</s>FD-36 (Rev. 5:22:64) FBI Date: Transmit the following in (Type in plainst or code) Via (Priority) PAGE THREE THIS HE CONSIDERED TO BE A THREAT AND THIS WAS LAST CONTACT HE EVER HAD HE CONSIDEDRY TO BE a THREATS AND THIS WAS LAST CONTACTE HE EVER HAS WITH THIS INDIVIDUAL AND DOES NOT NOW REMEMBER HIS NAME OR THE NAME OF HIS NEPHEW, THE AIRMAN WHO SUPPOSEDLY WAS STATIONED WITH HIM AT SEYMORNE JOHNSON AFB. SMITH SAID THE INDIVIDENTIAL IN THE BAR WAS WM, FORTIFIVE YEARS OF AGE, FIVE SEVEN, GRAY HAIR, HEAVY BUILD, TWO HUNDRED TWENTY LBS ., AND DROVE A NEW CORVETTE. SMITHS SAID HE HAD NO OBJECTION TO HAVE HIS IDENTITY REVEALED IN CONNECTION WITH HIS INVESTIGATION. FOLLOWING ABOVE INTERVIEW, SMITH AGAIN RECONTACTED NASHVILLE RA AND SAID BE HAD BEEN FIRED FROM HIS JOB . AFTER RECENTACTED THIS INFORMATION, C. E. WEAVER, GENERAL MANAGER, WESTERN AUTO STORE WAS CONTACTED, WEAVEAR SAID HER HEAD NOT FIRED EARTH BUT HAD TOLD SMITH TO GO HOME AS SMITH WAS DRINKING ON THE JOB. WEAVER FURTHER STATED SMITH AS SEVENTED WAS BEAT MEETING OF EMPLOYEES AT SIX THIRTY A.M ., APRIL ELEVEN, SIXTEIGHT, BUT FAILED TO ARRIVE. WEAVER SENT: MAN TO LOCATE SMITH AT SMITH'S RESIDENCE. THIS MAN REPORTED TO WEAER THAT SMITH WAS DRUNK PREVIOUS EVENING ANDCOVER- SLEEP, MISSING MEETAING. WEEAVER SAID HIS CONSIDERS SMITH DECEITFUL, UNRELIABLE, AND PROBABLY A HEAVERY DRINKER, AND HAD HAD BEN CONSIDERING Approved: Special Agent in Charge Sent M Per 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigations into potential threats against Martin Luther King Jr., focusing on multiple leads and suspects. Earl Smith, an individual with ties to Nashville, claimed to have encountered a man in a bar discussing a plot involving $5,000 for fifty hand grenades and a plan to kill Dr. King. Smith later reported being fired from his job at Western Auto Store, though the manager denied this, citing intoxication and untrustworthiness. The FBI sought to verify Smith’s claims but noted inconsistencies in his statements. Richard Harrell (aka Jimmy), a former inmate with connections to Arkansas and Arizona, was investigated further after an anonymous caller claimed to have heard his voice on the phone. FBI efforts included tracking vehicles resembling James Earl Ray’s white Ford with Tennessee license plates, including sightings in Washington, D.C., and coordination between Memphis, Nashville, and other offices to locate suspects. Unrelated inquiries into Vincent Libertorio and his brothers in New Orleans, as well as prison records for David Lindsey Wilson and Clarence Clark, were also referenced. Additional teletype messages from the FBI’s Memphis office on April 23, 1968, mention searches of subscription lists from Fawcett Publications for specific magazines, including *Mechanics Illustrated*, with details about individuals like John Willard and Harvey Edward Lohmeyer. Changes of address by these individuals limited subscription records’ availability. References to "ARMED AND DANGEROUS" designations for certain persons were included. Other messages from Miami, Las Vegas, and San Francisco discuss flight tracking via non-scheduled airlines, passenger manifest reviews, and surveillance activities related to potential threats. A 1968 investigation into James Earl Ray is referenced, alongside administrative notes about document release under Executive Order 14176.  

