</s>44-H-38861 SEXUS 635-6152 SATURN 88. MADE IN U.S.A. ATTENTION BEFORE CHANGING CLASSIFICATION OR PROCESSING ANY DOCUMENT FROM THIS FILE FOR RELEASE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, CONTACT FO/PA SECTION UNIT D, EXT. 5767. F/B/I/DOJ. 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents contain fragmented records from FBI and Memphis Police Department (MPD) files related to investigations surrounding Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination on April 8, 1968. A memorandum dated November 5, 1965, references "JAMES EARL RAZY" (likely James Earl Ray) and notes no information linking EDWARD REDDIT or others to the assassination. The text also mentions Memphis PD activities in 1968, including interactions with civil rights groups and black power organizations, but provides no conclusive evidence of involvement in MLK’s death. A separate entry details a telephone call from San Francisco Police Department Inspector Ken Manley to the FBI on October 27, 1976, regarding an individual observed near the Prelude Club in North Hollywood, California, around April 7-8, 1968. The subject was described as a man in his thirties, six feet tall, two hundred four pounds, with brown hair and eyes, last seen near a white Mustang (Georgia license plates). A matchbook with a Memphis address was found but lacked a name. The FBI provided photographs of MLK to Memphis Police for return. Administrative records from October 1976 include cost data and manpower hours for FBI Special Agent in Charge (SAC) offices handling the investigation, noting Xeroxing expenses in Tampa and Minneapolis.  

Key People  
- EDWARD REDDIT (warrant officer, MPD)  
- JAMES EARL RAY (referenced as "JAMES EARL RAZY")  
- Ken Manley (San Francisco Police Department Inspector)  
- John L. Puddister (FBI SAC, Jackson)  
- Nancy Bowman (Clerk-Stenographer, FBI SAC, Jackson)  
- Belinda Williams (Clerk, FBI SAC, Jackson)  
- Stanley B. Walters (FBI SAC, Louisville)  
- Carter L. Hicks Jr. (FBI SAC, Louisville)  
- Richard B. Vivian (FBI SAC, Louisville)  

Key Locations  
- Memphis, Tennessee (police department, Lorraine Motel, matchbook address)  
- San Francisco, California (telephone call, police department)  
- North Hollywood, California (Prelude Club, Mustang observation)  
- Atlanta, Georgia (FBI headquarters)  
- Tampa, Florida  
- Minneapolis, Minnesota  

Key Events  
- Senate committee inquiries (Sen. McClellan’s committee) regarding threats against EDWARD REDDIT.  
- Telephone call from San Francisco Police to FBI regarding MLK investigation (October 27, 1976).  
- Observation of a white Mustang with Georgia license plates near the Prelude Club in North Hollywood.  
- Handling of photographs of MLK by the FBI for return to Memphis Police.  
- Reporting of manpower hours and unusual costs for FBI SAC offices handling the MLK Jr. investigation in October 1976.  
- Xeroxing expenses noted for Minneapolis and Tampa SACs.  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- Memphis Police Department (MPD)  
- San Francisco Police Department  
- U.S. Civil Rights Commission  
- National Retail Hardware Association (mentioned in context of evidence tracking)

MLK Declassified Files

44-hq-38861_hs1-233652821_29-04-part_1_of_5.pdf

Document Summary

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