</s>F0-2-3-922-6440 FBI. Date: 4/10/69 Transmit the following in CODE Type a plantant or code) TELETYPE URGENT (Priority) Via TELETYPE TO : DIRECTOR (44-38861), AND NEW YORK FROM: PHILADELPHIA (44)-1368) MURKIN RE BUREAU AIRTEL DATED MARCH TWENTYSIX, LAST, AND ATLANTA TELETYPEE DATED APRIL THREE, LAST. REFERENCED AIRTEE AITRELL INSTRUCTED PHILADEPHIA TO INTERVIEW REV. 3J OF SLC for INFORMATION IN HIS POSSESSION REFERENCEED AIRTIRE AIRTREE INSTRUCTION IN HIS POSESSION REGARDING HIS STATEMENT IN "THE NEW YORK TIMES" ON MARCH EIGHTEEN, LAST , THAT A LETTER WAS TURNED OVER TO MEMPHIS POLICE ON APPROXIMATELY APRIL THREE, SIXTEIGHT, WHICH CONTAINED INFORMATION THAT MARTIN LUTHER KING WAS TO BE ASSASSINATED. REFERENED ATLANTA TEL STATED RUNORS WERE THAT BEVEL HAD RECENTED COMMITTED HIMSELF TO A HOSPITAL IN ORDER TO OBTAIN A REST AND SEEK WHATEVER MEDICAL ATTENTION MAY BE NECESSARY. Selected Scri-12 (A.m. 1 - Atlanta (AM) - Memphis (AM)" (AM) - Philadelphia (AM] (S) SENT BY CODD TELETYPE 14-1368-337 Approved: Special Agent In Charge Sent 4-10 M Per. 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigative activities related to James Bevel, a Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) official, during April–May 1969, following reports of his hospitalization in New York City. The Bureau sought to locate Bevel amid allegations of potential involvement in an assassination plot against Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK), with agents in Philadelphia and Atlanta coordinating with SCLC contacts to track his movements. References include a letter allegedly provided to Memphis police in early April 1968, which contained information about MLK’s assassination. Efforts to interview Bevel were delayed due to concerns over his mental health. Additional records include motel registration data from Corinth, Mississippi, spanning March–April 1968, listing vehicles and license plates associated with individuals across multiple states. These entries are part of a broader investigative file but lack direct ties to MLK or the assassination unless explicitly stated. A separate entry references FBI property management and declassification under Executive Order 14178, noting motel registration logs from Corinth, Mississippi, dated April 24, 1969, covering March 29–April 3, 1968.  

Key People  
- James Bevel (SCLC official, subject of FBI inquiries)  
- Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK, target of alleged assassination plot)  
- SCLC officials and staff in Philadelphia, Memphis, Atlanta, and New York  
- Informants linked to SCLC operations  

Key Locations  
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (FBI field office, SCLC contacts)  
- Memphis, Tennessee (Memphis police, referenced letter about MLK’s assassination)  
- New York City (Bevel’s alleged hospitalization)  
- Corinth, Mississippi (motel registration records)  
- Birmingham, Alabama; Huntsville, Alabama; Atlanta, Georgia; and other states listed in motel records  

Key Events  
- FBI investigation into Bevel’s hospitalization and potential ties to MLK’s assassination plot  
- Coordination between FBI offices in Philadelphia, Atlanta, and New York to track Bevel  
- Reference to a letter allegedly provided to Memphis police about MLK’s assassination  
- Collection of motel registration records from Corinth, Mississippi, spanning March–April 1968  
- Administrative references to declassification under Executive Order 14178  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)  
- Memphis Police Department (referenced in context of the alleged letter about MLK’s assassination)  
- Local law enforcement agencies (e.g., Mississippi Highway Patrol, Tennessee Department of Safety)

MLK Declassified Files

44-ph-1368_sec_008_ser_457-548-part_4_of_6.pdf

Document Summary

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