</s>FBI PHILA FBI ATLANTA 3145 PM EST URGENT 4/22/68 VSC TO DIRECTOR, MEMPHIS AND PHILADELPHIA FROM ATLANZA 44-2386 1P MURKIN MISS DORA NO DONALD, SECRETARY TO DECEASED MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR ., ADVISED APR. TWENTYTWO, SIXTYEIGHT, SHE RECEIVED PHONE CAL FROM MRS. MARY ALICE JONES, TWO THREE FOUR ZERO NORTH TENTH ST ., PHILADEPLPHIA, PA ., TELEPHONE TWO O THREE NINE FIVE FIVE ZERO, WHO CLAIMS SHE KNOWS KING, KILLED DR. KING. JONES INSISTED UPON SPEAKING TO MRS ., KING, WHICH WAS DENIED. JONES THEN STATED SAME PEOPLE WHO KILLED KING WILL ALSO KILL MRS. KING IF SHE GOES TO PHILLADELPHA AND FOR THIS REASON MRS .. KING SHOULD NOT GO TO PHILAPELPHIIA. PHILADEPHIA INTERVIEW MARY ALCIE JONES. END 44-366-23/ CXP SEARCHED MONDED FBI PHILA ARN.R.P. 2/13/08 TUX 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigations into threats against Martin Luther King Jr. and James Earl Ray’s alleged involvement in his assassination. On April 22, 1968, Dora McDonald, Dr. King’s secretary, received a phone call from Mary Alice Jones in Philadelphia warning that individuals responsible for King’s death would target Mrs. King if she traveled to the city. The FBI denied Jones’s request to speak with Mrs. King and instructed agents to interview her. Records also reference James Earl Ray (alias Eric Starvo Galt) as a fugitive wanted for robbery, burglary, and conspiracy, including alleged ties to Dr. King’s assassination. Additional materials include administrative lists of FBI office locations, contact details, and Ray’s aliases, physical description, and criminal history spanning multiple states. A 1968 observation in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, noted an individual matching Ray’s description at the Capitol Bus Terminal. An anonymous phone call to the FBI Philadelphia office threatened to reveal Ray’s location in Guatemala for $50,000, prompting coordination with Bell Tel Co. to trace the caller. The FBI issued a federal warrant in 1988 for interfering with constitutional rights and noted Ray’s connection to a murder case involving a shooting. Records also reference VA insurance and military records for Ray, including his mother Lucille Mary Ray as next of kin.  

Key People  
- Dora McDonald (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s secretary)  
- Mary Alice Jones (Philadelphia resident who contacted McDonald)  
- James Earl Ray (fugitive; aliases: Eric Starvo Galt, Harvey Lawyer, W.C. Herron, etc.)  
- Lucille Mary Ray (Ray’s mother, listed as next of kin in VA records)  
- Francis Duggan (taxicab driver in Harrisburg, PA, who reported a man matching Ray’s description)  
- Gerald Eugene Walkis (inmate at State Correctional Institution, Hummingloong, PA, who provided information about Eric Starvo Galt)  
- C.M. Downing (HARDWARE AGE circulation manager)  

Key Locations  
- Memphis, Tennessee (FBI field offices and headquarters reference)  
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (FBI office; interview location for Mary Alice Jones)  
- Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (Capitol Bus Terminal where Ray’s description was observed)  
- Guatemala (threatened location for Ray per anonymous call)  
- Jefferson City, Missouri (State Penitentiary where Ray was incarcerated)  
- St. Louis, Missouri (Federal Records Center)  
- Chicago, Illinois (VA regional office)  

Key Events  
- April 22, 1968: Threat warning to Mrs. King regarding Philadelphia travel  
- FBI investigation into James Earl Ray’s alleged involvement in Dr. King’s assassination  
- Federal warrant issued for James Earl Ray on April 17, 1968  
- 1968 observation in Harrisburg, PA, noting an individual matching Ray’s physical description  
- Anonymous phone call to FBI Philadelphia office threatening to reveal Ray’s location in Guatemala for $50,000  
- Coordination with Bell Tel Co. to trace anonymous caller  
- Review of VA insurance and military records for James Earl Ray  
- Administrative tasks including form submissions, savings bond promotions, and internal FBI procedures  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- U.S. Department of Justice  
- Veterans Administration (VA)  
- Bell Tel Co. (telephone company)  
- State Correctional Institutions (including Hummingloong, PA, and Jefferson City, Missouri)  
- HARDWARE AGE (subscription list referenced in FBI investigation)

MLK Declassified Files

44-ph-1368_sec_004_ser_175-289-part_4_of_7.pdf

Document Summary

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