</s>Do Not Destroy, Historical Value, National Archives Do Not destroy, Historical ENTIRE FILE REVIEWED Value, National Archives FOR HISTORICAL DECLASSIFICATION Do NotDestroy, Historical Value, Natural Archives ALL INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS UNCLASSLRIJED DATE:30-35y Spienga DO NOT DESTROY Soo-619 DO NOT RESERVE FOR SELBECATIONS COMMITTEE ON ASSASSINATIONS 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigations from 1967–1968 focusing on James Earl Ray (JER), a suspect in Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. Key efforts included tracking JER’s movements and associations, such as Reese Gault, Eric Starvo Galt, and W.H. Runghler, through motel registrations, witness interviews, and forensic analysis. Investigations centered on the Provincial Motel in New Orleans (December 17–19, 1967), where JER may have stayed under the name Eric S. Galt. Fingerprint analysis of a postal card linked to JER was inconclusive due to handwriting distortion. Threats against MLK’s associates were also examined via postcards dated June 6 and April 23, 1968, which were connected to JER through handwriting analysis but lacked identifiable senders. Additional inquiries tracked flight records, laundromat activity in Miami, and sightings of individuals resembling JER in Florida, the Bahamas, and Texas. No direct evidence of MLK’s assassination was found in these documents, though JER remained a central figure in investigations related to threats against civil rights leaders.  

Key People  
- **James Earl Ray (JER)** – Suspect in MLK’s assassination; investigated for connections with Eric Starvo Galt and other individuals.  
- **Reese Gault** – Associated with JER; moved from Florida to Perrine, Florida, in 1968.  
- **Eric Starvo Galt** – Name linked to JER; no confirmed relation found during interviews.  
- **W.H. Runghler** – Registered at Provincial Motel in New Orleans.  
- **R.A. Fleming** – Sanford, Florida, supermarket owner who reported a man resembling JER at a barber shop.  
- **Jerry Herron** – Individual associated with flight ticket records.  
- **Sam Hughes** – Mentioned in correspondence related to threats.  
- **Detective Ralph Brown** – Milwaukee Police Department officer involved in investigations.  
- **CARL NULL** – Passenger on PAA Flight 429 (April 1, 1968); described by Frank Warfield.  
- **EARL B. SHIELDS** – Suspected individual reported at Sun Castle Motel; SSN [SSN REDACTED].  
- **Frank Warfield** – Assistant Passenger Manager, PAA, provided flight seating details.  
- **Herb Eugenene** – Assistant Manager at Sun Castle Motel, discussed SHIELDS’ employment and movements.  

Key Locations  
- **Perrine, Florida** – Address where Reese Gault and his wife resided before moving to Florida S.W. 7th Street.  
- **Sanford, Florida** – Location of Garfield’s Barber Shop where R.A. Fleming encountered the suspect.  
- **New Orleans, Louisiana** – Provincial Motel (1024 Chartres Street) where JER may have stayed under the name Eric S. Galt.  
- **Miami, Florida** – Central to investigations involving flights, interviews with airline staff, and laundromat activity.  
- **St. Croix, Virginia Islands** – Destination for PAA Flight 429 (April 1, 1968).  
- **Pompano Beach, Florida** – Site of motel inquiries and employment records related to EARL B. SHIELDS.  
- **Eleuthera, Bahamas** – Reported sighting of an individual resembling JER by Gladys D. Meeham.  

Key Events  
- FBI investigation into motel registrations at the Provincial Motel in New Orleans (December 17–19, 1967).  
- Interview with Reese Gault and his wife in 1967 who denied knowing Eric Starvo Galt.  
- R.A. Fleming’s report of a man resembling JER at Garfield’s Barber Shop in Sanford, Florida.  
- Fingerprint analysis of a postal card linked to JER, inconclusive due to handwriting distortion.  
- Threats against MLK’s associates via postcards (June 6 and April 23, 1968), analyzed by FBI Laboratory for handwriting links to JER.  
- Investigation into flight tickets and travel patterns of Jerry Herron.  
- Interviews with ship personnel in Texas regarding potential sightings of Ray.  
- Laundromat incident involving clothing left under the name Eric Starvo Galt.  
- FBI tracking of JER’s movements in Florida, the Bahamas, and Texas through airline records, motel inquiries, and witness reports.  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)** – Conducted investigations, including interviews, motel checks, forensic analysis, and flight record reviews.  
- **Pan American Airways (PAA)** – Provided flight records and passenger information for PAA Flight 429.  
- **Adapt-O-Core Florida Co.** – Employed CARL NULL; referenced in employment verification.  
- **Sun Castle Motel** – Site of inquiries regarding EARL B. SHIELDS’ residency and employment.  
- **U.S. Post Office** – Provided information on Reese Gault’s relocation in 1968.  
- **Civil Rights Division** – Received copies of reports for dissemination related to the "MURKIN" investigation.  
- **United Airlines** – Provided flight records linked to Jerry Herron’s travel patterns.  
- **Miami Daily News** – Recipient of postcards containing threats against MLK’s associates.  
- **U.S. Census Bureau and Department of Health, Education, and Welfare** – Used for records on undocumented deaths.

MLK Declassified Files

44-mm-1854_v4-part_1_of_8.pdf

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