</s>PAGE FOUR PAISLEY SUGGESTED GALT PAY FOR AUTOMOBILE WITH CASHIERS CHECK AND GALT SAID HE DID NOT KNOW HOW TO GO ABOUT GETTING CASHIER CHECK. THEY ARRANGED TO MEET THE NEXT DAY AT THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK, BIRMINGHAM, AT TEN A.M. PAISLEY AND HIS SON DAVID TOOK GALT TO FIRST AVE. AND TWENTIETH STREET NORTH, BIMRINGHAM. AT TEN FIFTEEN A M ., AUG. THIRTY, LAST, AFTER RECEIVING TELE- PHONE CALL FROM GALT, PAISLEY AND HIS SOON MET GALT ON STREEET IN FRONT OF FIRST NATIONAL BANK. GALT PRODUCTED TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS IN CASH, MOSTLY ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY DOLLAR BILLS. THEY WENT INSIDE BANK WHERE MONEY WAS COUNTED, FIVE DOLLARS CHANGE GIVEN BY PAISLESY TO GALT. AND PAISley GAVE GALT A BILL OF SALE AND PAISELEY'S TOOK SON GALT TO PARKING LOT, GAVE HIM THE KEYS AND HE DROVE OFF. PAISELEY'S SON LATER SAW THIS SAME CAR ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS PARKED IN FRONT of ROOMING HOUSE IN THE TWENTY SIX HUNDRADES PARKED OF HIGHLAND AVENUE. BOTH MR. AND MRS. PAISSLEY AND SON DAVID RECALL GALT STATING HE WORKED ON A BARGE LINE AND SONS RECALLS GALT SAYING HE WORKED "OUT OF" ST. LOUIS. HE CLAIMED TO THE PAISIEYS THAT HE WOULD WORK ABOUT TWENTLY DAYS ON THE BARGE AND THEN BE OFF ABOUT TEN DAYS. END PAGE FOUR 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary:  
The documents detail an FBI investigation into the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., focusing on tracking individuals associated with a white Mustang linked to the crime. Key figures include Eric Starvo Galt, described as a 32-year-old white male with a Western or Texas accent, clean-cut appearance, and possible ties to barge work in St. Louis. The Paisley family (Mr. and Mrs. Paisley, along with their son David) provided physical descriptions of Galt, noting his height, weight, hair color, and claims about marital status and employment. The FBI conducted searches for Galt or the Mustang at motels, gas stations, banks, and rental agencies. A man named Eric was identified at a Tennessee gas station with a white Mustang, paying in cash and wearing business attire. The investigation included reviewing bank accounts, safety deposit boxes, and purchasing records for a shaving kit linked to the suspect. Names of potential suspects, including Klan members from Mississippi, were compiled for fingerprint comparison. An FBI urgent message dated April 1, 1968, confirmed Galt as a suspect in a Birmingham murder investigation, noting his last known address, vehicle details (VIN: 6I0-03C1N96SIX47, license plate 1-389-3), and requested immediate notification of any information regarding him or his car.  

Key People:  
- Eric Starvo Galt (suspect; described as white male, 5 feet 11 inches tall, 175 pounds, blue eyes, brown hair)  
- Galt (described as 32-year-old white male with Western/Texas accent, clean-cut appearance, possible barge work ties in St. Louis)  
- Paisley family (Mr. and Mrs. Paisley, son David)  
- Raymond Candrian (Memphis State University student with tourist card, not matching suspect description)  
- Joe Daniel Hawkins, Joe Denver Hawksins, Bennie Will Walridge, Talmadge Dewitt Carr, Terrall Lee Cormick, James Allen Champion, Jinnie Garland Copeeland, Burris Lee Dunnsnr, Charles Robert L. Shorterden, Thomas Melson Davis, Rod Kellum Windham  

Key Locations:  
- Birmingham, Alabama (bank transactions, parking lot sightings, Galt’s last known address)  
- Memphis, Tennessee (FBI office, gas station investigation)  
- St. Louis, Missouri (possible barge work ties)  
- Jackson, Mississippi (Klan suspect list)  
- Nashville, Tennessee (rental records check)  

Key Events:  
- Galt’s meeting with Paisley family to arrange payment for a car  
- FBI search for Galt and the white Mustang in motels, gas stations, rental agencies, and banks  
- Review of bank accounts, safety deposit boxes, cash register tapes, and purchasing records for a shaving kit  
- Compilation of suspect lists including Klan members from Mississippi  
- FBI urgent message dated April 1, 1968, requesting stop order on Galt and his vehicle  
- Artist’s conception of suspect based on witness descriptions  

Key Organizations:  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- Birmingham Trust National Bank  
- Memphis State University  
- Aeromarine (rental agency records review)  
- KKK (listed as potential suspects in Mississippi)  
- National Crime Information Center (NCIC)

MLK Declassified Files

44-me-1987_hs1-852611265_62a-04-part_2_of_2.pdf

Document Summary

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