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TO: DIRECTOR, FBI (44-38861).-:

FROM: SAC, MEMPHIS (44-1987)' )

SUBJECT: MURKIN

n osed for the Bureau is one copy each of the following documents:

A. Memorandum dated 2/5/69, reflecting conversation between WILLIAM BRADFORD • HUIE and members of District Attorney General PHIL C.CANALE's staff on 2/4/69.'

t.

B. -Letter dated 2/27/69, from JOACHIM JOESTEN to Judge W. PRESTON BATTLE. This was made available to the Memphis Office by General PHIL M. CANALE. Bureau has previously been advised of JOESTEN's interest in this c

11';':: 1E)- Bureau (Encs. . - 1:- Memphis

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FEB 26 1969

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1.:-.zdisiR re:Lease January 15=.7'

OPEN F.ETTERZ. To +radCm if.: Preston Battle, Criciinal 'curt, Rcraphis,, Tons. concerning the JAMES ?jai p0Ax

by JOACRIR JOESTEhs/

1

Vets Rouor.: • •

• .. • - Jamas Earl Ray did not kill Dr. Rartin Inthor - - . • . Do mac a pald 'doper l'.04 AD aaeh doservos to be ptini-'ad

•' his part •in i.ho conspiracy. Eat as !Ka sot Tiro the shot • -tar. iilaz end, for all hie' crielnal past, ho,too,' is entitle.' Ray h.o boon eharsed aurdor by the 'Stott, on st"..,e basis of a doliboratoly feloo and fraudulent ft Repo'-4. ••

dim= tho Stato, that Ray did not commit tho :•.7",14.:9. secuose. lSlo felony of CAI:. faloe aceueotion is tocrecz;.st. '

• Itieldon intoat to- ahlold, tbsour;11 tho *aortae* of a cor,prIr-at. rant sasacryln of Dr. Xing, abase le:entity ie'woll knonn .11:2 I on nald.ns•thase chars:: on tho basic or -a an."`C.:11 r-Ze. , study of tho onso. Ey t.adinsc ani .eozeluzion= aro leit. • r 45.001,-rord doeumontntion, of c:c.ich, 0 copy is bt•iar; &truant:: under aelmrato cover today. co:line 0100 :314.a5. rant to thc. 2.1.4.1.

Aber-..,at:-.y., Read, Southern Caristian Larder/411p Conference; to .t.'az nen Libortioa Union; And te a soloot.group, of no-....roora. This dootuaentatien in amt just a laymanla briof fur 407. • ...as or a can uroncfal.ly accuaoc. It in alUeo 'a public indiotro4t.c.. -

• ,tiousares, in particular J. Feacar licover, ifao poraonally ;.caper-1..r...ta . franc-up.

heraby

▪

declare an affirathat :.ely and with rouse eforothouza.t aonapired with oLcer felozicus 4,nk,roomont offielala" to br:-...nE aLout tbo psdicir.1 !murder -of -3rdsee•‘-- ilr.r1 alai through tru3spod-no obarGan and doctoredtivitionea. 33ocavoc; kabov:s th.-.2 hie taloa And fraudulent c:,•-10 Vill atam4 up is court, c*ro-s prossuro Is 24,W br.tinG Ray, a can virtually 40 rowsclicaz because of his lone criminal =core and involvosont in the conspiracy 'ou Kin;,, falcaly tc., .rlOae Ce4.1t•e iii Tatum for a prosino of Ion:Loney. Ray ha, boon Intorno& ar...=- bicue:ely. that,if ha dofoude hirenalf asainst the surder aurae, ho be

',onto:Iced to death and onocuted. On the other ita3M,'isa Uaa boon prom.Lead a:rocomnondation of mercy, a CUrAparat.IV01:r ltga& crimes and an early pardon if he accepts the role of a law a7r.aseir.. • That ?mad obviato the inaanvonionea, far J. Telzar Rcov.5r and State , nuthcrittoo, or havlut; 0 prove Choir taloa and ocUtzatblo olt•■ •••cas in court, but it mould Unrstly ears* the cive.e, of justice in 4.6,crioi. • I treat that you, the jnticl, Sill not tolerate thin Lr''ve..ty cf jultino. Tho• dominion:at:A.1n ulie I an na'Al-ne avollatut t. Your er, sill help you oatablieh. Myr truth

Uon Rospoe t rally yours.

