</s>Mr. Trionch FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION Mr. D. De-Longh U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Mr. B. Blevin- Mr. Bellingham COMMUNICATIONS SECTION Mr. Callahan MAY 1 1968 Mr. P. Bitch Mr. Pitl TELETYPE 9m Mr. Paul Mr. Sullivan Mr. T. Trout Mr. Salvatn Mr. Trout Mr. Trotter Miss Holmes Miss Gandy FBI WASH DC FBI KAN CITY 1027 AM URGENT 5/16/68 KSW Miss Gandy FROM DIRECTOR 44-38861, MEMPHIS, ST. LOUIS FROM KANSAS CITY 44-4760 1P MURKIN RE ST. ST. Louis TEL MAY FIFTEEN LAST. KANSAS CITY, MO ., PHONE DE THREE FIVE FIVE THREE EIGHT ASSIGNED TO US CHEMICAL CORP. KANSANS CITY PHONE BE THREE FIVEE FIVE Five FIVE NINE ZERO ZERO ASSIGNID TO THREE CONCERNS: MID-CONTINENT MEDIA CORP ., US ALUMINUM CORP, AND PAGE PRODUCTS CORP .., ALL OF KANSASCITY. THESE CONCERNS NOT BEING CONTACTED AS THEY APPEAR NORMAL BUSINESS CONCERNCS. TELEPHONE EN FIVE ONE ZERO ONE ZONE, IOLA, KS ., ASSIGND TO THE IOLa STATE BANK. HOWARD GILPEN, PRESIDENT, Iola STATE BANK, A RELIABLE SOURCE, ADVISED THAT THEY HAVE NO RECORDS AT THE BANK IN THE NAME OF SUBJECT, J. D ., DAILYE OR HOWER STOWNSLEY AND KNOWS OF NO ONE IN PORTAGEVILLE, MO. THAT THE BANKE DOES BUSINESS AND WITH. P 12 MAY 17 1968 END GFH MCA 12 HENTLES FBI WISH DC 66MAY:221968 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary:  
The documents detail FBI and law enforcement investigations in May 1968 focusing on James Earl Ray’s movements and potential connections to Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. Key activities include reviewing arrest records, interviewing individuals linked to Ray, and monitoring phone calls associated with suspects. References to Missouri State Penitentiary inmates, such as Donald Busseymer, who was arrested with Kenneth Lee Wade in Los Angeles robberies, are noted. The FBI sought information on Ray’s whereabouts through contacts in Quincy, Illinois, including Goldie Clark and Raymond Number, while also checking Jefferson-Gravois Bank records for financial activity. Leads involving Homer Townsley, a St. Louis bondsman, and J.D. Dailey, who allegedly communicated with Ray post-escape, were pursued. The documents emphasize tracking phone calls from specific numbers linked to Ray’s associates and coordinating with local law enforcement in Kansas City, Memphis, and Indianapolis.  

Key People:  
- James Earl Ray (suspected assassin of MLK)  
- Donald Busseymer (inmate at Missouri State Penitentiary, arrested with Kenneth Lee Wade)  
- Goldie Clark (resided in Quincy, Illinois; former prostitute, married to Raymond Number)  
- Raymond Number (resided in Quincy, Illinois; associated with Goldie Clark)  
- J.D. Dailey (allegedly communicated with Ray after his escape from prison)  
- Homer Townsley (St. Louis bondsman who claimed Dailey informed him about Ray’s contact)  
- John Eugene Gawron (partner of Ray in burglary cases, interviewed for information on Ray’s movements)  

Key Locations:  
- Quincy, Illinois (central location for interviews and investigations)  
- Missouri State Penitentiary (references to inmates like Busseymer and Gawron)  
- Jefferson-Gravois Bank, St. Louis, Missouri (bank records checked for financial activity)  
- Kansas City, Memphis, Indianapolis, and San Francisco (sites of FBI coordination and interviews)  

Key Events:  
- Review of arrest records for "Sam Massy" and other suspects in Los Angeles and Missouri  
- Interviews with individuals in Quincy, Illinois, to locate Ray or gather information about his activities  
- Monitoring phone calls from specific numbers linked to J.D. Dailey and others associated with Ray  
- Coordination between FBI offices in St. Louis, Kansas City, Memphis, and San Francisco for investigative leads  
- Examination of bank records at Jefferson-Gravois Bank under Ray’s name and aliases  

Key Organizations:  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- Missouri State Penitentiary  
- U.S. Department of Justice  
- Local law enforcement agencies in St. Louis, Kansas City, Memphis, and Indianapolis

MLK Declassified Files

44-hq-38861_hs1-233652821_12-04-part_5_of_6.pdf

Document Summary

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