIPTION! WHITE MALE. BORN OCTOBER EIGHT. THIRTYTWO. TORONTO. ONE SIXTYTIGHT LSS. BLACK HAIR. BROWN EYES. RESIDING NINE SIX. FIGHT DUNDAS. TORONTON. CANADA. WHICH IS CHEAP ROOMING HOUSE WERE SNEYD RESIDED SINCE APRIL SIXTEIGHT. PROPRIETOR COULD NOT MAKE POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION OF SNEYO AS RAY FROM PHOTO. PASSPPORT APPLICATION OBTAINED THROUGH TRAVEL AGENCY NEAR 44-509-4444 SEARCHED OF SNEYD EXED SENALIZATED FLUID FISH-HOUSTON 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary:  
The document details FBI investigations into James Earl Ray’s alleged involvement in the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., focusing on his movements, aliases, and connections to firearms linked to the crime. Ray, who escaped from Missouri State Penitentiary in April 1967, resided in Canada under multiple aliases (Paul Bridgeman, Ramon George Sneyd) until May 6, 1968. His passport application records and airline travel data were scrutinized by the FBI, including flights between Atlanta, Toronto, Montreal, and London. A Remington Model 760 rifle purchased in Birmingham, Alabama, on March 30, 1968, was linked to the assassination scene at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, where MLK was shot on April 4, 1968. The FBI also investigated Eric S. Galt, who was charged with threatening MLK under U.S. Code Section 241 and associated with a white Mustang found near the assassination site. A grand jury in Shelby County, Tennessee, indicted Ray for first-degree murder on May 7, 1968, though the indictment remained confidential.  

Key People:  
- **James Earl Ray** (suspect; indicted for MLK’s assassination)  
- **Ramon George Sneyd** (individual with passport application and travel records linked to Ray)  
- **Paul Bridgeman** (alias used by Ray in Canada)  
- **Paul K. Bowman** (Salvation Army worker providing physical description of Ray)  
- **Roy Paul Goforth** (eliminated as suspect due to lack of connection to MLK’s assassination)  
- **Eric S. Galt** (charged with threatening MLK; linked to abandoned suitcase and rifle near Lorraine Hotel)  
- **W. C. Shelley** (U.S. Commissioner involved in Ray’s unlawful flight case)  

Key Locations:  
- **Memphis, Tennessee**: Site of MLK’s assassination at the Lorraine Hotel; location of abandoned suitcase with rifle found on April 4, 1968  
- **Toronto, Canada**: Residence of Ramon George Sneyd and alleged alias use by Ray  
- **Montreal, Canada**: Galt’s residence in 1967; linked to financial transactions and correspondence  
- **Birmingham, Alabama**: Location of Remington Model 760 rifle purchase (March 30, 1968)  
- **Missouri State Penitentiary** (Jefferson City, MO): Site of Ray’s escape in April 1967  
- **Houston, Texas**: Location of Paul K. Bowman’s Salvation Army office  

Key Events:  
- **April 4, 1968**: MLK assassinated at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis; rifle shot heard around 6:00 P.M., leading to discovery of abandoned suitcase with Remington Model 760 rifle near 424 South Main Street  
- **April 23, 1967**: James Earl Ray escaped from Missouri State Penitentiary  
- **March 30, 1968**: Ray purchased Remington Model 760 rifle in Birmingham, Alabama  
- **May 7, 1968**: Shelby County Grand Jury indicted James Earl Ray for first-degree murder of MLK (indictment remained secret)  
- **July–December 1967**: FBI documented Eric S. Galt’s financial activities, residences in Montreal, Birmingham, and Los Angeles, and his association with a white Mustang linked to the abandoned suitcase  

Key Organizations:  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Conducted passport reviews, airline ticket tracking, handwriting analysis on Galt’s documents, and interagency coordination  
- **Missouri State Penitentiary**: Site of Ray’s escape in April 1967  
- **Salvation Army** (Houston, TX): Provided physical description of Ray via Paul K. Bowman  
- **U.S. Department of Justice**: Involved in Ray’s unlawful flight case and indictment for murder  
- **Superior Bulk Film Company**: Received orders linked to Eric S. Galt’s financial transactions and movements

MLK Declassified Files

44-ho-1509_sec_007_ser_431-455-part_2_of_6.pdf

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