</s>OPTIONAL FORM NO. 10 MAY 5/7/1968 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT UNITED STATE'S GOVENMENT Memorandum TO SAC, MIAMI DATE: 5/7 /68 FROM : SA DAVID N. JELLISON MURKIN SUBJECT: CR Re Los Angeles teletype to Miami dated 5/4/68, Baltimore teletype Los Angeles teletypé to Miami date 5//4, and Miami teletype to Los Angeles date 5 /4/66, and Miami teletypeto the Bureau dated 5/ 7/68. Re: Telephone Booth Checks St. Francis Hotel, Los Angeles, California reflecting hereto is an investigative insert telétypes. investigation conducted concerning referenced 1-44-1854 DNI/vc (1) yc 44-185H-4571 SEARCHED 1X-D SERIALIZIZEL, L.S.L.P. MAY 8 - 1968 [H1 - MIAMI Jellam Mung Buy U.S .: Savings Bonds Regularly on the Payroll Savings Plan SBS-108-49 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

The documents detail FBI investigative efforts between April 1965 and May 1968 focused on tracking James Earl Ray’s movements and potential connections to Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. Key activities include reviewing flight reservations, passenger records, and travel patterns across Atlanta, Miami, Tampa, Key West, Niagara, and other locations. Investigations involved verifying identities of individuals resembling Ray, such as William O’Brian (eliminated via fingerprint check), and monitoring communications at the St. Francis Hotel in Los Angeles. The FBI also tracked a civilian ship, *Transchamplain*, suspected of transporting Ray or others between Jacksonville, Florida, and Texas ports. Administrative notes reference case management procedures, report submissions, and coordination between FBI offices in Miami, Memphis, Chicago, Atlanta, and other locations. References to aliases derived from Ian Fleming’s novels (e.g., Eric Starvo Galt) and character lists from *Casino Royale*, *Diamonds Are Forever*, and *From Russia with Love* indicate the FBI’s interest in potential pseudonyms used by suspects.  

Key People  
- **James Earl Ray**: Suspect in MLK Jr.’s assassination; subject of flight ticket investigations, alias analysis, and travel tracking.  
- **William O’Brian**: Individual resembling Ray; eliminated as a suspect via fingerprint check.  
- **Verna Goodman**: Reported to have seen a man resembling Ray at a Florida facility.  
- **Special Agents Gordon W. McGinley, David N. Jellison, Ernest Harrison, Jr., and Richard B. Kellogg**: FBI agents involved in case management, interviews, and travel record reviews.  
- **Max Mendelson**: Credit manager in Miami; interviewed regarding phone calls from Los Angeles.  
- **James Harvey White**: Barber in Fort Lauderdale; referenced in connection with Klan activities.  

Key Locations  
- **Atlanta, Georgia**: Center for flight reservation reviews, FBI office, and initial investigation coordination.  
- **Miami, Florida**: Hub for hotel investigations, interviews, and FBI case management.  
- **Tampa, Florida**: Location of travel records review.  
- **Key West, Florida**: Site of *Transchamplain* ship tracking.  
- **Niagara, New York**: Mentioned by Verna Goodman in connection with Ray’s movements.  
- **St. Francis Hotel, Los Angeles, California**: Site of telephone booth checks and suspected communications.  

Key Events  
- **Flight reservation reviews**: Analysis of tickets from Delta, Trans World Airlines, United Airlines, Southern Airways, Northwest Orient Airlines, North Central Airlines, and Eastern Airlines between April 1965 and May 1968.  
- **Telephone booth checks** at the St. Francis Hotel to monitor communications related to Ray.  
- **Investigation into a man resembling Ray**: Conducted at the Jewish Home for the Aged in Savannah, Georgia.  
- **Tracking of the *Transchamplain* ship**: Suspected transport route between Jacksonville, Florida, and Texas ports.  
- **Fingerprint checks** to eliminate William O’Brian as a suspect.  
- **Alias analysis**: FBI’s interest in pseudonyms inspired by Ian Fleming’s Bond novels (e.g., Eric Starvo Galt).  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Conducted majority of investigations, including flight record reviews, interviews, and coordination between offices.  
- **U.S. Navy**: Contracted civilian ship *Transchamplain* suspected in transporting Ray or others.  
- **Delta Airlines, Trans World Airlines, United Airlines, Southern Airways, Northwest Orient Airlines, North Central Airlines, Eastern Airlines**: Airline entities referenced in flight ticket investigations.  
- **Ku Klux Klan (KKK)**: Mentioned in connection with James Harvey White’s alleged statements about MLK Jr. and attempted membership.

MLK Declassified Files

44-mm-1854_v3-part_6_of_7.pdf

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