</s>PAGE THREE C8 100-35356 DURING THE PERIOD MARCH 17, 1966, TO MAY 2, 1968. SUB F, WHICH CONSISTS OF ONE VOLUME, WITH 17 SERIALS, CONTAINS INFORMATION RELATING TO AN INVESTIGATION OF A SUSPECT IN MURKIN. SUB G, WHICHS CONSISITS OF ONE VOLUME WITH 39 SERIALs, CONSISTS of FD-302'S (INTERVIEW RESULTS) OF JERRY WILLIAM RAY (BROTHER OF JAMES RAY) AS WELL AS INTERVIEWS OF OTHER INDIVIDUALS. SUB H, WHICE CONSISISTS Of ONE VOLUNE, WITH 31 SERIAL, SETS FORTH MEMORANDUMIS RELATING OF ONE INTERVIEVES OF JERSEY WILLIAMS RAY RE HIS BROTHER JAMES Ray, AS WEILL AS OTHER MISCELLANCEOUS DATA. THERE ARE NO TAPES, ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE LOGS AND/OR TRANSCRIPTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, BULKY EXHIBITS OR ANY SIMILAR MATERIALS IN ADDITION TO ROUTINE CORRESPONDENCE DESCRIBED ABOVE. A) FIELD OFFICE FILE NUMBER, CG 100-35556. B) TILE AND CHARACTER OF FILE, "MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. SM - C" 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigations into Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, threats against him, and related civil rights activities from 1966 to 1975. Files include interviews with individuals connected to MLK, such as Jerry William Ray (brother of James Ray), Charles Otto Fox (alleged extortionist), Frank Camilla Libertto, and James William Latch. Records reference Communist Party USA influence on racial matters, COINTELPRO counterintelligence operations, and civil rights demonstrations in cities like Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, and New Orleans. The FBI’s handling of James Earl Ray’s case is documented, including his 1968 arrest, 1969 conviction for murder, and subsequent legal challenges to his plea deal. A 1975 DOJ memorandum addresses allegations by Harold Weisberg regarding forensic inconsistencies in the assassination investigation, referencing autopsy reports, FBI laboratory findings, and the conclusion of the MURKIN investigation that Ray acted alone. Toronto police investigations involving Clifford H. Andrews and Gerald Stevenson are noted, as well as claims about potential conspiracies and media reports suggesting alternative motives for MLK’s death.  

Key People  
- Martin Luther King Jr. (subject of assassination investigation)  
- James Earl Ray (convicted assassin of MLK; pending appeal in 1975)  
- Jerry William Ray (brother of James Ray; interviewed by FBI)  
- Charles Otto Fox (alleged extortionist and threat against MLK)  
- Frank Camilla Libertto (linked to potential threats or information about MLK’s assassination)  
- James William Latch (associated with L&L Produce Company, linked to Libertto)  
- Harold Weisberg (author alleging forensic inconsistencies in MLK’s assassination)  
- Deputy Attorney General Tyler (modified FBI material disclosure for Weisberg’s claims)  
- Clifford H. Andrews (alleged associate with potential knowledge of assassination plot)  
- Gerald A. Stevenson (Metropolitan Toronto Police Department officer involved in investigation)  

Key Locations  
- Memphis, Tennessee (site of MLK’s assassination and Ray’s arrest)  
- Chicago, Illinois (civil rights demonstrations and riots)  
- Detroit, Michigan (civil rights activities)  
- New Orleans, Louisiana (records checked for Frank Libertto)  
- Toronto, Ontario (investigation involving Andrews and Stevenson)  
- FBI Laboratory (conducted analysis of bullet and window evidence)  
- Memphis Police Department Homicide Bureau (involved in forensic investigation)  

Key Events  
- Threats against Martin Luther King Jr. (e.g., Springfield report, 1966)  
- Civil rights marches and demonstrations in Chicago, Detroit, and other cities (1966–1968)  
- FBI counterintelligence activities targeting civil rights figures via COINTELPRO  
- Interviews of LATCH and FRANK LIBERTO regarding MLK’s assassination (1968)  
- James Earl Ray’s 1968 arrest, 1969 conviction for murder, and legal challenges to his plea deal  
- Toronto police investigation involving Clifford H. Andrews and Gerald Stevenson  
- FBI denial of conspiracy theories, including Jack Anderson’s article suggesting a jealous husband motive  
- Internal DOJ memorandum (December 12, 1975) addressing Weisberg’s forensic allegations  
- MURKIN investigation conclusion that James Earl Ray acted alone without evidence of a conspiracy  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- United States Department of Justice  
- Communist Party USA (CPUSA)  
- Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)  
- Chicago Freedom Movement (CPMD)  
- Metropolitan Toronto Police Department (MTPD)  
- Memphis Police Department  
- Louisiana State Police  
- FBI Laboratory

MLK Declassified Files

44-hq-38861_hs1-233652821_28-03-part_2_of_6.pdf

Document Summary

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