Newly Released Files Shed Light on FBI Surveillance, Early Riots After MLK Assassination

The U.S. National Archives has released over 230,000 pages of documents tied to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., offering fresh insight into the FBI’s response and surveillance in the immediate aftermath of the civil rights leader’s murder on April 4, 1968.

Image Source: White House Archives

Among the files are FBI field logs, internal memos, and minute-by-minute intelligence updates detailing heightened alerts, surveillance orders, and riot containment steps initiated mere hours after King’s death in Memphis. These logs reveal just how swiftly law enforcement feared a national eruption—and activated multiple covert “team operations” to monitor civil unrest.

A particularly vivid memo from April 4, 1968, describes how, by 9:00 PM, agents were instructed to go “on full alert” to detect any early signs of violence. By 10:30 PM, crowd gatherings in Washington, D.C.’s 14th & W Streets had been reported. Shortly after, acts of looting and property damage began to be documented: windows smashed, mannequins strewn across streets, and TVs stolen from pawn shops.

“Police still in area. Situation deteriorating,” one agent noted bluntly in the logs. Others observed protestors plotting a march towards downtown, prompting intensified surveillance orders.

Also notable is the mention of a call placed by Reverend Ralph Abernathy, King’s close associate, who had to cancel a scheduled meeting, citing shock and grief. That conversation was relayed in the field reports, offering a human glimpse into the confusion and sorrow unfolding behind the scenes.

While these logs primarily reflect real-time FBI reactions, the wider set of files also includes preliminary leads, memos on James Earl Ray—King’s convicted assassin—and testimony from Ray’s former cellmate, who claimed to have overheard discussions of a plot to kill Dr. King.

This declassification comes in response to Executive Order 14176, signed under President Donald Trump, which called for unprecedented transparency in three pivotal 20th-century assassinations: JFK, RFK, and MLK.

What’s Next: 

Historians and civil rights experts are now combing through these documents for potential new evidence, inconsistencies, or political undertones that may have previously remained buried. 

Some activists have called for a Congressional review of FBI conduct during that era, citing concerns over overreach, surveillance of civil rights leaders, and racial profiling.