</s>FD-36 (Rev. 5-22-94) M.T. T. Tine M. N.A. 5/18/62 FBI Date: 5-17-68 Transmit the following in (Type in plantext or code) R/RV ATRTEL AIR MAIL (Priority) Via To: DIRECTOR, FBI (Priorit) FROM: KAY, KANSAS CITY (444-760) (P) MURKIN CARL MILLS, Manager, Renz Prison Farm, connected with the Missouri State Penitentiary, advised prison officials that he had found the letter sent to him by ex-immate TOM BRITTON, Jasper, Alabama. The letter was furnished to this office and reads as follows: "Hello, All. "July 6-67 "Hello. Please please me for not writing sooner, but have been busy. You know after taking a have been busy. You knew after taking an 3 and back into the life way of life again. Hard to get back into into the way of Life again. "Well now I am doing fine. Moved from town now I'm going fine. Bought a 10 acre farm with house. One of those Jim Walter shells panned out and out our country. My wife's good. out there very much and really that's what can counts. panned and out and our wife would like was here very much to really that is on counts. My past past two month I have had a trying time. My mother was on the month I had a trip to Chattanooga, Tenn. was operated on for cancer and I have been in Chattanooga, Tennessee. had her right breast removed, weighed 1 lbs. was in her right shoulder. She is her good spirit, but she was no one without a chance. 1 year. 44 3867T-3665 1.1. MAY 20 (6:00) Bureau 2 - Memphis 2 - Birmingham 2 - Kansas City RBI-S-1 (9) C. C. Bishop Approved: Approvised: 57 MAY 23-1006ent in Charge Sent M Per <loc_677><loc_904>2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The document contains FBI investigative records from May 1968 detailing efforts to track James Earl Ray, a suspect in Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. Activities included fingerprint checks, financial investigations, vehicle tracking, and interviews with individuals linked to Ray’s alleged associations. The FBI coordinated across multiple locations, including Memphis, Chicago, Atlanta, Kansas City, San Francisco, and Jefferson City, to verify flight records, examine prison inmate files, and investigate potential connections to drug trafficking networks. Key figures included Harold Anderson (subject of interest in Atlanta), Kenneth Lee Wade (prisoner allegedly facilitating money transfers for Ray), Donald V. Ramsey (arrested for weapons possession), and Willie Show/Schoaf (parolee linked to Ray via Wade). The FBI also sought information on Ray’s potential escape from prison, financial transactions, and associations with parolees. Administrative directives referenced in the document emphasized internal use of reports and restricted dissemination to specified locations, including Birmingham, Memphis, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. Some text contained unclear or possibly typographical elements, such as "REVEIL RE FELD AND OR DELIVERY" and "WALED 12 REL:CS (9)."  

Key People  
- **James Earl Ray**: Suspect in MLK’s assassination; FBI investigated his financial activities, travel records, and associations.  
- **Harold Anderson**: Subject of interest in Atlanta; possibly connected to drug trafficking networks.  
- **Kenneth Lee Wade**: Prisoner allegedly involved in money transfers for Ray.  
- **Donald V. Ramsey**: Arrested for weapons possession and referenced in connection to King’s assassination.  
- **Willie Show/Schoaf**: Parolee linked to Ray via Wade; mentioned in prison inmate records.  
- **Tom Britton**: Inmate at Renz Prison Farm who corresponded with Carl Mills, mentioning personal details about his mother’s health.  
- **Bob Powell**: Former inmate at Missouri State Penitentiary allegedly connected to Ray’s escape plans.  
- **John Larry Ray**: Mentioned as an alias or associate of James Earl Ray; linked to financial activities.  
- **Kenneth Rye Hayes**: Described as resembling Ray, with details about his appearance, residences, and alleged financial status.  

Key Locations  
- **Memphis, Tennessee**: Central to FBI investigation into MLK’s assassination and Ray’s movements.  
- **Atlanta, Georgia**: Focus of drug trafficking investigations and safe deposit box checks.  
- **Chicago, Illinois**: Reference to prison inmate records and financial activities.  
- **Kansas City, Missouri**: Site of Ramsey’s arrest for weapons possession.  
- **San Francisco, California**: Mentioned in money order investigations.  
- **Jefferson City, Missouri**: Location tied to vital statistics record checks.  
- **Renz Prison Farm** (Missouri): Site of Tom Britton’s correspondence.  
- **St. Louis, Missouri**: Reference to FBI interviews and investigations.  
- **Water Valley, Mississippi** and **Longview, Texas**: Locations associated with Kenneth Rye Hayes’ alleged activities.  

Key Events  
- **FBI fingerprint checks**: Conducted on James Earl Ray’s prints and travel documents.  
- **Bank account investigations**: Review of accounts linked to Ray, including a checking account opened in 1967.  
- **Vehicle tracking**: Identification of a car with VIN LH4 LGB 32.3.49 and Texas license plate.  
- **Interviews with associates**: FBI sought re-interviews with Bob Powell and others connected to Ray’s alleged activities.  
- **Photographic comparisons**: Efforts to match Kenneth Rye Hayes’ appearance to James Earl Ray.  
- **Flight record checks**: Coordinated by FBI across multiple locations to track Ray’s movements in April-May 1968.  
- **Arrest of Donald V. Ramsey**: For weapons possession and DWI near the Arkansas-Missouri border.  
- **Drug trafficking investigations**: Focused on Atlanta taverns, prison inmates, and safe deposit boxes.  
- **Warnings about Ray’s danger**: Multiple notes indicating Ray was "armed and dangerous."  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Central to the investigation, coordinating interviews, financial tracking, and flight record checks.  
- **U.S. Department of Justice**: Involved in administrative coordination and investigative oversight.  
- **Missouri State Penitentiary (MSP)**: Reference to inmates like Bob Powell and Tom Britton.  
- **Metropolitan Atlanta Safe Deposit Box Examination Unit**: Mentioned in drug trafficking investigations.  
- **United Airlines (UAL)**: Reference to flight record checks for Ray’s movements.  
- **Prisoner Financial Systems**: Linked to prison inmate money transfers involving Kenneth Lee Wade.

MLK Declassified Files

44-hq-38861_hs1-233652821_13-02-part_1_of_7.pdf

Document Summary

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