</s>44-H-38861 SEVILS 3828-3761 SEVILAS 3828 -3761 H. S. Department of Justice H. H. H-38881 (MATERIAL MUST NOT BE REMOVED FROM OR ADDED TO THIS FIL SECTION 44 SECTION 444 SEVILA'S 3828.3761 FEDERAL BUREAU ENTIRE FILE REVIEWED FOR HISTORICAL DECLASSICATION of CLASSIFIED INFORMATION ENCLOSED ATTENTION SECTION A BEFORE CHANGING CLASSIFICATION OR PROCESSING ANY DOCUMENT OR PROCESSIONING ANY RELEASE TO FROM THIS FILE FOR RELEASE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, CONTACT FO/PA SECTION UNIT D, EXT. 5767. FO/P/PA SECTION UNITD, EXT, 57677. FBI/DOJ USE CARE IN HANDLING THIS FIL DO NOT DESTROY HISTORICIAL VALUE NATIONAL ARCHIVES Transfer-Call 421 MADE IN U.S.A. (6-3797 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary:  
The documents detail FBI and DOJ investigative activities related to James Earl Ray’s flight to avoid confinement, civil rights violations, and potential connections to Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. Ray is described as a white male born between 1940 and 1948, with brown hair, blue eyes, and a weight range of 163-174 pounds. FBI efforts included distributing circular letters to laundries and dry cleaners in Memphis, Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia, warning of Ray’s presence and offering rewards for information. Photographic identification efforts focused on Marie Martin (Myrial Tomaso), with four photographs provided for comparison. Warrants were issued on April 17, 1968, and July 20, 1967, targeting Ray for conspiring to interfere with constitutional rights and interstate flight to avoid confinement. The FBI sought public assistance in locating him, noting his potential danger and armed status.  

Key People:  
- **James Earl Ray** (fugitive sought for civil rights violations and alleged involvement in MLK’s assassination; listed with multiple aliases including Eric Starvo Galt, W.C. Herron, Harvey Lowery)  
- **Robert A. Coney** (Magistrate of Peoria, Illinois; observed a white late-model sports car at the Provincial Hotel in New Orleans)  
- **Mrs. Coney** (wife of Robert A. Coney)  
- **Miss Rodin Coney** (daughter of Robert A. Coney, age 12)  
- **Marie Martin** (also known as Myrial Tomaso; subject of photographic identification efforts linked to Ray’s associates)  

Key Locations:  
- **Memphis, Tennessee** (target of FBI circular letter distribution to laundries and dry cleaners)  
- **Atlanta, Georgia** (mentioned alongside Memphis in circular letter context)  
- **New Orleans, Louisiana** (Provincial Hotel, 1024 Chartres Street; location of observed vehicle linked to Ray)  
- **Peoria, Illinois** (Coney family residence; site of observations related to Ray’s potential presence)  

Key Events:  
- **April 17, 1968**: Federal Warrant issued for James Earl Ray related to conspiring to interfere with constitutional rights.  
- **July 20, 1967**: Federal Warrant issued for Ray regarding interstate flight to avoid confinement.  
- **May 8, 1968**: FBI circulated a circular letter to laundries and dry cleaners warning of Ray’s presence and offering rewards.  
- **December 1967**: Observations by Robert A. Coney’s wife and daughter of a white late-model sports car parked at the Provincial Hotel in New Orleans, potentially linked to Ray.  
- **Photographic identification efforts** for Marie Martin (Myrial Tomaso) and attempts to correlate her with individuals seen at the Provincial Hotel.  

Key Organizations:  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**  
- **United States Department of Justice (DOJ)**  
- **W. S. W. Ponton Company** (printing vendor for circular letters)  
- **House Select Committee on Assassinations** (referenced in congressional inquiry context)  

Additional Notes:  
- Documents contain errors in dates and names, including an incorrect listing of “MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR . VICTIM” as an alias for Ray.  
- Case numbers such as 44-38861, 44-561, and 45-106763 are referenced in internal FBI reporting.  
- Information was released under Executive Order 14176/14178, indicating declassification for public research.

MLK Declassified Files

44-hq-38861_hs1-233652821_13-01-part_1_of_5.pdf

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