</s>EP 157-186 COMPARISON OF FINGERPRINTS OF JAMES BARL RAY WITH UNIDENTIFIED LAYERTY FINGERYPRINTRINTS BY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES On April 30, 1966, the below-listed individuals advised they would compare the fingerprints of JAMES EARL MAY that the unidentified latent fingerprints maintained in the files of their respective offices in an effort to ascertain that of any of the undentified latent fingerprints maintained belonged to JAMES BAY. Detective V. R. RANCO, Identification Division, EL Paso Police Department, El Paso, Texas, contacted by SA HANNEL LEON DAVIS. LIEUENTON ROGER REUER, MIDDANE, Midland Police Department, MidLAND, Texas , contacted by SA JOHN J. GORMAN. Departinent, Midlands, Texas. contacted by SPA PAUL D. SODAL. Odessa, Texas ., contacted BY SA PAUL SODIAL. Captain BYRON HAWTONIONE, Odessa Police Department. On April 29, 1966. Detective V. V. FRANCO. El Paso Police Departament, Supra, and on May 3, 1966; Lieutenant ROGERT REUHER, Middane Police Department ,, and Captain BYRON HAWTONNE, Odessa Police Departmentt, both advised, advised the contacting agents that the companion of the fingerprints of JANES EARL RRAY with compassion of the fingertips of JANE'S EARL RAY that they respectful files he had been completed and that they had been unable to match RAY's prints with any of these unidentified latent fingerprints. 33 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail FBI and law enforcement investigations into James Earl Ray's movements and associations during the mid-1960s, particularly in Texas and Mexico, with connections to events surrounding Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. Key activities include fingerprint comparisons between Ray and unidentified prints, surveillance of individuals resembling suspects in El Paso, Texas, and inquiries into travel records, hotel stays, and vehicle ownership linked to Ray or associates. Investigations span from April 1965 to 1987, involving multiple agencies such as the FBI, local police departments, and federal correctional institutions. Efforts to track individuals like Frank Brickley, Eric Starvo Galf, Lon R. Hummel, and William A. Marshall (a Ray look-alike) are highlighted, alongside financial record checks for Western Union money orders payable to Ray. Witness accounts, including those from Sylvester Johnson in Shreveport, Louisiana, and Allen Thompson of the St. Francis Hotel in Los Angeles, are referenced as part of these inquiries.  

Key People  
- James Earl Ray (subject of investigations)  
- Frank William Brickley  
- Eric Starvo Galf  
- Lon R. Hummel  
- William A. Marshall (suspected look-alike)  
- Allen Krause (linked to 1967 Plymouth vehicle)  
- Sylvester Johnson (Shreveport, Louisiana; reported overheard conversation about Ray’s location)  
- Allen Thompson (St. Francis Hotel manager, provided information on Ray)  
- Rev. C.W.A. Clark (NAACP supporter in Shreveport, referenced in War Department correspondence)  
- Henry Turner (identified as a fugitive in file 88-7089)  

Key Locations  
- El Paso, Texas  
- Midland, Texas  
- Odessa, Texas  
- Florence, Arizona  
- Clint, Texas  
- Fabens, Texas  
- New Mexico  
- Fayetteville, North Carolina  
- Fort Bliss, Texas  
- Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland  
- Jefferson City, Missouri (FBI complaint filed in 1987)  
- Los Angeles, California (St. Francis Hotel)  
- Shreveport, Louisiana (Rev. C.W.A. Clark’s location)  
- Memphis, Tennessee (telecommunications and file references)  
- St. Louis, Missouri (FBI communications)  
- Minneapolis, Minnesota (phone call investigation)  
- Denver, Colorado (telephone call checks)  

Key Events  
- Fingerprint comparisons between James Earl Ray and unidentified prints (April 1966)  
- Surveillance of individuals resembling suspects in El Paso, Texas (April 1965–1968)  
- FBI investigation into Ray’s unlawful flight from Missouri State Penitentiary (July 20, 1987 complaint)  
- Tracking of Robert Dale Pontier’s hotel stay and movements (April 1965)  
- Investigation of a 1967 Plymouth vehicle linked to Allen Krause and potential connection to Ray  
- Efforts to identify Eric Starvo Galf through witness descriptions and photographs (April 1965–1968)  
- Verification of travel records for Private Paul I. Reid and other soldiers (May 1966)  
- Inquiries into Lon R. Hummel’s license plate and movements in El Paso (May 1966)  
- Search for Western Union money orders payable to James Earl Ray  
- Telephone call tracking and location verification for Leamington, Ill. (not listed in postal guides)  
- File number 88-7089 referencing Henry Turner as a fugitive  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- El Paso Police Department  
- Texas Department of Public Safety  
- Army Training Command, Fort Bliss  
- Aberdeen Proving Grounds  
- U.S. Army Medical Company 3414  
- United States Border Patrol  
- United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)  
- Mexican Immigration Service  
- Western Union Telegraph Company  
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)  
- Los Angeles Police Department

MLK Declassified Files

44-hq-38861_hs1-233652821_15-02-part_3_of_6.pdf

Document Summary

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