</s>99. Kd 92 Kd 12 Kd 10 Kd 11 Kd RECO-RIGHTS 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The document details the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) investigation into Eric Starvo Galt’s alleged involvement in the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. Key elements include conflicting witness accounts of a suspect described as a white male with brown hair and blue eyes, physical discrepancies between descriptions from Memphis and Birmingham, and Galt’s alleged connections to individuals linked to burglary activities. The FBI compiled information from informants, prison records, and law enforcement reports, noting Galt’s movements between Los Angeles, New Orleans, Birmingham, Memphis, and Mexico between December 1967 and April 1968. A rifle purchased in Birmingham was found near the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, where MLK stayed. The FBI filed a federal complaint against Galt on April 17, 1968, charging him with conspiring to violate MLK’s civil rights under Title 18, Section 241. Attorney General Ramsey Clark visited Memphis following the assassination to meet with MLK’s family and officials. Internal FBI communications also reference Army ROTC instructors like Captain Wilbur A. Ray and discussions about potential threats to civil rights leaders.  

Key People  
- **Martin Luther King Jr.** (victim)  
- **Eric Starvo Galt** (suspected assassin; described as a 35-year-old white male with brown hair, blue eyes, and a nervous habit of pulling at an ear lobe)  
- **Harvey Lowmeyer**, **John Willard** (aliases for the unknown suspect)  
- **Captain Wilbur A. Ray** (Army ROTC instructor; provided witness accounts about MLK’s assassination)  
- **Major Henry McCadden** (U.S. Army officer; discussed MLK’s assassination with Ray)  
- **Attorney General Ramsey Clark** (visited Memphis post-assassination to meet with MLK’s family and officials)  
- **J. Edgar Hoover** (FBI Director; provided statements about Galt’s activities)  

Key Locations  
- **Memphis, Tennessee** (site of MLK’s assassination; Lorraine Hotel/Motel where he stayed; location of a rifle found near a rooming house)  
- **Birmingham, Alabama** (Galt allegedly purchased the rifle and car; FBI filed a federal complaint against him here)  
- **Los Angeles, California** (Galt met informants like Charles Stein and Marie Martin; attended International School of Bartending)  
- **New Orleans, Louisiana** (Galt traveled there in December 1967; informants noted his familiarity with the city)  
- **Mexico** (mentioned as part of Galt’s travel itinerary)  
- **Fort Fuschner, Tennessee** (Ray’s military posting in 1966)  
- **East Tennessee State University** (Ray’s affiliation as Army ROTC instructor)  

Key Events  
- **April 4, 1968**: Assassination of MLK in Memphis; FBI linked Galt to the crime through a rifle found near the Lorraine Hotel.  
- **December 15–21, 1967**: Galt traveled to Los Angeles and New Orleans, where he met informants and discussed plans to kill MLK.  
- **March 30, 1968**: Galt allegedly purchased a rifle in Birmingham.  
- **April 17–18, 1968**: FBI internal discussions on witness accounts, suspect descriptions, and potential threats; federal complaint filed against Galt in Birmingham.  
- **April 18, 1968**: Attorney General Ramsey Clark visited Memphis to meet with MLK’s family and law enforcement officials.  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Led the investigation into Galt’s activities, including fingerprint checks and coordination with local law enforcement.  
- **U.S. Army ROTC** (Ray’s military affiliation; provided witness accounts about MLK’s assassination)  
- **Military Intelligence Agency** (involved in monitoring and reporting on MLK-related threats)  
- **Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)** (mentioned in context of civil rights figures accompanying Clark)  
- **Community Relations Service** (Roger Wilkins, director, accompanied Clark to Memphis)  
- **Bureau of Prisons**: Conducted a search for records on Galt.  
- **Memphis Police Department**: Provided information about Galt’s sightings in Memphis.

MLK Declassified Files

44-hq-38861_hs1-233652821_04-04-part_2_of_5.pdf

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