</s>OPTIONAL FORM NO. 15 (USA PRIME (C) E.O. 141414 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT Memorandum TO : SAC, MEMPHIS (44-1987) DATE: 4/17/68 FROM FROM RASSA, JACKSON (157-9586) SUBJECT: MURKIN Enclosed for Memphis are four FD 302's, 15 copies of each, and three report inserts, 15 copies of each. total enclosures or FD 302s. These enclosures and/or 105. the following: These encloses and/ or FD 303's concern Interview of F. M. VAUGHAN, Hunter Distributing Company, Columbus, Mississippi, . Schlitz beer; Interview of Robert A. MC PHERSON, Hardware Dealer, Columbus; Mississippi A. - Re Romage Hardware; Interview of TOMMY HARROLSON and SONNY SMITH, Employees of G and H Liggett Rexall Drugstore, Columbus, Mississippi; The HILLIS MC LEMORE concerns the attempt to identify "Homestead" brown paper bags. LLL-1912-Sult B-18/1/1 SEARCHED, MOST RECORDED, SERIALIZED, F-FILED, APR 1:1958 FBI - M. MEMPHASI 1-Jackson Memphis (Enc. 105) RM JLP-1-nah (3) Buy U.S. Savings Bonds Regularly on the Payroll Savings Plan 1970-108-4 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.0. 14176

Summary:  
The documents detail FBI investigations into the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK), focusing on tracking suspects and coordinating with local law enforcement agencies. Key elements include inquiries into Jeff Addison Willard, a truck driver in Memphis, Tennessee, who was questioned by Naval Base Police for possession of a Winchester 30-30 rifle (model 84300, serial number [SSN REDACTED]) and alleged connections to an individual described in media as the "assassin." The FBI coordinated with agencies in Memphis, Birmingham, Alabama, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, to identify individuals matching descriptions from newspaper photographs. Leads included interviews at Economy Rooming Houses in Birmingham, checks on trucking companies, and inquiries into medical records from Manhattan, Kansas, linked to an individual described as a "muscular person with dark brown hair and blue eyes." The documents also reference the FBI's file management system, including redactions and classification under Executive Order 14176. A separate investigation referenced in the same period examined Thermo-Seal marking machines used by laundries in Mississippi and Louisiana, though no direct connection to MLK’s assassination is established in these records.  

Key People:  
- Jeff Addison Willard (truck driver in Memphis, Tennessee; questioned for rifle possession and potential link to the assassin)  
- Paul O’Dell Morman (Memphis resident contacted for information)  
- Bill Tidewell (Howard Johnson Hotel operator in Clarisdale, Mississippi)  
- Mrs. Cecile Royster (individual who wrote a letter to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover discussing MLK’s assassination)  
- Eric Starvo Galt (suspect in a murder involving a gunshot victim; linked to "Parents Without Partners" group via motel registration records)  
- Robert P. Hood (Amory Steam Laundry owner)  
- Floyd Agnew (former Amory Steam Laundry owner, connected to C.H. Hester via father-in-law relationship)  
- Thomas N. Beard (Long's Laundry manager)  

Key Locations:  
- Memphis, Tennessee (Naval Base, FBI offices; Howard Johnson Hotel in Clarisdale)  
- Birmingham, Alabama (Economy Rooming Houses; interviews for MLK assassination leads)  
- Chattanooga, Tennessee (painters’ union investigation)  
- Manhattan, Kansas (Memorial Hospital inquiry linked to the "assassin")  
- Amory, Mississippi (laundry operations, steam laundry facilities)  
- New Orleans, Louisiana (Provincial Motel records for Eric Starvo Galt)  

Key Events:  
- Naval Base Police questioned Jeff Addison Willard regarding rifle possession and potential connection to the assassin.  
- FBI coordinated with local agencies in Memphis, Birmingham, Alabama, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, to identify individuals matching newspaper descriptions of the suspect.  
- Interviews conducted at Economy Rooming Houses in Birmingham sought information on MLK’s assassination.  
- Inquiry into medical records from Manhattan, Kansas, linked to an individual described as the "assassin."  
- FBI investigation into Thermo-Seal marking machines used by laundries in Mississippi and Louisiana (no direct link to MLK’s assassination).  
- Provincial Motel records showed Eric Starvo Galt registered on December 17, 1968, with indented writing containing telephone numbers and names linked to "Parents Without Partners."  
- Federal warrant issued for Eric Starvo Galt (April 17, 1968) charging him with conspiring to interfere with civil rights.  

Key Organizations:  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- Naval Base Police (Memphis)  
- Local law enforcement agencies in Birmingham, Alabama, and Chattanooga, Tennessee  
- Parents Without Partners (group linked to Eric Starvo Galt’s activities)  
- Textile Marking Machine Company (manufacturer of Thermo-Seal equipment)  
- Liggett Rexall Drugs (chain of drugstores in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida)  
- Hunter Distributing Company (Schlitz beer distributor)

MLK Declassified Files

44-me-1987_hs1-852611265_70-02-part_1_of_4.pdf

Document Summary

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