</s>Newspaper Clippings U.S. Department of Justice CINCO CUSTOMY MATERIAL MUST NOT BE REMOVED FROM OR ADDED TO THIS FILE) CLUBRICATION OF THE U.S ., LTD. U. S. 3/8/85 MIDDLE-CUSTOMION FIELD OFFICE FILE UNA PROCESSED FEDERAL BUREAU FEDERAL BUREAU ENTIREFILE REVIEWED Do not Destroy of FOR HISTORICAL Performing Litigation DECLASSIFICATION 44-1947 Sub-C - 504 4949 (19/9/95) (c/s) c/s/c/l/s1/10 INVESTIGATION ALLINFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN A/CLASSA Bureau File Number 44. 38861 BATE/10/16/19/19 /SPICIOLKty Volume Number 5 Volume Number: 551-6/6 Bureau Fie Number 44, 38861 NATIONA. MACHINES' See also Nos. SEE VOL.4. FOR LITIGATIONS 2 Rept in Chased Section 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail legal proceedings and appeals related to James Earl Ray’s 1968 conviction for assassinating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., including his guilty plea, sentencing, and subsequent challenges to the trial’s validity. Ray was incarcerated in Tennessee and faced multiple appeals, mental health evaluations, and disputes over evidence and procedural fairness. Legal filings reference court cases in Memphis and Nashville, federal appeals to the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and Supreme Court, and claims of coerced pleas or judicial impropriety. The documents also include administrative notes about declassification under Executive Order 14176, legal forms like FD-350 and FD-359, and references to financial records, trust funds, and prison transfers. Some materials mention conspiracy theories involving unnamed intermediaries, potential witnesses, and Ray’s alleged connections to Birmingham, Alabama, and Memphis, Tennessee.  

Key People  
- James Earl Ray (convicted for MLK Jr.’s assassination)  
- Arthur Haynes (attorney for Ray)  
- William Bradford Hule (attorney for Ray; linked to Dr. King’s case)  
- Robert E. McRae (U.S. District Judge presiding over Ray’s hearings)  
- Bernard Morton (Nashville attorney involved in legal proceedings)  
- Charles H. Schneider (editor/author of document entries)  
- Robert Livingston (attorney representing Ray in appeals)  
- L. Ciree Morton (judge involved in Ray’s case)  
- Hugh Stanton Sr./Jr. (alleged intermediaries or witnesses)  
- Percy Foreman, Robert E. Foreman (judges and legal figures referenced)  

Key Locations  
- Memphis, Tennessee (site of assassination; Ray’s incarceration and court proceedings)  
- Nashville, Tennessee (legal filings and court locations)  
- Cincinnati, Ohio (U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals)  
- Birmingham, Alabama (linked to William Bradford Hule’s activities)  
- Federal prisons (including Pennsylvania and Tennessee facilities)  
- Shelby County, Tennessee (attorney general references)  

Key Events  
- James Earl Ray’s 1968 guilty plea and 9-year prison sentence for MLK Jr.’s assassination  
- Legal appeals seeking new trials, evidentiary hearings, and mental health evaluations for Ray  
- Claims of coerced pleas, judicial impropriety, and conspiracy involving intermediaries  
- Prison transfers, solitary confinement disputes, and requests for access to the prison yard  
- Legal motions to obtain financial records, bank accounts, and trust fund information  
- References to potential witnesses, fingerprints on a rifle, and procedural delays in court cases  
- Disputes over judicial authority to inspect documents and conflicts among attorneys  

Key Organizations  
- U.S. Department of Justice  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals  
- U.S. Supreme Court (mentioned in legal appeals)  
- Memphis State Penitentiary (Ray’s incarceration)  
- U.S. District Courts (Tennessee)  
- Federal Bureau of Prisons  
- Planters National Bank (referenced in financial records)  
- Legal offices and court clerks in Nashville, Tennessee

MLK Declassified Files

44-me-1987_hs1-852611265_73-08-part_1_of_2.pdf

Document Summary

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