</s>KC 44-760 UNDERWOOD claims he knew RAY only through their mutual association with RENFRO. UNDERWOOD wishes his identity as a white male, age 42. UNDERWEOD described RENRFO as a concealed as the source of the above information. In an effort to locate and interview RALPH RENFROP to determine how he had in the past employed James KARL RAY or determine if he had conducted as to his whereabouts, the following investigation was conducted by SAS JOSEPH W. JACKSON and LAWRENCE R. NOLAN. AT JOPLIN, MISSISSIPPI. On 5/21/68 a review of Polk's City Directory for Joplin, Missouri, 1956-1967 editions, failed to reveal any information regarding RALFH RENFRO. On 5 /21/66 a review Of the current combined telephone directory for JOPlin, Carl Junction, carterville, and Webb City, Missouri , area failed to Reveal a telephone listed to RALHF RENFERO. On 5./21/62 IRENE CLARK, Clerk, Records and Identification Bureau, Police Department; CLENIS BUGENE COPELAND, Chief Deputy Sheriff, and RACHEL BRAXTON, Credit Bureau, Chief Deputy Sheriff, AND RACHIL BRAXTON offices contained no reference to RALEH RENRO and that they had never known anyone by that name as a resident of Jopln, Missouri. They did not know RALRH RENRFO as either a present or former on 5/31/68 the following individuals all stated resident of JOPLIN, Missouri: EARL FORNTER, Records & Identification Officer, Police Department; WALTER H. FLENNER, Captain of Detectives, Police Department; 2 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary:  
The text comprises a collection of fragmented government records from 1966–1968, primarily involving law enforcement investigations in California and Kentucky. The earliest document references events dated May 30, 1966, which includes an apparent reference to Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination (April 4, 1968) despite the timeline discrepancy. This suggests a possible typographical error or unrelated case. The focus of this section is on criminal activities in California, including theft of identification cards, fraudulent checks linked to "De Luca," and armed robberies attributed to William A. Marshall. Later documents (1967–1968) detail FBI investigations into James Earl Ray, a suspect in MLK’s assassination. These include fingerprint analysis by Paducah PD, distribution of a 1967 photograph of Ray for identification purposes, and interagency coordination between FBI offices and local law enforcement. Administrative notes reference case files, form numbers, and routing slips for memoranda sent to multiple U.S. locations.  

Key People:  
- **James Earl Ray**: Suspect in MLK’s assassination; referenced in 1967–1968 documents.  
- **Durard Johnson** (Paducah PD): Reported on fingerprint analysis results.  
- **John K. Penrod** (FBI SAC Louisville): Sent memos regarding Ray’s photograph and investigative updates.  
- **Senior Resident Agents**: Multiple agents across U.S. offices received the photograph for review.  

Key Locations:  
- **Paducah, Kentucky** (PD involvement).  
- **Shreveport, Louisiana** (mentioned in photo context).  
- **Louisville, Kentucky** (FBI SAC headquarters referenced).  
- **Multiple U.S. cities**: Including New Orleans, Chicago, Dallas, and others listed in routing slips.  

Key Events:  
- **Photographic Evidence**: A 1967 photograph of James Earl Ray was distributed to FBI agents for identification.  
- **Fingerprint Analysis**: Paducah PD reported no matches for latent fingerprints collected after April 23, 1968.  
- **Interagency Coordination**: Memoranda were routed between FBI offices and law enforcement agencies across the U.S.  
- **Criminal Investigations**: Early documents (May 1966) focused on thefts, fraud, and armed robberies in California; later records (1967–1968) centered on Ray’s activities post-MLK assassination.  

Key Organizations:  
- **FBI** (Louisville SAC, Shreveport, New Orleans, Chicago, Dallas).  
- **Paducah PD** (Kentucky).  
- **Local Law Enforcement Agencies**: Including Covina PD, Huntington Beach PD, and others in California.

MLK Declassified Files

44-ls-947_sec_003_ser_201-296-part_7_of_8.pdf

Document Summary

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