</s>SL: 44-775 VIII. LOOK ALIXES (OVER OFFICES INVOLVED) 189 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail multiple FBI investigations into individuals associated with the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and related activities in Missouri, Illinois, and Mississippi. In St. Louis County, Missouri, an investigation led by SAS Charles S. Duke and Martin John Weber focused on identifying a "look alike" for John Flavey at Holiday Inn North, where an occupant of Room 213 was observed making long-distance calls, using a telephone credit card, and interacting with staff. Descriptions of the suspect included physical traits resembling James Ray, who was linked to a 1967 bank robbery in Alton, Illinois, analyzed by the FBI for forensic evidence (e.g., laundry marks on clothing). The investigation also referenced James Earl Ray’s alleged financial activities following his escape in April 1967.  

In Illinois, Harold Richard Covington was tracked after a July 13, 1968, robbery at the Bank of Alton, where he was seen with an unknown Black associate driving a blue Chevrolet Impala with Indiana plates. Covington returned to Alton alone on July 17, while his associate departed on July 21. The FBI verified Covington’s residences, clothing (e.g., dark blue nylon jacket and light blue coveralls), and arrest record in New Mexico (March 1967). James Earl Ray was mentioned in potential conspiracy discussions but not directly linked to the robbery or assassination.  

Raymond Curtis, incarcerated at Dalton County Jail, Georgia, provided statements to FBI agents about a network of individuals across five states allegedly planning King’s assassination. Curtis described maps of King’s speech locations and a man on a houseboat in Vicksburg, Mississippi, who would assist James Earl Ray post-assassination by transporting him via the Mississippi River to New Orleans or Canada. Curtis also referenced a handwritten story for Ebony Magazine detailing his criminal past and association with Ray, though he denied testifying against Ray due to safety concerns. The FBI noted inconsistencies in Curtis’s statements and pursued leads on Willie Willis and Sonny, who were connected to the houseboat and river activities.  

Key People  
- **John Flavey** (subject of "look alike" investigation)  
- **James Ray** (implied through physical descriptions and Alton bank robbery links)  
- **Robert Lee Hull** (Holiday Inn North busman interacting with Room 213 occupant)  
- **Janet Williams** (Holiday Inn North desk clerk describing suspect)  
- **Harold Richard Covington** (subject of FBI tracking post-Alton robbery)  
- **James Earl Ray** (alleged assassin; mentioned in conspiracy discussions and financial investigations)  
- **Raymond Curtis** (incarcerated inmate providing statements about assassination plot)  
- **Willie Willis** (individual associated with Vicksburg houseboat)  
- **Sonny** (acquired houseboat after Willis’s death, possibly a Mississippi River pilot)  
- **Charles L. Sanders** (Ebony Magazine editor receiving Curtis’s letter)  

Key Locations  
- **Holiday Inn North, St. Louis County, Missouri** (center of "look alike" investigation and staff observations)  
- **Alton, Illinois** (site of 1967 bank robbery and 1968 robbery; Covington’s residence)  
- **Quincy, Illinois** (Covington’s travel destination post-robbery)  
- **Vicksburg, Mississippi** (houseboat location linked to James Earl Ray’s escape plan)  
- **New Orleans, Louisiana** (proposed destination for Ray post-assassination)  
- **Dalton County Jail, Georgia** (Raymond Curtis’s incarceration site)  

Key Events  
- Investigation into a "look alike" for John Flavey at Holiday Inn North in May 1968.  
- Room service interactions involving an occupant of Room 213 described as resembling James Ray.  
- Analysis of laundry marks on clothing from the Alton bank robbery (July 13, 1967) by FBI.  
- Robbery at the Bank of Alton (July 13, 1968), involving Harold Richard Covington and an unknown associate.  
- FBI tracking of Covington’s movements between Alton and Quincy, Illinois (June–July 1968).  
- Raymond Curtis’s interviews with FBI agents detailing a network planning King’s assassination.  
- Curtis’s claims about maps of speech locations, a houseboat in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and post-assassination transportation plans.  
- FBI efforts to verify leads on Willie Willis and Sonny, including contacting the Mississippi Yacht Club.  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)** (central agency involved in investigations, laundering evidence analysis, and tracking Covington’s movements)  
- **Ebony Magazine** (recipient of Curtis’s handwritten story about his criminal past and association with James Earl Ray)  
- **Mississippi River Pilot Association** (implied connection to transportation logistics for James Earl Ray’s escape plan)

MLK Declassified Files

44-me-1987_hs1-852611265_83-01-part_06_of_10.pdf

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