</s>4/15/68 TELETYPE TO: DIRECTOR (MAIL), AND. ATLANTA (44-2386) (13) A FROM: CHARLOTTE (44 -1365) -9/13/5-9-13/3-4-4/5/4-3/4 MURKIN REURTEL APR. TWELVE LAST. REVELED HAROLD H. FLEETHER LAST, INVESTIGATION AT GASTONIA, NC. REVEALED HAROLD H.FLEETCHER RESIDES ONE ZERO SEVEN EAST. LEE ST. BESSEMER CITY, NC ., GASTOMIA, N.C ., NC, PD RECORDS. REVEALD FLETCHER ARRESTED MARCH TWENTYTWO NINETTEEN SIXTYFIVE IN VIOLATION PROHIBITION LAW. ATTEMPTES TO CONTACT FLETTER. TODAY AT ONE ZERO SEVEN B.E. AVE. A. Ave. AVA. NEGATIVE. FLETCHERS UNCLE, LUTHER T. FLETcher LONE ZERO SLEVEN E. LEE AVE ., BESSERMER CITY, INC ., FLETECHER LONE FLET CHER ., ADVISED FLECHER WORKS FOR ANNON .- JOHNSON CEILING TILE, INC. ., A. & HAS BEN ANNON - JOHNNY .- CHILING TILLE ., ATLANTA, GA ., & HAS BEEN RESIDING & WORKING IN ATLANZA SINCE DEC ., SIXTESVEN. FLETCHER WAS IN BESSEMBER CITY SAT ., WITH HIS WIFE. 8.8 FLECHTER WAS IN BENESMER CITY SIT ., WITHS WIFF. SEARCHED .- INDEXED. MARGARET WALKER FLETCHR. SERALIZED ., FILED. MARGRET WALKIER FLETHER. END PAGE ONE APRIL 6 1968 FB1 - MEMPHIS 1-Bureau 1-1- <loc_174><loc_913><loc_174><loc_926><loc_140><loc_926>Memphis (AM) Charlotte <loc_965>2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 141476

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigative efforts into the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., focusing on individuals with potential connections to the crime. Key figures include Harold H. Fletcher (later corrected to Fleethacker), Gordon Schlenker, Eric Starvo Galt, Donald Rachal, and Billy Ray King, a man associated with MLK. The investigation involves tracking movements, employment records, vehicle registrations, familial ties, and travel patterns between cities including Atlanta, Memphis, Louisville, Natchitoches, and Lake Providence. FBI offices in Memphis, Springfield, and St. Louis coordinated efforts to verify suspects’ backgrounds, including car ownership (e.g., white Mustangs) and potential links to the assassination. Information includes addresses, arrest histories, contact details for witnesses such as Margaret Walker (Fletcher’s wife’s aunt), and records from VA hospitals, Johnson Ceiling Tile, and other companies. The documents also reference FBI interviews with Billy Ray King, who denied involvement in MLK’s assassination but expressed controversial views about his death. Discrepancies in King’s account of events and travel plans were noted by investigators.  

Key People  
- Harold H. Fletcher (corrected to Fleethacker)  
- Gordon Schlenker  
- Eric Starvo Galt  
- Donald Rachal  
- Billy Ray King (associated with MLK; deck hand at K.W.K.G. Towing Company)  
- Marjorie Kennedy (King’s girlfriend; provided travel details and vehicle information)  
- Travis Shephield (seller of King’s 1967 Mustang)  
- Margaret Walker (Fletcher’s wife’s aunt)  
- Mrs. George Stedley (former wife of Joseph James Gault)  
- Harry Gault (brother of Ernest Gault)  
- Ernest Gault  

Key Locations  
- Atlanta, GA  
- Memphis, TN (site of MLK’s assassination; King stayed at Lorraine Motel)  
- Louisville, KY  
- Natchitoches, LA  
- Lake Providence, LA (King’s residence)  
- Greenville, MS (King’s departure point for Memphis)  
- St. Ann, MO  
- Granite City, IL  
- Greensville, MS  
- Rock Island, IL (FBI interview location)  

Key Events  
- FBI investigation into Harold H. Fletcher’s movements and past arrests (March 1965)  
- Verification of Gordon Schlenker’s car ownership (white Mustang) and potential link to MLK assassination  
- Examination of Eric Starvo Galt’s family history, including VA hospital records and employment details  
- Tracking Donald Rachal’s vehicle registration and connection to MLK assassination  
- FBI interview with Billy Ray King on April 11, 1968, where he denied involvement in MLK’s assassination but expressed controversial views about his death  
- Documentation of King’s travel between Greenville, Mississippi, and Memphis, Tennessee (April 4–6, 1968) via bus and train  
- Discrepancies noted in King’s account of arrival time in Memphis and interactions with law enforcement  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- Johnson Ceiling Tile, Inc.  
- VA Hospitals (Little Rock, Memphis)  
- Luria Brothers (employment records)  
- Lipsett Steel Products Company  
- Local law enforcement agencies (Lake Providence, Louisiana; Memphis, Tennessee)

MLK Declassified Files

44-me-1987_hs1-852611265_75-04-part_3_of_3.pdf

Document Summary

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