</s>FD-240 (REV. 6.24.45) File No. 44-657-14.17 Date Received: From (NAME OF CONTRIBUTOR) (ADDRESS OF CONTRITIBUTION) (CITY AND STATID By (NAME of SPECIAL AGENT) To Be Returned Yes Receipt given Yes Description: X No Photo subject kry At uien 0.5.0. 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigations into the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., focusing on James Earl Ray (FBI No. 405,942), a suspect with physical traits including scars and behavioral patterns described as "lone wolf." Ray’s records include civil rights violations, interstate flight, and robbery charges. A routing slip from May 13, 1968, references "MURKIN" as an investigative code for the Memphis, Tennessee, assassination. Urgent FBI communications (April 7–8, 1968) highlight leads involving Neal Huston in Alexandria, Virginia, and a man named Chuck described as six feet tall with sandy hair and dark glasses linked to Memphis. Mrs. Katherine Limpus reported encountering an individual resembling the suspect in Gate City, Virginia, matching a newspaper drawing of the perpetrator. Forensic analysis of laundry marks on clothing tied to the assassination revealed a specific red laundry tape (1/4-inch wide, 1 1/16-inch long) manufactured by Textile Marking Machine Co., Syracuse, NY, with an unusual coding system and machine defects. The FBI compiled data on textile marking machines in cities like Atlanta, Baltimore, and Boston to trace the tape’s origin. A Delta Airlines flight sighting mentioned a man with a box labeled "Mauser," potentially connected to the assassination rifle. Lester Forsythe, a KKK associate, was identified as a possible suspect due to his resemblance to the perpetrator, with Robert Jones (Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center director) reporting an encounter with Forsythe in Savannah, GA.  

Key People  
- James Earl Ray (FBI No. 405,942)  
- Neal Huston (Alexandria, Virginia)  
- Chuck (six feet tall, sandy hair, dark glasses)  
- Mrs. Katherine Limpus (Gate City, Virginia)  
- Lester Forsythe (suspected KKK associate, possible suspect)  
- Robert Jones (Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center director)  
- Donnie Bright Laundry (laundry tape analysis)  
- Mr. Young (laundry business contact)  
- Dale Crowley (reported sighting of suspect in Maryland)  

Key Locations  
- Memphis, Tennessee (assassination site)  
- Alexandria, Virginia  
- Gate City, Virginia  
- Kalamazoo, Michigan  
- Syracuse, NY (Textile Marking Machine Co.)  
- Atlanta, GA (Delta Airlines flight involving "Mauser" box)  
- Savannah, GA (meeting between Jones and Forsythe)  
- Arlington, VA (laundry shop with tape analysis)  

Key Events  
- FBI investigation into MLK’s assassination (April 4, 1968)  
- Forensic analysis of laundry marks on clothing linked to the crime  
- Identification of a specific red laundry tape manufactured by Textile Marking Machine Co.  
- FBI efforts to trace textile marking machines across multiple cities  
- Sighting of a man with a "Mauser"-labeled box on a Delta Airlines flight  
- Mrs. Limpus’s encounter with an individual resembling the suspect in Gate City, Virginia  
- Identification of Lester Forsythe as a KKK associate and possible suspect due to his resemblance to the perpetrator  
- FBI cross-referencing machine codes, serial numbers, and fingerprint records  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- Textile Marking Machine Co., Inc. (manufacturer of laundry tape)  
- Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

MLK Declassified Files

44-rh-657_sec_001_ser_1-42-part_5_of_10.pdf

Document Summary

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