•

. • •

2,2Lle Y• n: of Truth Daunt' in New Orinono... AZ lung lost, the historic procees of oatabliuhing the trlth

the assassination of President John F. Kennedy 10 under way. fhu trill 1. :.lay any in new Orloans is only a first otep in that diroctiun; others fellow noon. In the end, the procoao Inexorably trill land to the unao:.L. of Lyndon H. Johnson as the pewLr behind what wan in effect tau first coo d'otat in Aoorican history (hov. 22, ....965). Ina time has ccue for thouchtful AmerIcann to start thinkinr the UNTHINKABLE becaece_it it true. r• I As the truth gradually emerges in the courts, in the prone in public's:lob/Ito or private diacuesions, a careful compilation of ar.. available literaturs'on the ansmsaination and the Warron Report b000ttn., an trgent Task forlastorians, political scientiste and librarians, lc,.- losat two roasOnsl .•

One, each and every book that het been published on the at.%‘4.... makes a contribution to the search for the truth - some large, mono small, bt.t none is negligible.

And Tr°, womo day students of history, pondering the e*.'s of b.r.eithe taking disclosures that is now ahead till ask in amaneuent: How did all tail/ get etartad?

• The Crime of Dallaw was shoat t.ao perfect crime. Every precaution `.ad 'aeon talon by itc organizers to mnkn pure that thi truth would never en..te oat. And then the Warren Report, this "gigantic fraud" (Sarrison),-all but coaled off the lent avonuos of truth-aeohing.

Officialdom and the nays medio not only mid nothing to help bring out the true facts, but they actively, and lu concert, exerted every possible effort to obtuse/Ito the truth and obstruct independent inveatigation. BOOKS, and book alone, were the weapons of truth. Diarriet Attor-ney Jim Garrison himself hat publicly acknowledged that it wan thre--43.-. his .....4..11cg of the published critiques of the Warren Report that he felt implled tc opus an official invostigetion intc the assassination of Preeide= Ke=edy. Now,lt is a ma:ter of record, easily to. be verified, that the firet book plbliehed in the Uni -..ed States which attacked the official version of the assaanination as en unmitigatod fraud was JOACHIM JOESTEN t s Oswrld:. ;01 31Nall or Full Guy? (Now York, June 1964). The 'ism* book, in its oucond es.tinn (Jununry 1965) contained the first critique of the Warren Ropert to acme out butoe?n book covers.

8inco then, JOACHIM JOE5TEN has published enven moro books about 't!,41 asaassimation of Presidont Kennedy which are not, Lowevor, generally 'available in the Bnited'States. They arc "books-in-exilo, ft published in Lzz-lt.nd Switzerland and France, because their outspokenneos &ado them ton "act" for Asorican publiuhera to handle.

However. theme books Oen:ad:The Truth; Karin;. °ovule,: 76- Gtrri- knouirv; Dow Kennedy Was Killed; Din Wnhrholt bane den Xenhedy-;arc. (Zurich); La v6rit6 cur lo con de Jnelt Rebv;(Pario); and now The Dark Sidi, et, 1,,r4-7.7 h. Johnnnn ore avulloble at a newt increasing number of public &ma collage liornrios in America. Thoy can be obtained by writing directly to the author: Joachim Joosten, 87-70 173rd Street, Jamaica 11452. Now York City; or to 014 present addrons in Europe: Joachito Jooston, Munich 13, Or1eeatrr,atno 13, c/o Rabin. Germany. I. I.

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• an I" ads of lanaun H. Jnn 7i 1:4?",t, •:s2et/ 4.71 stout A5.1 min in Qin ;•r 1:3 re 'I, r,; 4:1n r.h - : ctar Dnonny Ltd. Tondoit,

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192 pit., p•awr...-bnck ' Datmety, London, April 1968 • ::4x G-.: rj ;:on Errol.; rx, 158 pp., pikoeksarelt •r• •S.U.., Ctuanay, Ltd.. London, October 19E1' 7. win:: Cottold tteuald of the C44), 165 pp.'," datith • - 'VA.; . .

