File #: 62-11/72 90- SECTION 6 Serial Scope: 353,356,361,366,366.368,369,371,371.372,375,376. 378 424 380 426 382X 428 THRU 431 385 433 390 THRU 395 437 .397. 400 404 THRU 409 413 THRU 415 418 420 429 NW 88608 Docdl: 32897949 Page 1

Summary  
The document details extensive FBI investigations into the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., including requests by the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) for records related to informants, counterintelligence operations, and surveillance activities. The HSCA sought access to FBI files on individuals such as James Earl Ray, a suspect in MLK’s murder, and informants like SL 1495-E and Jerry Ray, who allegedly provided information about the assassination. FBI records referenced include electronic surveillance of MLK from January 1964 to October 1965, with locations such as the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C., Hyatt Hotels in Los Angeles, and the Ambassador Hotel in Honolulu. The HSCA also requested materials on COINTELPRO operations targeting MLK and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), as well as files on organizations like the National States Rights Party (NSRP) and the John Birch Society. FBI agents such as SA Joseph H. Kearney, SA Howell S. Lowe, and SA William H. Lawrence were assigned to counterintelligence programs against civil rights groups, with case files reviewed from Memphis, Chicago, St. Louis, and Atlanta. The FBI confirmed no electronic surveillance on specified individuals or locations (e.g., Grapevine Tavern in St. Louis) between 1967–1968. Additionally, the HSCA requested information on unsolved cases like the 1967 Alton, Illinois bank robbery, which was closed without linking James Earl Ray to the crime. The FBI provided details on agents involved in investigations, including retired Special Agent Joe C. Hester, who stated that Ray acted alone in killing MLK and that no conspiracy theory existed based on available evidence.  

Key People  
- James Earl Ray (suspect in MLK’s assassination)  
- SL 1495-E (former informant active against white hate groups)  
- Jerry Ray (alleged associate of James Earl Ray)  
- G. Robert Blakey (HSCA director and chief counsel)  
- Michael Eberhardt (HSCA staff attorney)  
- Robert L. Keuch (Deputy Assistant Attorney General, FBI liaison)  
- Dennis R. Dickson (Acting Legal Attaché, U.S. Embassy London)  
- Joe C. Hester (retired FBI special agent)  
- Lester Lee E.Kell (FBI file, SSN redacted)  
- Charles Joseph Stein, Anthony Decarvelho, Jack Brown (DEA/FBI files)  

Key Locations  
- Washington, D.C. (Willard Hotel, J. Edgar Hoover Building, HSCA offices)  
- Memphis, Tennessee (MLK assassination site)  
- St. Louis, Missouri (Grapevine Tavern, New Orleans FBI field office)  
- Atlanta, Georgia (SCLC headquarters)  
- Birmingham, Alabama (civil rights investigations)  
- Chicago, Illinois (FBI case files)  
- Los Angeles, California (Hyatt Hotels)  
- Honolulu, Hawaii (Ambassador Hotel)  
- Alton, Illinois (1967 bank robbery investigation)  

Key Events  
- FBI electronic surveillance of MLK from January 1964 to October 1965  
- HSCA requests for FBI records on informants, COINTELPRO operations, and SCLC affiliates  
- Coordination between FBI units and legal liaisons to process HSCA interview requests  
- Investigation into James Earl Ray’s escape from custody in London (June 8, 1968)  
- Review of FBI case files on counterintelligence programs targeting civil rights groups (1965–1968)  
- Closure of the 1967 Alton Bank Robbery case without linking Ray to the crime  
- Interview with retired FBI agent Joe C. Hester regarding Ray’s alleged methods and motives  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): Conducted surveillance, counterintelligence operations, and provided records to HSCA  
- House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA): Requested information on MLK’s assassination, informants, and FBI activities  
- Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC): Subject of FBI investigations and surveillance  
- National States Rights Party (NSRP)  
- John Birch Society  
- Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)  
- U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)  
- British authorities (U.S. Embassy London, James Earl Ray’s capture in 1968)

JFK Declassified Files

124-10180-10236_multirif.pdf

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