</s>MM 44-1854 LAIL stated from his association with RAY that he felt RAY would have to be a "45 automatic "stashed" on his person would have a "automotive dive" on when without a fight. LAIL said RAY was a killer or "kill-up" or "opinion and that RAY could not be easy to catch or find. LAI said RAY is a city boy" and he does not figure him to be a "sad RAY" but would he do not do not require him to would not figure RAY but would hide out on a really big city like New York, but would pick out one about the size of Houston, Texas. LAIL said he could not recall RAY telling him or mentionational place in particular RAY, always wanted to go to go via visit, but he felt felt he would be in a warm climate rather than a cold one. LAIL started he had not been contacted or heard from RAY since he got out of the Missouri State Penitentiary over two years ago and to the best of his knowledge RAY would not know or to how to contact him. 1968, in which he had visited WHITEY DOWDA in March, LAIL advised he had visited WHITLEY DOWBA for a few days. He said that WHITERY is his best friend. LAIL continued by saying he recognized the name of SCHAFFER and he thinks SCHAFFER was a captain in the prison guard force, but but he did not know him and/or if SHAFFER provided dope in the pen. LAIL stayed he felt there was a possibility RAY's escape was not necessary there by outside help but he did no way anyway knowledge about it. Also he stated just about anything is possible with outside help and money, however, escape from the Missouri state Penitentary is something else and is just about impossible in his opinion. 3 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigations from 1967–1968 related to threats against Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK), potential suspects, and logistical tracking of individuals associated with his assassination. Key elements include a threatening note written by GEORGE CHRAY (later identified as GRAY) predicting MLK’s death by August 14, 1968, found in Ashland, Ohio. GRAY admitted writing the note on April 5, 1968, as a prank for coworker ROGER DOWE but claimed he did not intend to send it with a package. The FBI later confirmed GRAY’s fingerprints were linked to a theft in Mansfield, Ohio, and he was arrested in 1966 for burglary, though cleared after fingerprint analysis.  

Investigations also focused on RAY, a suspect associated with potential violence, noted for allegedly possessing a firearm and possibly located in Houston, Texas. LAIL, an informant, described RAY’s release from Missouri State Penitentiary over two years prior and his lack of contact since then. LAIL expressed indifference to MLK’s assassination but preferred it occur in a Northern city rather than Memphis, Tennessee.  

Additional efforts tracked flight passenger records for Eastern Airlines (EAL) flights, license plate movements, and rental agreements linked to suspects. A car rental investigation involved an American Motors Rebel two-door vehicle abandoned at Birmingham Municipal Airport, with attempts to trace its movement via flight records and rental agreements. The FBI sought connections between this vehicle and RAY or other suspects.  

Fingerprint checks were conducted in Florida and Ohio for RAY’s identification, while inquiries into credit card transactions and rental contracts under aliases like “Sal Lapit” and “Gordon Knoll” were pursued. Shell credit cards linked to Michel St. Pierre and Claude Daoust (arrested in September 1967) were referenced, with FBI requests for fingerprint and handwriting comparisons to determine if they matched James Earl Ray.  

Key People  
- **RAY** (suspect associated with threats against MLK, possibly armed)  
- **GRAY/GEORGE CHRAY** (individual who wrote the threatening note predicting MLK’s death)  
- **LAIL** (informant discussing RAY’s potential whereabouts and actions)  
- **ROGER DOWE** (coworker of GRAY, subject of the prank note)  
- **JAMES EARL RAY** (suspected assassin; linked to rental contracts, credit cards, and flight records)  
- **MICHEL ST. PIERRE** (linked to rental contracts and credit cards)  
- **CLAUDE DAOUT** (arrested in September 1967 with Canadian Shell card tied to St. Pierre)  
- **FRANK MOYAR** (allegedly connected to King’s assassination)  
- **JACKSON D. CROFT** (investigated as potential associate)  
- **DEAN STEWART** (A.L. Garber Company employee involved in packaging slip investigation)  
- **SERGEANT DONALD MULLIN** (Mansfield PD officer handling GRAY’s 1966 arrest record)  

Key Locations  
- **Ashland, Ohio** (location of the threatening note discovery)  
- **Birmingham Municipal Airport** (site of abandoned car rental)  
- **Memphis, Tennessee** (city where MLK was assassinated)  
- **Mansfield, Ohio** (GRAY’s arrest record and fingerprint investigation)  
- **Montreal, Canada** (flight records linked to James Earl Ray)  
- **Atlanta, Georgia** (flight destination for August 1967 flights)  
- **Miami, Florida** (credit card transactions and rental agreements)  
- **Naples, Florida** (fingerprint check for RAY)  

Key Events  
- **April 5, 1968**: GRAY wrote a note predicting MLK’s death by August 14, 1968.  
- **January 8, 1968**: Packaging slip investigation linked to the threatening note.  
- **August 1967**: Examination of flight records for Montreal-to-Atlanta flights (flights 109 and 131) used by Birmingham passengers.  
- **September 2–3, 1967**: Rental agreements for boats under Crafts Ltd., Inc. linked to Michel St. Pierre.  
- **September 1967**: Arrest of Claude Daoust in Canada with Shell card tied to St. Pierre.  
- **April 30, 1968**: FBI efforts to trace car rental and flight movements connected to potential suspects.  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)** (conducting investigations into threats against MLK, note authorship, vehicle tracking, and suspect identification)  
- **A.L. Garber Company** (involved in packaging slip investigation)  
- **Mansfield Police Department** (handling GRAY’s 1966 arrest record)  
- **Eastern Airlines (EAL)** (flight records linked to potential suspects)  
- **Crafts Ltd., Inc.** (boat rental company associated with Michel St. Pierre)  
- **Quebec Provincial Police** (involved in Daoust’s arrest)

MLK Declassified Files

44-mm-1854_v3-part_3_of_7.pdf

Document Summary

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