•Potec Daourty, Ltd., 'London. kununt ..„., _ 4.'*tead. • 'The 7 ru Lb. 372 P10., cloth, .• • - - Petits D4Zii37L.4.. ton4hz. July 1967 - • •ost'sid: A•runsin or. Full Owtt (rare. book ...out of twin*/ Molar

c■ecur.aruCary scone.). ;;arson' • • - • •-

;',/ 'Mr', June 1764 ond tha Ln Pre.t:-.LarmiarlOrtertkry 396 ,̀ e Wahrhoi t fiber icon Konned y_", re (1.11.11ormut, "4 " clot-T.-Zurich, See-‘ur.itztr 19% •- • v(r:,••: sor le can du Jae:: Ih•hv (in French)

,•••• .pp., paporimel: (large forl:ut), Paris, Hay 19S7

* Pots: !Prices for the above trade boche re for to farmed eculae

publi en+ toja1„2 ar author 4.tirei r . ME A01.111ST J .1114.11dt tIOOVE14 lie aimantslantions or • •- frir..s.-?.cnt John

F 1Senno.:4 and pr.Mer Ian •:-•‘s -41%;;;) - about 15.000 torf.-io. Juntiary 2969 :11.e aquinot L• ."*".'41:••-•an ;La the hesanr.inotioa :••-• .•r4r.14)st Nonnudy) 2 Vpiss. 19%0 • :v

-n.. Aga:tent .t.bo'lLonnoclv C1 i, tilat,■:1965 A 15.fti fhr Tn.2.e.ust lit. Elver Told (The I.:ann.:iv irrauo - And :Tor ;;Girot; i;;;posirT15•7four-pnrt. surien, 1168.69.g 5.c4) .1m: vol. bier:alai, L 45 a your; P 25 ea atintha

—1717----urr-ao,Itha trio). A 15.00 Aak for free statiply copy All nriceu in ur. dollars As% for too printed 16-pnlo ew.ainsno "A List of Vuohn'Yy Jteuton'About the nioas4inotIon of ProsiZont Konnodytt is

"tarn abovo books and pamphlets tiro doucribod in dett.1.1. •• Joaettirk Jeoaton. 87-76 173rd Street, Jaa:iea 11452. 'lee City, USA; or Joachim Joonten, Munich 13, driorAtr. 13; :tohim, Gernany.

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MEMORANDUM

February 6, 1969 . • RE: CONVE1SATION HELD WITH WILLIAM BRADFORD WIE ON FEBRUARY 4, 1969, REGA1UING STATE OF TENNESSEE VS. JAMES EARL RAY.

Yesterday General Canals, James Beasley, John Carlisle s.ld my-self net with Mr. Bradford Huie. This meeting took place.in fir. Huie's room, No. 1106, Rivermont Hotel. When we entered the room, Mr. Muie was alone and started telling us that his interest in the James Earl Ray case was only as a businessman. He related that he had no concern for Jaz.es Earl Ray one way or the other, other than it was strictly a ousi-z.ess situation existing between him and Arthur Hanes, former counsel for Ray and now his attorney Percy Foreman. He further stated that his only other interest other than business in that matter was a earnest desire to get and expose other co-conspirators of Ray. He further related that he War.ted to know.whether there existed a possibility of there not being a :rial in this matter. He felt that a trial should be averted in the cc;:mon interest of the country and the state of Tennessee and that h. tht-kl-:^ was that Ray would ultimately end up and be a witnefrior the State of Tennessee. Re stated that he would liketo.ste Ray, and confer with htm and that was the reason he was now in the city other than meet-ing wAtn us. He wanted to explore the possibility with us of-him being permitted by the Court to go up and confer personally with Ray and that his main objective would be to convince Ray that he should plead guilty. He also enquired of us as to how much time he would have to servo on a ninety-nine year sentence and also on a li.fe sentence. He interrupted his relating of this statement to enquire as to the possibility of the ;.cage no. wanting to try this case. He was informed by the General and miNelf that was our business and we like to try law suits. He felt that if he could confer with Ray that he would have Ray amenable to pleading

