</s>F.E. 3-3/4/5-5-2-2:64) FBI Date: 5/29/68 Transmit the following in PLAINTEXT Type in plainstort or code) TELETYPE URGENT (Priority) Via TELETYPE URGEANT TO: DIRECTOR (44-38861) FROM: MEMPHIS (44 -3886) MURKIN, CR. SUMMARY. REVIEW OF MEMPHISH FILES IDENTIFIES JAMES WILBOURN ASHMORE, FBI NO. FOUR EIGHT SIX NINE FIVE TWO NINE, AS HAVING USED ALIAS JAMES C. HARDIN, INDICIES OF MEMPHS DIVISION CONTAIN REFERENCES TO JAMES HARDINA, NOT FURTHER IDENTIFIED, IN CONNECTION WITH CASE ENTITLED DESEGREGATION, UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI, RM, BUFFLE ONE FIVE SEVEN - FOUR ZERO ONE, MEMPHISSIPTI, FILE ONE FIVE SEVEN - ONE FOUR SEVEN, WHICH FILE TRANSFERRED IN ENTIRETY TO JACKSON OFFICE UPON OPENING THAT FILE FIELD DIVISION. JACKSON DIVISION HAS BEEN REQUESTED ALL INFO CONTAINED IN THE FILE TO IDENTIFICATION JAMES HARDAIN. 44-1991-1098 THE FILE to IDENTITY JAMES DIVISON HAS BEENN REQUESTed TO FURNISH LATEST ARREST RECORD OF JAMES WILLBOURn ASHORE AND Artel. PROVIDE MOST RECENT PHOTO FOR VIEWING BY MANAGER AT ST. FRANCIS Toletype HOTEL, LOS ANGELES. SEARCHED RE BANK LOCK BOXES. CENAT. A.M.S.D. IN VIEW OF EACT RAY IS KNOWN TO HAVE-BEEN-IN POSSESSION A. M.S .- S.D ., TOR/ngm FILLED Spec. Mail Reg. Mail Reg. Registered Approved: Special Agent in Charge M Per Dl Approverted: 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary:  
The document contains multiple telegraphic messages from FBI offices (Los Angeles, Memphis, Springfield, Kansas City) dated May 31–June 3, 1968, detailing investigations into James Earl Ray’s activities and associations. Key points include interviews with individuals who claimed to have encountered Ray or his associates, such as Margaret Ralley of Garden Grove, California, who stated Ray was associated with James Paul Morrowton and had prior knowledge of the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. Other individuals mentioned include Mabel Fuller, who denied knowing a person named Frances E. Ray, and Jimmie D. Garner, who reported no typewriter at his rooming house during Ray’s stay. The FBI also sought information on Ray’s passport application (issued April 24, 1968) and travel plans to London via BOAC, with potential connections to Paul Bridgeman in Toronto, Canada. Investigations into Ray’s movements, residences, and associations continued, including checks on his alleged ties to George Wallace’s presidential campaign and the National States Rights Party.  

Key People:  
- James Earl Ray (suspected assassin of MLK)  
- Margaret Ralley (Garden Grove, California; claimed Ray was associated with Morrowton)  
- Mabel Fuller (Huntington Park, California; denied knowing Frances E. Ray)  
- Jimmie D. Garner (Atlanta; reported no typewriter at rooming house during Ray’s stay)  
- Paul Bridgeman (Toronto, Canada; linked to Ray via passport application and travel plans)  
- Norman Gaddis (Decatur, Illinois; supervised MLK-related activities; noted difficulty identifying Ray from photos)  

Key Locations:  
- Garden Grove, California  
- Huntington Park, California  
- Atlanta, Georgia  
- Toronto, Canada  
- Decatur, Illinois  
- Memphis, Tennessee  
- Birmingham, Alabama  
- Los Angeles, California  
- St. Louis, Missouri  

Key Events:  
- Interviews with individuals claiming knowledge of Ray’s associations or movements (May 31–June 3, 1968).  
- Investigation into Ray’s passport application and travel plans to London via BOAC.  
- Examination of Ray’s alleged ties to George Wallace’s presidential campaign and the National States Rights Party.  
- Review of typewriter ownership at rooming houses linked to Ray’s stay.  
- Analysis of photographs and descriptions of Ray for identification purposes.  

Key Organizations:  
- FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)  
- National States Rights Party  
- George Wallace for President campaign  
- Transamerican Credit Corporation (linked to Morrowton)

MLK Declassified Files

44-me-1987_hs1-852611265_64-01-part_4_of_5.pdf

Document Summary

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