</s>44-65-7 CLASSIFICATION NO. Volume Number -1-42 Serials 5 5 -

Summary  
The document contains a mix of fragmented FBI and police department records related to an investigation into the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK). It includes an urgent FBI memo from Memphis dated April 7, 1968, requesting assistance in identifying suspects linked to MLK’s assassination. The memo references specific dates: March 29–30, 1968, in Birmingham, Alabama, and April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. It outlines procedures for verifying suspects’ whereabouts during these periods, securing photographs or fingerprints for elimination, and submitting composite descriptions of the suspect.  

The document also includes garbled text, likely due to OCR errors, with repeated mentions of file numbers (e.g., 44-657), dates, and descriptions of a white male suspect. Descriptions vary between Birmingham and Memphis: one from Birmingham describes a man aged 36, 5'8"–5'10", 150–160 lbs, with dark hair; another from Memphis details a man 5'11", 160–170 lbs, with dark brown or black hair.  

Additional sections reference property inventory records, including photographs of John Laundrauiland and clothing items (e.g., "POWER KNIT T-SHIRT") linked to investigations. Names such as Cindy Willard, Harry R. Whitall, and John Humbler Willard appear in context of evidence handling or contributor records. The text also includes incomplete forms, such as FD-340 and FD-940, which reference case files, property acquisitions, and disposition processes.  

Key People  
- Suspect (described as white male with varying ages, heights, weights, and hair colors)  
- John Laundrauiland (photographed)  
- Cindy Willard, Harry R. Whitall, John Humbler Willard (contributors or individuals associated with evidence records)  
- Jethrophs J. Antat (possibly a suspect or case reference)  

Key Locations  
- Birmingham, Alabama  
- Memphis, Tennessee  
- Roanoake, Virginia (police department reference)  
- Richmond, Virginia (FBI field office mention)  

Key Events  
- FBI investigation into MLK’s assassination, focusing on suspects’ movements in Birmingham and Memphis during March–April 1968.  
- Property inventory and evidence handling processes by law enforcement agencies.  
- Requests for photographic or fingerprint identification of suspects.  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- Memphis Police Department  
- Birmingham Police Department  
- U.S. Postal Service (references to form submissions)  
- Local police departments in Virginia (e.g., Roanoake, Richmond)

MLK Declassified Files

44-rh-657_sec_001_ser_1-42-part_01_of_10.pdf

Document Summary

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