</s>(22-44) FBI Date: APRIL 12, 1968 Transmit the following in (Type in plainstort or code) AIRTEL AIRMIL Via (Priority) TO: DIRECTOR, FBI (44-38861) ATTENTION: FBI LABORATORY FROM: SAC, JACKSON (157-9586) (P) MURKIN (00: MEMPHIS) (00): MEMPHIS] Re Jackson airtel 4/10/68 and Albany airtel 4/10 /68, RE THERMO-SEAL MACHINES MANUFACTURED BY TEXTILE MARKING MACHINE CO ., SYRACUSE, NEW YORK Enclosed for the Bureau are six (6) enclosures setting forth samples of tape markings obtained from laundries within the State of Mississippi. They are as follows: 1. RAYMOND L. WILSON, Supervisor of Maintenance, Ellisville State School, Ellisville, Mississippi, made available tape strips from Thermo-Seal temporary identifier- cation machine strips from thermo-SEal temporary identifier and 31/12/13. He said the number HSK2, serial number 31214 and 3/11/13: 4- Bureau (Enc (Enco-A) (ARNMR) 1 - Albany (44.49) (Info) 1 - Blanding (Info). 1 - Los Angeles (Info] 2 - Memphis 2 - Los Angeles (Info/ 2 - Jacksonville 2 - JOLY) (12) CARBON COPY Approved: RKM Special Agent in Charge Sent M Per 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary:  
The document contains multiple FBI records from April 1968 detailing forensic investigations into the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK). Key activities include analysis of laundry tape markings found at the scene of MLK’s shooting on April 4, 1968, comparing them with samples from laundries and textile machines in Mississippi, Georgia, New Orleans, California, and Rhode Island. Discrepancies were noted in marking codes such as "02B-2B," "D2B-6," "R28-6," and "D2E-6," none of which matched known practices of the identified laundries. Forensic comparisons also involved clothing items recovered from the assassination site, including a white Jockey T-shirt and a checked print garment linked to the Secretary of the Treasury. Additional records reference a carbon copy letter dated April 2, 1968, referencing "the killer of Martin Luther King," containing anti-King rhetoric and allegations of communist ties. The FBI laboratory conducted typewriter examinations, fingerprint analysis, and comparisons of handwriting samples from order blanks submitted by Futura Books, linking them to Eric Starvo Galt. A request was made for latent fingerprint processing of a police drawing of a suspect connected to MLK’s family in Atlanta.  

Key People:  
- John Edgar Hoover (FBI Director)  
- SACs (Special Agents in Charge): Jackson (Mississippi), Memphis (Tennessee), Atlanta (Georgia), San Francisco (California), Boston (Massachusetts), New Orleans (Louisiana)  
- Raymond L. Wilson (Supervisor of Maintenance, Ellisville State School, Mississippi)  
- Eric Starvo Galt (suspect linked to storage room search and handwriting analysis)  
- Coon Amen (sender of coded letter referencing MLK’s assassination)  
- C.L. Gunn (police chief of Meridian, Mississippi, who provided a carbon copy letter)  
- James D. Garner (manager of a rooming house in Atlanta, Georgia)  

Key Locations:  
- Memphis, Tennessee (central to the investigation and hair sample analysis)  
- Mississippi (Ellisville State School, Hattiesburg, Tupelo)  
- New Orleans, Louisiana (Kohler's Snow White Laundries and Cleaners)  
- San Francisco, California (Navy Exchange Laundry, Treasure Island)  
- Boston, Massachusetts (Commodore Cleaners, Woonsocket, Rhode Island)  
- Atlanta, Georgia (searched storage room, FBI laboratory)  
- Meridian, Mississippi (C.L. Gunn’s base)  
- Birmingham, Alabama (referenced in maps and forensic analysis)  
- Torrance, California (Futura Books location)  

Key Events:  
- FBI Laboratory requested comparison of laundry tape markings from the assassination scene with samples collected from laundries across multiple states.  
- Forensic examination of clothing items, including a white Jockey T-shirt and checked print garment, linked to the Secretary of the Treasury.  
- Search of a storage room in Atlanta, Georgia, yielded maps, booklets ("What is the John Birch Society?"), and materials connected to Eric Starvo Galt.  
- Submission of a carbon copy letter dated April 2, 1968, referencing MLK’s assassination with anti-King rhetoric and coded political references (LBJ, HHH).  
- FBI laboratory conducted typewriter examinations, fingerprint analysis, and handwriting comparisons of order blanks from Futura Books.  
- Request for latent fingerprint processing of a police drawing of a suspect linked to MLK’s family in Atlanta.  

Key Organizations:  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- Textile Marking Machine Company (manufacturer of Thermo-Seal machines)  
- Kohler's Snow White Laundries and Cleaners (New Orleans, Louisiana)  
- Navy Exchange Laundry (Treasure Island, California)  
- Commodore Cleaners (Woonsocket, Rhode Island)  
- John Birch Society (referenced in booklets found during the search)  
- Gulf Oil Company (associated with maps submitted as evidence)  
- National Stationery and Pencil Companies (mentioned in item listings)  
- United States Department of Justice  
- Los Angeles FBI Office  
- Memphis FBI Office

MLK Declassified Files

44-hq-38861-bulky_hs1-233652821_65-04-part_1_of_3.pdf

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