</s>PAGE THREE 100-106670 CLEAR NOTE: The Attorney General has ordered a review of our King investigations. It is being conducted by a task force of OPR and is a continuation of a previous review by the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ. WFO has been telephonically furnished contents of teletype. Task force personnel have been advised concerning address of WFO and appropriate FBI personnel to contact. WFO is been instructed to refer any questions concerning the review to deputy Assistant Director J. O. Ingram or SA V. R. Thornton. 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

The Department of Justice Task Force conducted a 1977 review of the FBI’s investigation into the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., focusing on procedural compliance, coordination with DOJ oversight, and privacy concerns. The review highlighted internal FBI-DOJ tensions, including criticism of the Bureau for filing criminal complaints without prior DOJ consultation, such as the April 17, 1968, complaint against James Earl Ray in Birmingham, Alabama. Key findings included: (1) the FBI’s surveillance of King in New York City and Atlanta, which was deemed unwarranted and potentially violating Civil Rights statutes; (2) revisions to the Task Force report to remove sensitive or unsubstantiated details about informants, counterintelligence actions, and surveillance files like the "Deegan File"; (3) recommendations for tighter DOJ supervision of FBI operations in high-profile cases, including coordination with U.S. Attorneys. The report concluded the FBI’s investigation was credible but acknowledged privacy concerns and classification disputes over releasing sensitive records.  

Key People:  
- James Earl Ray (convicted assassin of MLK)  
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (assassinated civil rights leader)  
- Michael B. Shaheen, Jr. (counsel for the Department of Justice Task Force)  
- J. Edgar Hoover (former FBI Director)  
- Ben Dibbens (Louisiana Department of Justice investigator)  
- William P. Tyson (U.S. Attorney General)  
- Dr. Freeman (evaluated Ray’s potential for violence)  

Key Locations:  
- Memphis, Tennessee (site of MLK’s assassination and meeting involving his death)  
- Birmingham, Alabama (criminal complaint filing against James Earl Ray)  
- New York City and Atlanta (FBI surveillance operations on King)  
- Louisiana (informant incarceration and interrogation)  
- Washington D.C. (DOJ and FBI headquarters)  

Key Events:  
- Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee  
- James Earl Ray’s guilty plea and conviction for murder in a Tennessee court  
- Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearings (1975) prompting reassessment of FBI activities  
- Task Force review of FBI surveillance files, security investigations, and potential civil rights violations  
- FBI interviews with individuals linked to "Pay" or "Pay Force" between 1955–1961  
- Administrative actions by the FBI, including memorandums dated April 13, 1961, and June 11, 1968  

Key Organizations:  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- Department of Justice Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR)  
- Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI)  
- National Archives (proposed repository for sealed records)  
- Louisiana Department of Justice  
- Department Review Committee (DRC) overseeing classification disputes  

The document also includes fragmented, illegible text referencing FBI interviews with James Earl Ray, Jerry Ray, John Ray, and Carol Pepper between 1955–1961, focusing on financial sources and connections to a case involving "Pay." It notes administrative actions by the FBI, including requests for access to Grapevine Tavern records and references to declassification under Executive Order 14176. Social security numbers are noted in the text but not included in the summary.

MLK Declassified Files

44-hq-38861_hs1-233652821_30-02-part_2_of_5.pdf

Document Summary

Try AI Search