</s>OPTIONAL FORM NO. 10 GSA FIFTH OF OCTOBER 1814 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT Memorandum UNITED STATE OF OCTO 1814 UNITED STATUS GOVERNORMENT To : SAC, KNOVVILLE (44-696) DATE: 6/20/69 FROM SAC , MEMPHIS (44 -1987) (P) (P) SURJECT: MURKIN Re Knoxville letter to Bureau, 6/10/69. JERRY RAY has been located and interviewed and has been uncooperative. Knoxville should discontinue efforts to interview JERRYRAY. 2) - Knoxville Memphis JCH:Jap (3) 44-616-8 SEARCHED INDEXED. SERIALIZED - HATED JUN2:3 1969 FBI-KNOVXVILLE Buy U.S. Savings Bonds Regularly on the Payroll Savings (e.o. E.O. 14176 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.0. 14178

Summary:  
The documents detail FBI communications regarding James Earl Ray’s legal proceedings and incarceration following the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In June 1969, a petition for certiorari in *State of Tennessee v. James Earl Ray* was denied by the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. The FBI noted Ray’s continued incarceration at Brushy Mountain State Prison, Tennessee, and referenced a Christmas card received by Ray in December 1970. The card included messages from an individual named William Paton Caan, who expressed opposition to capital punishment and mentioned Colonel Glen Hempleman as a potential witness for Ray’s innocence. The FBI concluded no further action was needed on certain cases, with files closed in Knoxville and Memphis.  

Key People:  
- James Earl Ray (convicted killer of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.)  
- William Paton Caan (individual who sent Ray a Christmas card)  
- Colonel Glen Hempleman (alleged witness for Ray’s innocence)  
- Warden Lewis S. Tollett (Brushy Mountain State Prison, Tennessee)  
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (victim of assassination)  

Key Locations:  
- Brushy Mountain State Prison, Petros, Tennessee  
- Knoxville, Tennessee (FBI field office)  
- Memphis, Tennessee (FBI field office)  
- Walton-on-Thames, England (mail origin mentioned in envelope)  
- Charleston, South Carolina (address referenced in documents)  

Key Events:  
- Denial of certiorari petition in *State of Tennessee v. James Earl Ray* (July 1969)  
- FBI closure of investigation files related to Ray’s case (September 1969)  
- Receipt of Christmas card by Ray at Brushy Mountain State Prison (December 1970)  
- Legal proceedings and appeals surrounding Ray’s conviction for King’s assassination  

Key Organizations:  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- Tennessee Department of Correction (Brushy Mountain State Prison)  
- U.S. District Court (mentions of judicial rulings on Ray’s case)  
- Court of Criminal Appeals, Tennessee (handled certiorari petition)

MLK Declassified Files

44-kx-696_742347_02-01-part_7_of_7.pdf

Document Summary

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