1e also related that he thought Mr. Foreman whom he had known a few years had made a bad mistake by getting into this cases. He 'Rfxr

Tellteo that he told Mr. Foreman that this was not a Candis Roessler .nd that he was going to get knocked off in this case. He fustLor

relatuo that he told Mr. Foreman James Earl Ray killed Martin Luther ----Rrnr-und—tirrt—evarybody--itreew an-d-wers- -thMe-:.f.se.a,._,.x. _further _ _

pow .11.•••■•

4"400411401,00400M01000re

Page 2 Memorandum Conve:sation with Huie

• related that Mr. Foreman had done some soul searching since he had enter

into the defense of James Earl Ray and that Mr. Foreman wanted out of

this case. He then began to related that he had traveled extensively

checking out information given to him from Ray through Hanes. Ray's

story about his complicity in the murder of Xing. He related that Ray

had spent sometime in Puerto Vallarto, Mexico, and that Ray had re-zittered at a hotel in Acapulco on October 8 and had made a long .dlotanca

phone call from that hotel to Corpus Christi, Texas. He related that

the Mexican police had checked his registration and found out this fact

four days after Ray had left the hotel. He stated that Ray, after killing

• Dr. King went to Birmingham and he is convinced that he met with someone

iz .1,irmingham that night and then on to Atlanta. From Atlanta he is con-

vinced from what be knows about the case that Ray went to Gary, Indiana,

and ■et Jerry his brother. He further stated that Ray went to Toronto

r:.41 held himself to be Bridgman and Sneyd and that he spent nine days in Montrer.: and that this can be verified by the fact that in Montreal he

robber. a food store. He stated further that Ray came in aere on the third and ktayed in a motel here and that on the fourth he gotes hair

cut on Union Avenue, that he had a fixation about getting hair cuts every-

uhere he went. Stated that Ray bought the binoculars; Ray took the rifle

up into his room in the rooming house and that Ray told him that he was

sitting in the Mustang car when the fatal shot was fired and an unnamed

party came down the steps, jumped in the back of the Mustang, pulled a

sheet over him and they fled the sceno. An earlier version was he stated

Ray told him he was to be in the room and to get the room so that they

might meet an unnamed, unknown party and discuss the sale of weapons.

iluie related that Ray would tell Hanes and himself a story and they would

check this story out and would find that Ray had lied. They would then

confront Ray with the fact that they had found out that Ray had told

4b.them lies and then Ray would relate another story. Mr. Huie was convey--

ir.g to us that Ray was apt to lie on many occasions. Mr. Huie says that

from his knowledge of cons and from being a police reporter shows that

Ray's behavior was par for the course for that typo of person. I asked

Mr. Hui(' if prior to our mooting if ho had not turned over to Percy ■

ww,..mar,.....~..0.1.•410•■•~11114414.4,,■a•b...

' Page 3 Memorandum Conversation with Huio

xPolo us that on the advise.of his attorneys he had given every scrap 0 paper in Ray's handwriting to Percy Foreman shortly after Foreman came into the case. I asked Mr. Huie if as ho had stated earlier that his only interest in this matter was helping to effect the appreilens.,,n and exposure of co-conspirators, how he felt that his turning notes of Ray's over to Foreman was fair and consistent with that statement. I also asked Mr. Huie if General Canale hadn't on ■any occasions asked to confer with him and he had put General Canal* off until this date. I reiterated that I couldn't see how his acts in delivering Ray's notes to Foreman was compatible with his statement that his only interest in the case was the exposure and apprehension of co-conspirators. Mr. Huie stated he would have to reflect on that for a while in view of what I had said. e related after reflection that if any time during the trial that we needed to verify something Ray is supposed to have said that that we thought would be beneficial, he would be available awl would co-operate with is to that extent. I asked Mr. Huie if he had not made a statement that ;it had capies of all of these notes and would deliver them upon re-quest to the State of Tennessee. Ho stated he might have made such a statement but he didn't have any material in his possession that he could copy. Mr., Huie related examples of Ray's lying to him as follows: The version of the escape from the Missouri Penitentiary as published in LOOK magazine was found to be a lie upon subsequent checking by Mr. Huie. The information as published in reference to the hold up of the house of prostitution in Montreal was later admitted to be a lie by Ray and in truth and in fact he held up a food center in Montreal along in early August of 1967 but when questioned about this by Mr. Huie, Ray said it was a half truth because in 1959 he did rob a house of prostitution in the same manner that he described to Mr. Huie. Mr. Huie related that he tried to verify Ray's hold up in Alton, Illinois, a bank and obtaining in the neighborhood of $20,000 and Mr. Huie stated that he never could! ;.,