Key People  
- Earl Smith (alleged witness to plot against Dr. King)  
- Richard Harrell (aka Jimmy; former inmate with ties to Arkansas and Arizona)  
- Fannie Lina (Harrell’s married sister in Arkansas)  
- Tilley Hernandez (spouse of Fannie Lina, where Harrell resided)  
- Vincent Libertorio (New Orleans resident interviewed by FBI)  
- Anthony Libertorio (Vincent’s brother; retired truck driver)  
- Harvey Edward Lohmeyer (FBI suspect with criminal history)  
- David Lindsey Wilson (prison record linked to Florida State Prison)  
- Clarence Clark (individual with no confirmed records in Florida)  
- James Earl Ray (suspected assassin)  
- Walter T. Riffe (look-alike referenced)  
- Aaron Starboin (attorney in Wisconsin)  
- Joseph Morris Marks (private investigator in Los Angeles)  
- Devillish Nick (alias for a KKK leader in Mississippi)  
- Myrtis Ruth Hendricks (employee at John’s Restaurant)  
- Thomas McGee (former employee at John’s Restaurant)  
- John Willard (individual with subscription list records)  

Key Locations  
- Memphis, Tennessee (FBI headquarters and investigation coordination)  
- Nashville, Tennessee (Western Auto Store and RA interviews)  
- New Orleans, Louisiana (Vincent Libertorio’s residence)  
- Arizona (Harrell’s alleged incarceration and family connections)  
- Arkansas (Harrell’s parents’ residence and sister’s home)  
- Washington, D.C. (sighting of a white Ford with Tennessee tags)  
- Florida (prison records for Wilson and Clark)  
- Miami, Florida (National Airlines flight 47)  
- Charlottesville, Virginia (Arthur’s Grill)  
- Laurel, Mississippi (John’s Restaurant, KKK activities)  
- Los Angeles, California (Tom Rose Ranch, firearm purchases)  
- Birmingham, Alabama (firearm purchase by Lohmeyer)  
- Atlanta, Georgia (abandoned Mustang investigation)  
- New Haven, Connecticut (subscription list searches)  
- Las Vegas, Nevada (flight tracking and surveillance)  
- San Francisco, California (flight tracking and surveillance)  

Key Events  
- Earl Smith’s claims about a plot to kill Dr. King and his subsequent job termination  
- FBI investigation into Richard Harrell’s potential involvement via anonymous caller reports  
- Vehicle sightings resembling James Earl Ray’s white Ford with Tennessee license plates  
- Interviews with Vincent Libertorio and his brothers regarding their lack of knowledge about the assassination  
- Coordination between FBI offices (Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans) to track suspects and verify information  
- Examination of prison records for David Lindsey Wilson and Clarence Clark  
- April 21, 1968: National Airlines flight 47 searched for a man matching Ray’s description  
- April 19, 1968: Starboin reported a man resembling Eric Starvo Gait at Arthur’s Grill  
- March 1968: Lohmeyer purchased a firearm in Birmingham, Alabama  
- April 1968: Hendricks and McGee provided details about Devillish Nick’s alleged role in MLK’s assassination  
- March 1968: Ray’s abandoned Mustang with specific battery markings was linked to his movements  
- FBI surveillance of subscription lists from Fawcett Publications, noting changes of address by John Willard and Lohmeyer  
- "ARMED AND DANGEROUS" designations for certain persons  
- Flight tracking via non-scheduled airlines, passenger manifest reviews, and surveillance activities  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – central agency conducting investigations and coordinating with local law enforcement  
- Western Auto Store – employer of Earl Smith, whose termination was disputed  
- Nashville Regional Agency (RA) – involved in initial interviews and information sharing  
- Fawcett Publications – referenced in subscription list searches  
- National Airlines – flight 47 searched for Ray’s look-alike  
- Klu Klux Klan (KKK) – Devillish Nick alleged to be a leader in Laurel, Mississippi  
- Sears and Roebuck Auto Service – battery markings investigation  
- Coastal Aviation, American Flyers – referenced in flight tracking activities

MLK Declassified Files

44-me-1987_hs1-852611265_63-03-part_3_of_3.pdf

Document Summary

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