King’s family releases statement after Trump declassifies secret FBI files, reaffirms Ray was not the killer

The Trump administration has released nearly 200,000 pages of previously sealed FBI surveillance records concerning civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. These documents had been under a court-imposed seal since 1977 and were collected during the FBI’s intensive monitoring of King.

The files are now accessible to the public through the National Archives and Records Administration, which will offer new insight into the investigation, surveillance, and federal actions surrounding the civil rights leader’s death. The release is part of Executive Order 14176, signed by President Donald Trump.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was placed under heavy FBI surveillance as part of the agency’s COINTELPRO operation, to monitor and undermine individuals seen as threats to national security.


FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover viewed King as a dangerous figure, accusing him of having alleged ties to communists and fearing his growing influence in the Civil Rights Movement.

The agency’s campaign went beyond surveillance; it included smear tactics, blackmail attempts, and efforts to discredit King publicly and privately, including a notorious anonymous letter urging him to take his own life.

"The American people have waited nearly sixty years to see the full scope of the federal government's investigation into Dr King's assassination," Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard said in a statement.

What happened to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr?

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the iconic voice behind "I have a dream", was assassinated on April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.

He was in the city to support striking sanitation workers. Shortly after the killing, James Earl Ray, a fugitive with a criminal record, was arrested in London and extradited to the United States.

He pleaded guilty to King’s murder in 1969 and was sentenced to 99 years in prison, avoiding a jury trial. However, Ray later recanted his confession, claiming he was coerced and had been set up as part of a broader conspiracy.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s family publicly stated that they did not believe James Earl Ray was the actual assassin. They believed he was a scapegoat in a larger conspiracy.

Dr. King’s surviving children, Martin Luther King III and Dr. Bernice A. King, were notified in advance of the document release to assemble research teams to review the contents before the public could access them.

Statement from his family

The Martin Luther King Jr. Center released a joint statement on Monday, July 21, from Martin Luther King III and Dr. Bernice A. King, responding to the public release of long-sealed government documents related to their father’s assassination.

“We recognize that the release of documents concerning the assassination of our father, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has long been a subject of interest, captivating public curiosity for decades,” they said.

As children of Dr. King and Mrs. Coretta Scott King, they said that this renewed attention comes with deep emotional weight.

“His tragic death has been an intensely personal grief – a devastating loss for his wife, children, and the granddaughter he never met – an absence our family has endured for over 57 years. We ask those who engage with the release of these files to do so with empathy, restraint, and respect for our family’s continuing grief.”

The family also requested that the documents must not be viewed in isolation but in the "full historical context" of their father’s life and legacy.

“During our father’s lifetime, he was relentlessly targeted by an invasive, predatory, and deeply disturbing disinformation and surveillance campaign orchestrated by J. Edgar Hoover through the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),” they said.

They alleged that this campaign (COINTELPRO) was not simply an effort to gather intelligence but to destroy a man and a movement.

“The intent of the government’s COINTELPRO campaign was not only to monitor, but to discredit, dismantle and destroy Dr. King’s reputation and the broader American Civil Rights Movement. These actions were not only invasions of privacy, but intentional assaults on the truth, undermining the dignity and freedoms of private citizens who fought for justice, designed to neutralize those who dared to challenge the status quo.”

Ray was not the shooter

Referencing a key moment in their family’s pursuit of truth, the statement recalled the 1999 civil trial in Shelby County, Tennessee.

“Our family filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit... The jury unanimously concluded that our father was the victim of a conspiracy involving Loyd Jowers and unnamed co-conspirators, including government agencies as part of a wider scheme. The verdict also affirmed that someone other than James Earl Ray was the shooter, and that Mr. Ray was set up to take the blame.”

They affirmed that this verdict reflects what they have long believed.

“As we review these newly released files, we will assess whether they offer additional insights beyond the findings our family has already accepted.”

While supporting truth and transparency, they raised caution about how the documents may be used.

“We object to any attacks on our father’s legacy or attempts to weaponize it to spread falsehoods. We strongly condemn any attempts to misuse these documents in ways intended to undermine our father’s legacy and the significant achievements of the movement,” they said.

“Those who promote the fruit of the FBI’s surveillance will unknowingly align themselves with an ongoing campaign to degrade our father and the Civil Rights Movement.”

Dr. King’s mission is the way

Instead of fueling old injustices, the family urged the public to uphold and continue Dr. King’s mission.

“We encourage the public to continue the work that our father began – building equity, justice, and peace for all,” the statement reads.
“Now more than ever, we must honor his sacrifice by committing ourselves to the realization of his dream – a society rooted in compassion, unity, and equality.”

The message concluded with a call to action grounded in Dr. King’s enduring vision of a just and loving world.

“Let us move forward together, inspired by our father’s enduring vision of the Beloved Community – a world made possible when we choose to center love in all that we do. By embracing compassion, mutual respect, and justice, we can transform his dream into our shared reality.”

What the files contain

The files include:

• Records from the FBI’s COINTELPRO operations, revealing extensive surveillance and psychological harassment of King.
  
  
  
• Internal FBI memos show attempts to discredit him, including a 1964 letter urging him to take his own life.
  
  
  
• CIA reports tracking James Earl Ray’s movements across Portugal, England, and Canada during his flight after the assassination.
  
  
  
• Materials from the House Select Committee on Assassinations, which had earlier suggested a possible conspiracy behind King’s murder.
  
  
  
• Details on Ray’s extradition from the UK and intelligence-sharing with international agencies, including Canadian police.