</s>SF 173-65 Willlay Mr. NICHOLS advised that he was born Aberdeen, Washington, He has been in California most of the time since 1945, he has attended high school in Golden Gate Academy, which was at that time in Berkeley, California but which moved to some hill area near Oakland. He is not sure it is still in operation. He graduated in 1947. During the school year 1950-51 he attended La Sierra College in Riverside, California. From 1951 to 1953 he was in the U.S. Marine Corps under MSN 1206458. From 1951 1953 he has worked as a salesman, principally in California, but actually traveling in numerous states. He is married and his wife lives in Southern California. He said he is reluctant to furnish her specific address because he feels he is not reluctant to fulfill her specific addresses because possible because of his political activities and child are very should her address become generally known. He said that he established a business in Sacramento, California in July, 1967, known as Certified Wire Service. This business is still still in Operation but he intends to dissolve it as it is losing money. He came to San Leandro in December, 1967. and established his presence in business known as Diamond Fence Co ., 1494 Hicks Blvd ., San Bernardino known as diamond Fence CO ., 1994 Hicks He is active in experiment with gold gold drilling combined with skin diving, and spends some weekends in the Sierra stream areas searching for gold, or conducting experiments along those lines. He also had interest in speculative investment in businesses in the Oroville area, which are in a depressed state " due to deparative Dan. He worked in which one in the now com- pleated Orovville Dam. He believed such property could be pur- chased cheaply and held until business picks up, insuring an ex- cellent profit. He has abandoned this idea, at least temporarily. 8 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigations into James Earl Ray’s movements and alleged involvement in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. Key elements include Ray’s use of aliases (Eric S. Galt, Harvey Lowmyer, John Willard), his escape from a Missouri prison in 1966, and efforts to track him across Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Virginia. The FBI analyzed latent fingerprints linked to evidence from the murder scene, examined stolen vehicles and license plate records, and coordinated with local law enforcement agencies. Public appeals were made for information on Ray’s whereabouts, emphasizing his potential danger. Additional leads involved verifying movements of individuals like Mr. Nichols, a California business associate of Ray, and investigating connections to locations such as Knoxville, San Leandro, Oroville, and Dora, Alabama. Unrelated criminal inquiries, including the death of Sam Di Maggio and loan disputes in Detroit, were also referenced but not directly tied to MLK’s assassination.  

Key People  
- **James Earl Ray (JER)**: Suspect linked to Eric S. Galt via alias; subject of FBI fingerprint analysis and tracking efforts.  
- **Eric S. Galt**: Alias used by JER; associated with Modern Photo Bookstore correspondence and financial records.  
- **Mr. Nichols**: Business associate of JER with ties to California ventures (Certified Wire Service, Diamond Fence Co.) and property investments in Oroville.  
- **Thomas Britton**: Informant providing details about Ray’s potential connections to Alabama locations.  
- **Mamie Mitchell**: Operator of Rose’s Place in Dora, Alabama; involved in identifying individuals linked to barge workers.  
- **Gladys Key**: Assisted in identifying individuals at Rose’s Place.  
- **Ed and Eleanor Hollis**: Operators of All-State Cafe in Memphis, Tennessee; associated with the underground nightclub.  
- **Harold Hollis**: Brother of Ed and Eleanor Hollis, operating the underground nightclub at All-State Cafe.  
- **Roy Stevens**: Provided information about Robert Grover Duke’s escape.  
- **Chester Coleman**: Tennessee Highway Patrol radio dispatcher involved in tracking Ray.  
- **Larry Daughtery**: THP officer with vehicle investigation records.  
- **William Smalling**: Bradley County Deputy Sheriff.  
- **Gene Trevitt**: Repair service owner with vehicle records.  
- **W.F. Estill**: FBI Special Agent in Charge overseeing investigations.  

Key Locations  
- **Knoxville, Tennessee**: Investigated for JER’s movements and hotel stays; linked to Nichols’ business activities.  
- **San Leandro, California**: Verified as a location for Nichols’ gas station charges and business presence.  
- **Oroville, California**: Property investment interests tied to Nichols and JER.  
- **Dora, Alabama**: Home to Riverview (remote area) and Rose’s Place (formerly Johnnie’s Planet and Parker’s Sixty-Three), frequented by barge workers.  
- **Memphis, Tennessee**: All-State Cafe operated by the Hollises; associated with underground nightclub activities.  
- **Chattanooga, Tennessee**: Mentioned in phone call verification leads.  
- **Jefferson City, Missouri**: Location of phone calls linked to Ray’s investigations.  
- **Richmond, Virginia**: Home to Eastern State Hospital where Frank Henry Niles was a psychiatric patient.  
- **Jasper, Alabama**: Noted as a location for JER’s movements.  
- **Sweetwater, Tennessee**: Mentioned in business inquiries related to Nichols.  

Key Events  
- FBI fingerprint analysis confirmed Ray’s identity with evidence from Dr. King’s assassination scene.  
- Verification of JER’s movements through hotel registrations, phone calls, and vehicle records across multiple states.  
- Investigation into Mr. Nichols’ California business ventures, including Certified Wire Service and Diamond Fence Co., and his alleged ties to property investments in Oroville.  
- Efforts to track Ray following his 1966 prison escape, with coordination between FBI offices and local law enforcement.  
- Examination of stolen vehicles and license plate records in Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama as part of the investigation.  
- Public appeals for information on Ray’s whereabouts and activities, highlighting his potential danger.  
- Inquiry into connections between Ray and locations frequented by barge workers in Dora, Alabama, through informants like Thomas Britton.  
- Identification efforts at Rose’s Place and All-State Cafe involving Mamie Mitchell, Gladys Key, and the Hollises.  
- Unrelated criminal investigations into Sam Di Maggio’s death, Robert Dunaway, Mike Katanis, and loan disputes in Detroit.  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Conducted fingerprint analysis, coordinated with local law enforcement, and managed public appeals for information.  
- **Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP)**: Involved in tracking JER’s movements and vehicle investigations.  
- **U.S. Department of Justice**: Implied through FBI operations and legal coordination.  
- **Local police departments**: In Knoxville, Memphis, Birmingham, Chattanooga, and other locations for tracking Ray and verifying leads.  
- **Modern Photo Bookstore**: Associated with Eric S. Galt and correspondence related to JER’s activities.  
- **Eastern State Hospital, Virginia**: Institutional records on Frank Henry Niles’ psychiatric history.  
- **Howard Johnson’s Restaurant, Williamsburg, VA**: Employment details of Frank Henry Niles.

MLK Declassified Files

44-kx-696_742347_01-02-part_5_of_8.pdf

Document Summary

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