</s>FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION FEDERAL BUREA OF INVESIGATION: Mr. Tollean. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Mr. DeLeach Mr. Mohr. FBI WASH DC, COMMUNICATION SECTION APR 1 1968 Mr. Caper. Mr. Calhoun. FBI SANANTON TELETYPE Polt. Folk. FRI PM CST URGENT 4-19-68 JJP Mr. S. Sullivan, Mr. Trotter, to DIRECTOR (44-38861) AND SACS MEMPHIS AND NEWLEANS Mr. Tricker, Miss Holmes FROM SAN ANTONIO (44+38862) (4-44-1242) 3P Miss Gandy MURKIN. RE MY PHONE CALLS TO DALLAS, MEMPHILS, MEMPHS, AND NEW ORLEANS, AND New ORLEANTS, TODAY. RE DALLAIS PHONE CALL INDICATING ATU AGENT JOE KALISTER RECEIVED RE INFORMATION FROM SHERIFF, CENTERVILLE, TEXAS, THAT INDIVIDUAL IN JALI MADE STATEMENTS CONCERNING KING ASSASSINATION. ON THIS DATE SHERIFFE ROYCE WILSON, CENTENVILLE, TXAS, ADVISED THAT ON AIL SEVENTEENTEEN, LAST, HE PICKED UP HERMAN PETER JACKENMESTER WHITE MALE, SIX FOOT TWO INCHES, TWO THIRTY POUNDS, BROWN HAIR AND EYES, DOB MOLE ON RIGHT CHEEK, WEARS GLASSES, HOME ALLEGEDLY NEW JERSEY, OCCUPATION AUTHOR, ENGINEER FOR QUESTIONING IN CONNECTION WITH SALE OF NEW BOAT AND MOTOR AT CENTERVILLE. KACKENMESTEENMESSER DRIVING LIGHT BLUE SIXTYFOUR CHEVROLET WIDE SIDE PICKUP, SixtyEIGHT LOUISIANA LICENSE EIGHT ZERO DASH SEVEN, FIVE, WITH IRON, WOOD BURNING STOVE IN BACK, HAD NO, SEVEN. FIVE. WITH IRONS, WODD BURNING LIGESTONE IN BACK-HAD 731/ IDENTIFICATION PAPERS OR DRIVERS LICENSE, CLAIMED BEEN STOLEN. HE WAS RAMBLING, MADE HAGENSE IN HIS CONVERATOR N68 SHERIFE NOTICED KACKENNESTER HAD WRITTEN IN RED PENCIL ON-HOUSTON POST NEWSPAPERWESTER WORDS TO THE FOLLOWING EFFECT. <loc_295><loc_863><loc_295><loc_880><loc_95><loc_880>NEWSPaper ONE 1-250 6APR301968) <loc_84><loc_941>JOBOSOY

The documents detail FBI and Secret Service investigations into potential threats against Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) following his assassination on April 4, 1968. Key individuals interviewed include John Patrick O’Rourke, a former Newark police sergeant, and Oliver Lofton, director of Newark Legal Services, who both described a tall white male with specific physical traits observed at an Abyssinian Baptist Church event in Newark on March 27, 1968. This individual was later linked to Eric Starvo Galt, though no definitive identification was made. O’Rourke provided photos for comparison, and others like Curtis Way and the Roses believed the photos matched descriptions of the man seen at the church. The FBI also investigated Earl Smith, a former Air Force technician who claimed he overheard a conversation in a Nashville tavern about obtaining grenades to kill MLK. Smith described the individual as "WM," 45 years old, 5'7", with gray hair and a heavy build, driving a new Corvette. Separate inquiries into other individuals, including Daniel J. Smith and others in Atlanta and Birmingham, were conducted to verify potential connections to MLK-related threats or activities. The documents also reference FBI efforts to track down suspects, review bank records, and coordinate with local law enforcement across multiple jurisdictions.  

Other entries mention investigations into Herman Peter Jackenmester, questioned in Centerville, Texas, regarding alleged ties to MLK’s assassination; Charles Moats, suspected of being James Earl Ray, who traveled via multiple airlines with a flight itinerary to Clarksburg, West Virginia; and Frank White, mentioned in New Jersey with unclear connections. The FBI also pursued leads involving Norm Perry, identified as a passenger on a Delta Airlines flight from Atlanta to London, through phone number verification with Southern Bell. Attempts to contact Perry at listed numbers failed, as he was not registered in local directories.  

Key People  
- John Patrick O’Rourke (former Newark police sergeant)  
- Oliver Lofton (director of Newark Legal Services)  
- Curtis Way and Mrs. Way (individuals who reviewed photos)  
- Eric Starvo Galt (linked to the described individual at the Abyssinian Baptist Church event)  
- Earl Smith (former Air Force technician, claimed to have overheard threats against MLK)  
- Daniel J. Smith (alleged to be connected to Economy Room Housing in Birmingham)  
- Herman Peter Jackenmester (questioned in Texas for alleged ties to MLK’s assassination)  
- Charles Moats (suspected of being James Earl Ray; traveled via multiple airlines)  
- Frank White (mentioned in New Jersey; possibly linked to MLK’s assassination through his grandson)  
- Norm Perry (passenger on Delta Airlines flight from Atlanta to London, subject of phone number verification efforts)  

Key Locations  
- Newark, New Jersey (Abyssinian Baptist Church, YMCA, Broad Street)  
- Memphis, Tennessee (FBI and Secret Service operations)  
- Atlanta, Georgia (investigations into Daniel J. Smith; Delta Airlines flight origin)  
- Birmingham, Alabama (Economy Room Housing, linked to SMITH’s alleged residence)  
- Nashville, Tennessee (tavern where Earl Smith claimed to have overheard threats)  
- Centerville, Texas (where Herman Peter Jackenmester was questioned by Sheriff Royce Wilson)  
- Clarksburg, West Virginia (destination for Moats’ flight itinerary)  
- New Orleans, Louisiana (location of vehicle registration checks for Jackenmester’s pickup truck)  
- London, England (destination of Perry’s flight)  

Key Events  
- Observation of a tall white male at the Abyssinian Baptist Church event on March 27, 1968 (Newark)  
- FBI and Secret Service investigations into potential assassination plots against MLK  
- Earl Smith’s claim of overhearing a conversation in a Nashville tavern about obtaining grenades to kill MLK  
- Review of bank records and burglary cases to trace funds linked to James Earl Ray (MLK assassin)  
- Coordination between federal agencies and local law enforcement across multiple jurisdictions  
- April 1, 1968: Sheriff Royce Wilson questioned Herman Peter Jackenmester in Centerville, Texas, regarding MLK’s assassination  
- April 20, 1968: FBI agents in Cleveland, Ohio, reported Charles Moats’ travel plans and physical description, linking him to James Earl Ray  
- April 23, 1968: FBI confirmed Moats’ flight reservations and initiated efforts to verify his identity against Ray  
- Rumors of a plot to assassinate Dr. King involving grenades and financial incentives  
- Investigation into Norm Perry’s travel records and phone number verification  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- United States Secret Service  
- Newark Police Department  
- Memphis Police Department  
- Local law enforcement agencies in Atlanta, Birmingham, and Nashville  
- Southern Bell Telephone  
- Delta Airlines

MLK Declassified Files

44-hq-38861_hs1-233652821_05-01-part_1_of_7.pdf

Document Summary

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