</s>FI MEMPHIS 2331 ST LOUIS 12X 12X 10OPM URGENT 5-3-63 JLS TO DIRECTOR, TEMPHIS, CHICAGO, AND SPRINGFIELD FROM ST. LOUis (44-775) PURKIN SUMMARY RE: JOHN RAY. SOVAGE INCLUDING SPOT CHECKS CONTINUINGS. RE: CAROL PEPPER. SAME. REVIEW OF BANK ACCOUNTS COMPLETED. NO ITEMS OF SIGNIFICANCE. IN LOCATING SUBJECT NOTED. RE: GRAPEVINE TAVERN. ATU REPRESENTATIVE QUALIFIED TO FURNISH RE: GRAVINE STATEMENT AS ELEMENTS AND EVIDENCE USUALITY NEEDED AUTHORITATIVE STATEMENT as ELEMENTS and EVIDENCES USALLY NEEDED FOR LIQUOR TAX STAMP VIOLATION, AND FIRST ASSISTANT USA WHOSE OPINION. DESIRED ON MATTER, STAMP VIOLLATION, WILL CONTACT USMAY. RE: JERRY RAY, IF THE CONTACTS OFFICE OF DIRECTED, SL WILL LITER- VIEW BEFORE LEAVES SL AND BEFORE HE LEAVS CENTER, MO, TO OBTAIN RESULTS OF HIS CONTACDS WITH RELATIVES IN THIS DIVISION. RE TELEPHONERS. FOR ASSISTANCE OF OFFICES COVERING RELATIVES IN IDENTIFYING TOLL CALLS, FOLLOWSING OF OFFICE NUMBER OF SL RELATIIVES OR OTHER PERSONO OF INTEREST THIS CASE: FOR SIX DASH NINE FOUR ONE SEVEN, GRAPEWINE TIVERN, JOHN LARRY RAT. NO PHONE AS RESIDENCER. MI FIVE DASH TWO FOUR FOUR FIGHT, ALBERT AND CAROL/PEPPER! AM SEVEN DASH THREE FOUR SIX SEVEN. JERKY RAYN/S, JERMY RAYNS, CENTER NO. FO ONE DASH FIVE FIVE. FOUR Six SIX THO, CARMEN PATTON, LANDLEY/S. WALTER. NOLAN. SEARCHED. INDEPEND. SEARCHING. FELD. MAY 22/2/1921-July-5-57g END PAGE ONE SEARCHER. FILD. MAY 2-1968 FBI- MEMPHIPH 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigations into the Provincial Motel in New Orleans, Louisiana, focusing on room 126 during December 17–19, 1967. Staff members including housekeepers, clerks, and managers were interviewed about guests staying in the room. Mrs. Inez Krieger (housekeeper) stated she could not identify any individuals or items left behind in room 126. Will Berdon (assistant manager) and Ben Dukk (desk clerk) confirmed they did not recall occupants of room 126 or a white Mustang with an Alabama license tag parked at the motel. Gloria Barreta (maid) similarly denied knowledge of such details. The FBI requested motel registration records for guests during the period, which included names like Mrs. Henry J. Sherrill, Robert A. Conry, and Dr. David L. Rosner. A pay telephone at the motel was noted with number 523-8802 (area code 504), and a long-distance call from this phone to Los Angeles, California (number 934-2329) on December 17–19, 1967, was recorded. The FBI later linked the Los Angeles number to Sidney M. Elias, who confirmed staying at the motel on December 18, 1967, and making a call to his son.  

The document also references broader FBI investigations into individuals connected to Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, including John Ray Sovage, Carol Pepper, Jerry Ray, Donald Jackson Carpenter (Okeechobee, Florida), Hazel V. Peacock, Smith, and James Earl Ray. These inquiries involved phone records, motel registrations, and associations with secret organizations. A 1968 account details a telephone call from Carpenter to Peacock, claiming MLK was dead and discussing plans to hide an individual for "a couple of weeks" with a $100,000 payoff near Dallas. Investigations into ERIC STARVO GALT, HARVEY LOWER, and JOHN WILLARD involved checks with Louisiana State Police, credit bureaus, phone directories, and utility records, yielding no identifiable information.  

Key People  
- **Inez Krieger** (housekeeper at Provincial Motel)  
- **Will Berdon** (assistant manager at Provincial Motel)  
- **Ben Dukk** (desk clerk at Provincial Motel)  
- **Gloria Barreta** (maid at Provincial Motel)  
- **Bryan Dupeps** (owner-manager of Provincial Motel)  
- **Luby Carson** (housekeeper at Provincial Motel)  
- **Sidney M. Elias** (Los Angeles resident linked to motel phone number 934-2329)  
- **Donald Jackson Carpenter** (Okeechobee, Florida; alleged caller to Hazel V. Peacock)  
- **Hazel V. Peacock** (receiver of call from Donald Jackson Carpenter)  
- **James Earl Ray** (mentioned in separate FBI files as a suspect in MLK’s assassination)  
- **Eric S. Galt** (linked to Provincial Motel, described via pseudonym or James Bond reference)  

Key Locations  
- **Provincial Motel, 1024 Chartres Street, New Orleans, Louisiana** (room 126; white Mustang with Alabama license plate investigated)  
- **Los Angeles, California** (telephone number 934-2329 linked to Sidney M. Elias)  
- **Okeechobee, Florida** (location of Hazel V. Peacock and alleged call about MLK’s death)  
- **Memphis, Tennessee** (St. Louis, Missouri; central to early 1963 investigations)  

Key Events  
- **December 18, 1967**: Toll call from Provincial Motel payphone (523-8802) to Los Angeles (934-2329), potentially linked to Eric S. Galt’s activities.  
- **FBI interviews with motel staff** regarding room 126 occupants and vehicle sightings.  
- **Review of motel registration records** for December 17–19, 1967, including names like Mrs. Henry J. Sherrill, Robert A. Conry, and Dr. David L. Rosner.  
- **Investigation into a long-distance call** from the Provincial Motel to Los Angeles, later linked to Sidney M. Elias.  
- **Alleged plot**: Carpenter’s call to Peacock detailing plans to hide an individual for "a couple of weeks" with a $100,000 payoff near Dallas.  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Central to all investigations, including case files on Galt, Carpenter, and Ray.  
- **Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company** (New Orleans, Louisiana): Provided telephone records for the Provincial Motel and other numbers.  
- **Chamber of Commerce/New Orleans area**: Linked to telephone number 324-1131-15.  
- **Parents Without Partners**: Mentioned as an organization associated with individuals linked to Galt’s activities.

MLK Declassified Files

44-me-1987_hs1-852611265_80-05-part_4_of_5.pdf

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