</s>Ray's stipulated judicial confession comports.in detail with the facts disclosed by the investigation and the failure of the self-serving stories persuasively undermines the likelihood of any conspiracy. -90- 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

The document details the FBI’s investigation into James Earl Ray’s alleged involvement in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, focusing on his criminal history, motives, financial activities, and family connections. It outlines Ray’s background as a former prisoner with a history of robbery, forgery, and burglary, emphasizing his racist attitudes toward Black individuals, as evidenced by inmate accounts and incidents in Mexico and Los Angeles. The text highlights Ray’s alleged desire to kill King, including statements made during incarceration and post-escape. Financial investigations into Ray’s spending after his 1967 escape from Missouri State Penitentiary revealed unexplained expenditures, prompting scrutiny of potential co-conspirators or sources of funds. Family members, particularly brothers John and Jerry Ray, were noted for their contact with Ray during his fugitive status, though no conclusive evidence of involvement in the assassination was found. The FBI concluded that Ray acted alone, citing his confession, forensic evidence, and lack of credible conspiracy leads. However, the report acknowledges gaps in the investigation, including unexplored family connections and FBI procedural delays.  

The document also details FBI surveillance and harassment of Dr. King, including technical surveillance, COINTELPRO activities, and internal communications. It outlines the Bureau’s initiation of investigations into King’s association with alleged Communist Party members, citing memos from 1961 to 1968. Key events include the FBI’s unauthorized technical surveillance of King’s residences and SCLC offices in New York City (October 1963), internal disputes between FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and Attorney General Robert Kennedy over surveillance requests, and the Bureau’s efforts to discredit King through illegal counterintelligence operations. The document references the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and its financial and strategic ties to King’s advisors, some of whom were labeled as Communist Party members by the FBI. It notes that while initial investigations into King may have been justified based on perceived Communist influence, their continuation was deemed unwarranted due to lack of evidence linking King or the SCLC to the CPUSA. The text includes details about specific surveillance locations (e.g., Americana Hotel, Sheraton Atlantic, New York Hilton), dates of installations (1964–1966), and internal FBI directives regarding surveillance protocols.  

The document further details FBI activities related to surveillance, discrediting efforts, and covert operations targeting MLK and his associates following the assassination on April 4, 1968. It outlines the Bureau’s dissemination of derogatory information about MLK to individuals and organizations in positions to influence his public image, including briefings for British officials in November 1964 alleging MLK’s communist affiliations. The FBI also engaged in electronic surveillance, revealing that MLK had complained about a meeting between President Lyndon B. Johnson and an Atlanta official during the 1965 Inauguration, which was relayed to MLK’s father. Post-assassination, the Bureau attempted to prevent a national holiday honoring MLK by briefing Congress on his background and distributing a monograph to the President and Attorney General in 1969. The FBI scrutinized Coretta King, Ralph Abernathy, and Andrew Young, with plans to leak information about their alleged conspiracies to maintain media attention. Field offices were instructed to report "immoral activities" of MLK’s associates, and the Atlanta office proposed notifying Abernathy directly of threats to unsettle him, though this was not approved. The Bureau also conducted illegal surreptitious entries into SCLC premises to gather intelligence, including obtaining a specimen of MLK’s handwriting. Despite an informant’s embezzlement of SCLC funds, no disciplinary action was taken.  

Key People  
- James Earl Ray (accused assassin)  
- John Ray (brother of James Earl Ray)  
- Jerry Ray (brother of James Earl Ray)  
- Ima Morales (Mexican woman associated with Ray in Puerto Vallarta)  
- Pat Goodell (female customer at Los Angeles bar)  
- Richard Gonzales (fellow student of Ray in Los Angeles)  
- Marie Martin (cousin of Charles Stein, informant)  
- J. Edgar Hoover (FBI Director)  
- William C. Sullivan (Assistant Director of the Domestic Intelligence Division)  
- Robert F. Kennedy (Attorney General)  
- Martin Luther King Jr. (subject of FBI surveillance and harassment)  
- Coretta Scott King (mentioned in context of King’s personal life and conversations recorded during surveillance)  
- Ralph Abernathy  
- Andrew Young  
- Lyndon B. Johnson (President)  
- Spiro Agnew (Former Vice President)  
- James R. Sullivan (FBI SAC in Atlanta)  

Key Locations  
- Missouri State Penitentiary (Jefferson City, MO)  
- Puerto Vallarta, Mexico  
- Winnetka, Illinois  
- Birmingham, Alabama  
- Memphis, Tennessee  
- Chicago, Illinois  
- St. Louis, Missouri  
- New York City (sites of technical surveillance: Americana Hotel, Sheraton Atlantic, New York Hilton)  
- Washington D.C. (FBI headquarters and internal memos)  
- Atlanta, Georgia (King’s residence and SCLC headquarters)  
- Albany, Georgia (site of racial disturbances investigated by the FBI)  
- United Kingdom (location of British officials briefed on MLK’s alleged communist ties)  
- Selma, Alabama (SCLC headquarters)  

Key Events  
- Ray’s escape from Missouri State Penitentiary in April 1967  
- Incidents of racial hostility by Ray in Puerto Vallarta and Los Angeles (e.g., threatening Black individuals)  
- Ray’s alleged statement about killing Dr. King during incarceration and post-escape  
- FBI investigation into Ray’s financial activities, including purchases of cars and photo equipment  
- Family interactions between Ray and his brothers John and Jerry during his fugitive status  
- FBI fingerprint identification of Ray as the suspect in the assassination case  
- Ray’s judicial confession and denial of conspiracy claims  
- October 1963: FBI authorized technical surveillance of King’s residence and SCLC office in New York City  
- December 1964: Public dispute between Hoover and King over FBI’s role in civil rights investigations  
- November 1964: FBI briefings for British officials on MLK’s alleged communist ties  
- January 1965: Surveillance revealing MLK’s complaints about an Atlanta official’s interactions with his father  
- Post-assassination efforts to prevent a national holiday honoring MLK through congressional briefings and monographs  
- April–May 1968: FBI instructions to report "immoral activities" of MLK’s associates; proposed direct notifications to Abernathy  
- Illegal surreptitious entries into SCLC premises (1968–1975) for intelligence gathering, including obtaining MLK’s handwriting  
- 1970: Hoover’s discussion with Spiro Agnew about discrediting Ralph Abernathy  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  
- U.S. Department of Justice  
- Memphis Police Department  
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)  
- Civil Rights Division (U.S. Attorney General’s office)  
- Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)  
- Communist Party USA (CPUSA)  
- Senate Select Committee (investigated FBI activities)  
- U.S. Department of Justice (Attorney General’s office)

MLK Declassified Files

80-bf-2142_sec_000_ser_156-part_3_of_5.pdf

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