</s>PAGE TWO AT 44-238G FEMALE MACON, GEORGIA, NOT TO RETURN TO GRAY, GEORGEIA UNTIL MAY SIX SIXTYEIGHT. CARPENTER WILL BE CONTACTED. END. LLD FBI WASH DC 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigative efforts from April 1967 to May 1968 focused on James Earl Ray’s suspected involvement in the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Key activities include tracking Ray’s movements through airline records, hotel stays, and potential connections to individuals like Herman Schumacher. Investigations involved monitoring phone calls, verifying identities via fingerprint analysis, and checking census records for deceased persons linked to Ray. The Bureau sought information on Ray’s travel patterns, including flights with American Airlines, hotel check-ins in Memphis, Tampa, and West Palm Beach, and interactions with individuals such as Carol Crowley, who reported seeing a man resembling Ray at a West Palm Beach hotel. Efforts also included verifying the identity of Rudy Jesse Smith, a guest at the Beauna Vista Hotel, and investigating potential aliases tied to Schumacher. Additional focus was placed on monitoring American Airlines Flight 338 (April 6, 1968) for passengers matching Ray’s description, surveillance of an individual observed at the Golden Earring Lounge in Jacksonville linked to the Trans Chaplain tanker, and tracking a telephone call from Alpine, Texas, associated with Ray’s travel plans.  

Key People  
- **James Earl Ray**: Suspect in MLK’s assassination; subject of FBI tracking efforts.  
- **Carol Crowley**: Testified about seeing a man resembling Ray at a West Palm Beach hotel.  
- **William Cockrins**: Beauna Vista Hotel manager who confirmed Rudy Jesse Smith was not Ray.  
- **Herman Schumacher**: Suspected alias linked to Ray; investigated for potential connections to travel records.  
- **Alonzo F. Cook Jr.**: Subject of investigation related to Ray’s potential contact.  
- **Mrs. Vera D. Gook** and **James P. Cock**: Interviewed for background on Cook Jr.  
- **Jody Farmer**: Ticket salesman at Fort Bliss, Texas; associated with Ray’s travel plans.  
- **Paul E. Reid**: Linked to American Airlines flight 338.  
- **James C. Jowers**: Connected to a vehicle in Jacksonville.  
- **Trans Chaplain crew members**: Including a deck maintenance man suspected of resembling Ray.  

Key Locations  
- **West Palm Beach, Florida**: Hotel where Crowley reported seeing a man matching Ray’s description.  
- **Memphis, Tennessee**: Central hub for FBI investigation into MLK’s assassination.  
- **Tampa, Florida**: Involved in tracking Ray’s potential connections through airline data.  
- **Phoenix, Arizona**: Mentioned in airline ticket investigations linked to Schumacher.  
- **Las Vegas, Nevada**: Hotel and travel records checked for Ray’s movements.  
- **Jacksonville, Florida**: Surveillance of an individual at the Golden Earring Lounge linked to the Trans Chaplain tanker.  
- **Alpine, Texas**: Telephone call associated with Ray’s travel plans.  
- **Fort Bliss, Texas**: Location of Jody Farmer’s ticket sales activity.  
- **St. Louis, Missouri**; **Los Angeles, California**; **Birmingham, Alabama**; **Miami, Florida**; **Atlanta, Georgia**; **Albany, New York**: Additional locations referenced in tracking efforts.  

Key Events  
- **April–May 1967**: Investigation into Ray’s movements via phone calls, travel records, and potential aliases like Schumacher.  
- **May 6, 1968**: FBI expanded airline and hotel checks to locate Ray or associates.  
- **West Palm Beach Hotel Stay (April 1967)**: Crowley reported a man resembling Ray was present; hotel manager confirmed no record of Ray as a guest.  
- **American Airlines Flight 338 (April 6, 1968)**: Monitoring for passengers matching Ray’s description.  
- **Surveillance at Golden Earring Lounge in Jacksonville**: Linked to an individual observed on the Trans Chaplain tanker.  
- **Telephone call from Alpine, Texas (December 15, 1967)**: Associated with Ray’s travel plans.  
- **Census Records Check**: Bureau sought information on deceased individuals potentially linked to Ray through unclaimed records.  
- **Fingerprint Analysis**: Requested examination of documents Q304 and Q305 for typewriter patterns; results indicated they were not attributable to Eric S. Galt.  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Central agency conducting the investigation; multiple SACs coordinated efforts across regions.  
- **American Airlines**: Checked for travel records linked to Ray’s movements.  
- **U.S. Army Air Corps (USAC)**: Mentioned in administrative or investigative contexts.  
- **Royal American**: Company associated with individuals like James L. Sparks, who had Royal American identification cards.

MLK Declassified Files

44-hq-38861_hs1-233652821_09-05-part_4_of_8.pdf

Document Summary

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