,verify that he held up the bank in Alton, Illinois. Mr. Dine further related that he had working with him on verifying Ray's story • investi-gator by the name of Groovich (phoonexic).. Ho then relates; shut had lived in Exchange Alley in back of tho Monte Loon Hotel and that

"

, .410P471.1.,,AW •

Page 4 Memorandum Conversation with Huie

'mat that time the Monte Leon family had as their guests.. pilots who had

11-'t

been ransomed from Cuba who had participated in the invasion of the

Bay of Pigs. Huie related that Ray on his trip to New Orleans with_Snia

had met unknown, unnamed parties in • bar from which diagr„aadO■de by

Ray, Huie concluded was across the street from the Morita leon. Huie

■- started relating about John F. Kennedy not supporting the invasion of

CLba ana that because of that there was much resentment for the Kennedy

family among the rescued participants of the invasion of Cuba. He further

related that Garrison didn't have anything in his opinion other than a

conspiracy that began and ended in the atmosphere of New Orleans. We

asked Mr. Huie pointed questions about prior statements made by him in

different localities as to him making the assertion that there are other

co-conspirators. He stated he righted have made statements of that kind.

ne asked Mr. Huie that if he had any facts or evidence or proof in his

pz:session from any source that would indicate to him from his knowledge

of this matter if there were and if there are any co-conspirators. He

said tay.t he did not have any proof and that his statements were based

or. suppositions and inferences that he had drawn from checking Ray's

story. We informed Mr. Huie that in view of the fact that he had made

these statements about the country and in particular Shelby County that

we were handing him a subpoena for his appearance before the Shelby County

Grand Jury on Friday, February 7.. Mr. Huie accepted his subpoena and

said he was not and would not try to avoid it and would be here and would

testify. Mr. Hui* also added that from his interviewing witnesses he

h&c found that the FBI in showing mug shots to different witnesses for

identification purposes that there had been in a group of pictures shown •

two or three pictures of the same individuals. Mr. Huie stated that the

green spread that was used by James Earl Ray to wrap the bundle with the

,. rifle that he dropped on Main Street had come from California. Mx. Hu e

• State that he had purchased an identical. rifle -that Ray used froleDona d &Om • Kcad at Aeromarine Supply and that he had gone to the rooming house an

ro-enacted the assassination and that he was convinced that anyone could

have made a shot of that kind. It did not take a marksman. Mr. Huie

h.

/ yr rk'• •

. Page S a Memorandum

Conversation with Huie

•

14r. Huie further related that it struck him as peculiar that Ray did make trips to Aaromarinc Supply which is in the vicinity of the airport in Birmingham and that also in that location was the headquarters of General Doster. He stated that Doster assembled the pilots that partici-pated in the bay of Pigs Invasion. He also. stated that it was • known fact that people could come and go there in General Doster's headquarters who were of like character as Ray. Mr. Huie further related that Ray and his brothers were 100 per cent convinced that Wallace was going to be elected president of the United States and that we knew that Ray was politically motivated toward Wallace because of his activities in Los Anzeles. He further related that Ray is very disappointed at this time in that Wallace was not elected and that he didn't receive the support from the people that he thought he was going to receive by killing King. gr. Huie felt that Jerry Ray knew prior to the killing what Jamas Earl . . _

was going to do and that he knew after the killing and- that—he...assisted James Ray.

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