</s>Mr. Fred M. Vinson, Jr. Assistant Attorney General August 9, 1968 Director, FBI 1 - Mr. McGowan Director, FBI 1 -Mr. Long ASSASSINATION OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. Assassination of MARTin LUTIER KING, Jr.' Reference is made to your memorandum of August 6, 1968, in which you make inquiry concerning one Barclays Bank slip listed in Docu- ment Number Nine appeared to a report of Scotland Yard. We are enclosing two copies of this Barclays Bank slips, one is an exact copy of the original, and one of the writing the writing has been typewritten due to the illegibility of the Writing. It appears that James Earl Ray, upon his return from Portugal to London on May 17, 1968. may have exchanged currency. Enclosures (2) REL.erg. (5) SEE NOTE PAGE TWO EX-100 MALLED 1 REC. 47/14/14-1 19 AUG 12 1968 COMM-F#1 Tolson Deloach Deloatch Cortech Cortoch Cortich Cortach Cortoach <loc_78><loc_840><loc_113><loc_840><loc_113><loc_847><loc_78><loc_847>Gole Gole Gole Tolton <loc_78><loc_871><loc_78><loc_869><loc_78><loc_869>Tolten <loc_103>

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigations into potential threats against Martin Luther King Jr., including analysis of a voice recording from "The Hot Line" column of the Greensboro Record newspaper. A tape (Q397) was examined by the FBI Laboratory (Lab No. E-619-MB, File No. 44-38861) to identify individuals who contacted the column. Vincent Walker and William Lonn were identified as staying at the William Lon Hotel in Memphis on April 4, 1968, but their identities could not be confirmed with known suspects. James Earl Ray was explicitly ruled out as one of the two individuals observed in Memphis during this period. The FBI also sought information from Scotland Yard regarding Ray’s activities in London, including potential bank transactions, and requested legal representatives to confirm ongoing investigations. A Barclays Bank slip dated May 17, 1968, indicating currency exchange by Ray was provided to the FBI, with the original held by the Shelly County Sheriff’s Office in Memphis. An eight-member lawyer committee appointed by Shelby County Tennessee Criminal Court Judge W. Preston Battle investigated alleged violations of court orders related to Ray’s trial, citing misconduct by Arthur B. Hanes (Ray’s attorney), William Morris (Shelby County Sheriff), Ramsey Clark (U.S. Attorney General), and Russell X. Thompson. Judge Battle issued an order prohibiting public statements or interviews by case participants. A 1966 Mustang abandoned by Ray in Atlanta was recovered by the FBI and stored at the Federal Building in Atlanta, with its disposition pending discussions with Tennessee officials. The "Code-A-Phone" container containing the voice tape was sent to the FBI Laboratory for analysis and later returned to the Greensboro Record after use.  

Key People  
- James Earl Ray (suspected assassin of MLK)  
- Arthur B. Hanes (Ray’s attorney)  
- William Morris (Shelby County Sheriff)  
- Ramsey Clark (U.S. Attorney General)  
- Russell X. Thompson (attorney assisting Ray’s defense)  
- W. Preston Battle (Tennessee judge overseeing the case)  
- Vincent Walker  
- William Lonn (William Lon Hotel)  
- Willie James McGuire  
- Margaret Capcomachia  

Key Locations  
- Memphis, Tennessee (Sheriff’s Office, court proceedings, William Lon Hotel)  
- London, England (Scotland Yard investigation)  
- Atlanta, Georgia (FBI storage of Mustang, FBI Laboratory)  
- Greensboro, North Carolina (The Hot Line column)  
- Memphis Metropolitan Airport  
- Los Angeles County (Central Parkway, 627 South Alameda Street)  

Key Events  
- Exchange of currency by James Earl Ray in London (May 17, 1968)  
- Investigation into violations of court orders related to Ray’s trial  
- Recovery and storage of the 1966 Mustang abandoned by Ray  
- FBI Laboratory analysis of a voice recording from a "Code-A-Phone" container  
- Voice analysis of "Hot Line" column tape (Q397) to identify individuals contacting the column  
- Investigation into individuals associated with the William Lon Hotel in Memphis on April 4, 1968  
- Ruling out James Earl Ray as a suspect in Memphis activities  
- Separate inquiry into the murder of William Somerset and unrelated individuals like Willie James McGuire  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- U.S. Department of Justice  
- Shelby County Tennessee Criminal Court  
- Greensboro Record newspaper  
- Scotland Yard (British police)  
- Los Angeles Police Department  
- Pacific Telephony and Telegraph Company

MLK Declassified Files

44-hq-38861_hs1-233652821_21-01-part_4_of_6.pdf

Document Summary

Try AI Search