</s>SERIES 2926-3030 44-HOR-3888-00 -49- (0-31-50) M. S. Department of Justice MATERIAL MUST NOT BE REMOVED FROM OR ADDED TO THIS FIL ENTIRE FILE REVIEWED FOR MISTORICAL DECLASSIFICATION FEDERAL BUREAU HISTORY L. VALUE NATIONAL ARCHIVES HISTORY NOT DESTROY CLASSIFIED INFORMATION ENGLOUSE OF INVESTIGATION JCTION 30 SPIRIALS 2926 -3030 ATTENTION JCTICN 30 BEFORE CHANGING CLASSIFICATION OR PROCESSING ANY DOCUMENT FROM THIS FILE FILE FOR RELEASE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, CONTACT FO/PA SECTION UNIT D, EXT. 5767. USE CARE IN TANDELINO THIO FIRE F/O/DO/ Transfer-Call 421 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14178

Summary:  
The documents detail FBI investigations into potential threats against Martin Luther King Jr., spanning 1964–1968. A 1964 case involves Donald Eugene Sparks, a former Oklahoma State Penitentiary inmate, who was allegedly offered money by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) of Mississippi to assassinate King during his visit to Jackson, Mississippi. The FBI’s multi-agency investigation included interviews with informants such as Joe Bugianavan and Hermit Eugene Wing, who linked Sparks to the nickname “TWO JUMPS” associated with criminal activity. Despite claims of involvement, no confirmed evidence tied Sparks to the assassination. The case also references James Earl Ray, a fugitive later implicated in King’s murder, noted as an armed and dangerous individual. Additional investigations from 1965–1968 focused on threats against King, including telegrams from FBI field offices (St. Louis, Memphis, Knoxville, Charlotte, Dallas) referencing potential conspirators like James Pafford (a Louisiana gun collector later residing in Arkansas), James W. Cole (killed in 1967), and an anonymous call about a man resembling Ray in Canada. A 1968 lab report analyzed laundry tape samples from Tampa and San Francisco, concluding they were not produced by the same machine. Other leads included inquiries into “Colonel” Jim Gibson in Mexico City, rumors of a suspect in San Luis Potosi, and latent fingerprint comparisons for crimes post-prison escape. The FBI’s efforts spanned multiple locations, with some cases marked as lacking sufficient evidence or progress.  

Key People:  
- Donald Eugene Sparks (alleged KKK informant, Oklahoma inmate)  
- Joe Bugianavan (informant linked to “TWO JUMPS”)  
- Hermit Eugene Wing (informant with ties to criminal networks)  
- James Earl Ray (fugitive suspect in King’s assassination)  
- James Pafford (Louisiana/Arkansas gun collector, alleged co-conspirator)  
- James W. Cole (North Carolina, killed in 1967)  
- Melville Eugene Gibson (“Colonel Jim Gibson”)  
- Laurence D. Stouf (photographed for co-conspirator analysis)  
- Robert Smith (suspect in San Luis Potosi)  
- Angel Stick (deputy sheriff, possibly connected to bus trip into Mexico)  

Key Locations:  
- Jackson, Mississippi (King’s 1964 visit, Terrymore Motel)  
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Sparks’ incarceration, KKK plot allegations)  
- Bartlesville, Oklahoma (Wing’s last known residence)  
- Buenos Aires, Argentina (FBI communication about international outreach)  
- Memphis, Tennessee  
- St. Louis, Missouri  
- Knoxville, Tennessee  
- Charlotte, North Carolina  
- Dallas, Texas  
- Montreal, Canada  
- New Brunswick, Canada  
- San Francisco, California  
- Tampa, Florida  
- Mexico City, Mexico  
- San Luis Potosi, Mexico  

Key Events:  
- 1964: Alleged KKK offer to Sparks for King’s assassination; investigation into “TWO JUMPS” nickname.  
- 1965: FBI interviews with Sparks at Oklahoma State Penitentiary; denial of involvement in murder plots.  
- 1966: Pafford identified as a possible co-conspirator but later resided in Arkansas.  
- 1967: Cole’s threat statement and subsequent death.  
- April 1968: Anonymous call about Ray in Canada; FBI inquiries into Montreal and New Brunswick.  
- May 1968: Lab analysis of laundry tapes from Tampa and San Francisco concluding they were not produced by the same machine.  
- Rumors about suspect in San Luis Potosi and bus travel to Mexico.  
- Latent fingerprint comparisons for crimes committed after a subject’s prison escape.  
- Ongoing rumors and speculation about KKK activities, including the death of fugitive John Gibson Dillon.  

Key Organizations:  
- Ku Klux Klan (KKK) – alleged orchestrators of plot against King.  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – conducting multi-agency investigation.  
- House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) – referenced in 1976 congressional inquiry.  
- U.S. Information Service Headquarters  
- RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police)  
- Canadian merchant marine facilities, dance studios, car outlets, rental agencies, banks, and postal substations  
- Laboratory Division of FBI (laundry tape analysis)

MLK Declassified Files

44-hq-38861_hs1-233652821_09-05-part_1_of_8.pdf

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