</s>with J.B. Stoner, the racist leader of article raises the possibility that byd the National States Rights party. were dupes. Ray's claim, since he renounced The FBI has salif it cemet his confession, has been that he was tively connect, the bullet that cimet working on a smuggling deal with the King with the rifle purchased be Raoul was was in Memphis the day King was killed on orders of Rooul. cause the bullet was too badly mie No one has ever been able to locate gled for ballistics comparison. No one was ever been Able to locate committee intends to conduct its own Raoul. ballistics tests this week. Ray's fingerprints were on the THE MAGAZINE quotes attorney Riley's the rifle was found near the Percy Foreman as saying Ray had Rifle, the rifle were found near his acknowledged Jerry Ray was with rooming house from which the shot him when Ray bought the rifle. was fired, and Ray sticks to his present story that he did not fire the him when Bay bought the murder shot. leved to have been the murder weapon, in Birmingham, Ala. Wal- liam Bradford Hule, a Ray bioga- pher, has testified he believed Jerry Ray had advance knowledge of the assassination. Jerry Ray has always insisted that he was working at a Chicago club for months before and after the assassin- nation and never left there. He was questioned before and ate the FBI questioned repeatedly by the FBI during the investigation and contents that FBI knew by the worked seven nights a week. The New Times claims that the FBI never adequately pursued Jerry Ray's whereabouts at the time of the purchase of the rifle a few days be- fore King was killed. The magazine says even if Raoul and Jerry Ray are the same person, it does not follow that they were co- conspirators in King's death. The 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary: The document details fragmented aspects of the investigation into Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, focusing on James Earl Ray's involvement and financial activities linked to his escape from a Missouri prison prior to the murder. It notes that Ray’s fingerprints were found on a rifle associated with the crime, though ballistics tests could not definitively link it to the weapon used. The FBI conducted extensive questioning of Ray but faced criticism for inadequate tracking of his movements before the assassination. References suggest Jerry Ray and Raoul may be the same individual, though no conclusive evidence of co-conspiracy exists. The investigation spanned multiple administrations, involving Attorneys General Robert F. Kennedy, Nicholas Katzenbach, and Ramsey Clark, with legal challenges hindering prosecution of FBI participants due to statute limitations. Unrelated content within the document includes mentions of political satire, administrative procedures, a Miami case involving Willie Soverset, and a 1968 assassination plot inquiry. The FBI’s surveillance activities, including electronic monitoring of King’s residence, are noted alongside bureaucratic processes related to case management.  

Key People: James Earl Ray, Jerry Ray (possibly Raoul), Robert F. Kennedy, Nicholas Katzenbach, Ramsey Clark, Attorney General Griffin B. Bell, Richard A. Sprague, William Bradford Hule (Ray biographer), FBI agents, U.S. House Assassinations Committee members, unnamed officials from various agencies, Willie Soverset.  

Key Locations: Memphis, Tennessee; Birmingham, Alabama; Miami, Florida; Washington, D.C.; London, England; Missouri; South Birmingham (likely a typo for Birmingham, Alabama).  

Key Events: Investigation into King’s assassination, FBI surveillance of Ray and others, ballistics analysis of the murder weapon, questioning of Ray by the FBI, legal proceedings involving Ray, administrative processes related to case management, FBI harassment of King including unauthorized surveillance, task force findings on Ray’s financial sources remaining unexplained, and a 1968 Miami case review.  

Key Organizations: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. House Assassinations Committee, Department of Justice, Birmingham Police Department, Miami Police Department, unspecified administrative units within government agencies.

MLK Declassified Files

44-hq-38861_hs1-233652821_32a-05-part_2_of_2.pdf

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