</s>FD. 245 (REV. 4.1380) H. S. Department of Justice PENDING LITIGATION DO NOT DESTROY (MATERIAL MUST NOT BE REMOVED FROM OR ADDED TO THIS FILED Kooge appin FEDERAL BUREAU ENTIRE THE REVIEWED FOC FICAT DECLASIFICATION of FEDERATION OFTAINERED ASSIFIED DAT: 1/5/19/07/29/3213 A/C/R/K/S/L INVESTIGATION NOT DESTRY: Sen. 939, p. 491) 10-28-11 HISTORICAL VALUE. 1. 8 4 P. 4911, 10-29-77 Bureau File Number HISTorical VALUE, NATIONAL ARCHIVES" Volume Number: 13 Satellite: R.13-13-1-2-3-3 1 8 4P 491, 10/29-27-77 Do not Distay FoIFPA REQUESTRLng Lettigtation Do Not Destroy Prin to Do not Destroying Littigtion/filed subbufs/f/s/4/2/c/g/g.2-2/2-9/3/9/cg. 190-me-57602 See also Nos. SEE YOU 1 FOR LITGATION D. not Distray Preserve for Select Committee or Assassination) he neft detton D. Johnson 9. 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14178

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigations into the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., focusing on LYNDA COBBLE’s claims about her interactions with JAMES EARL RAY, a suspect in the 1968 murder. COBBLE alleges RAY made racist remarks on television the night before King’s death and participated in planning bank robberies in Memphis, Tennessee, including meetings at the Chisca Plaza Hotel and Annex Motel. She also claims her husband, JAMES BENNEY, was involved in a 1968 robbery in Florissant, Missouri. The FBI reports reference connections between RAY, his brother JERRY RAY, and other suspects, as well as the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike (1968) as a contextual backdrop to King’s assassination. Some documents mention international ties through figures like MRS. TAYLOR HASS and the Council for International Friendship. The text includes FBI file numbers (e.g., 44-1997-SUB M), unclassified designations, and notes about congressional inquiries. Corrupted sections and unrelated police reports from Idaho are also present, suggesting fragmented or mixed records.  

Key People  
- **LYNDA COBBLE**: Claims ties to JAMES EARL RAY and involvement in planning bank robberies.  
- **JAMES EARL RAY**: Suspected assassin of Dr. King; linked to Memphis-based criminal activities.  
- **JERRY RAY** (brother of JAMES EARL RAY): Involved in bank robberies and meetings with other suspects.  
- **JIM BENNEY**: Allegedly involved in a 1968 bank robbery in Florissant, Missouri.  
- **Dr. Jerre Freeman**: Physician connected to Memphis during the 1960s; noted for a heart attack in 1968.  
- **Burgess Audie Wilson** (also known as Bill Wilton): Suspect linked to King’s assassination; claimed to have killed him and sought assistance from Sheriff Gene Barsedale.  
- **Opal Hooten**: Mrs. Hooten, who provided information about her family’s medical records and connections to Wilson.  
- **James Hooten**: Son of Opal Hooten; interviewed regarding Wilson’s claims about the assassination.  
- **Sheriff Gene Barsedale** (Shelby County, Tennessee): Allegedly met with Wilson two weeks before the interview to discuss the assassination.  

Key Locations  
- **Memphis, Tennessee**: Central location for the sanitation workers’ strike (1968), bank robberies, and meetings involving RAY, BENNEY, and others.  
- **Chisca Plaza Hotel & Annex Motel**: Memphis locations tied to planning criminal activities.  
- **Florissant, Missouri**: Site of a 1968 bank robbery linked to JIM BENNEY.  
- **Bartlett, Tennessee** (residence of Opal Hooten) and **Canyon Lake, Texas** (location from which Wilson allegedly called Hooten).  

Key Events  
- **Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (April 4, 1968)**: Contextual backdrop for the FBI investigation and related criminal activities.  
- **Sanitation Workers’ Strike (1968)**: Memphis labor movement referenced as a political context for King’s assassination.  
- **Bank Robberies**: Plots involving RAY, BENNEY, and others, including meetings at Memphis hotels.  
- **Wilson’s Claims**: Burgess Audie Wilson allegedly confessed to killing King and sought assistance from Sheriff Barsedale.  
- **Medical Record Inquiries**: Opal Hooten’s inability to locate medical records for her husband, Vernon Hooten, and daughter Betty Lou Willness prior to 1975.  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Conducted investigations into King’s assassination, referenced through case numbers like 44-1987-SUB M.  
- **Shelby County Sheriff’s Office** (Tennessee): Involved in Wilson’s alleged discussion about the assassination.  
- **Council for International Friendship**: Mentioned as an organization connected to Mrs. Taylor Hass and international visitors to Memphis.

MLK Declassified Files

44-me-1987_hs1-852611265_88a-02-part_1_of_6.pdf

Document Summary

Try AI Search