O MURKIN
16 MAY 1968
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director
Federal Bureau of Investigation Attention: Mr. S.J. Papich
McGowan
SUBJECT
: Investigation in Japan of Report on Suspicious Actions of Gerald Lee Richards, Originally Described as Resembling Suspected Assassin of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
1. Reference is made to the report concerning the above subject made by telephone to Mr. S.J. Papich at 0930 on 17 April 1968. Following is a full account of the investigation made in this case:
A. On 16 April 1968 a United States National Maritime Union official in Yokohama reported that one Gerald Lee Richards, who bore a general physical resemblance to the description given of the suspected assassin of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had arrived in Japan about 15 April 1968 and requested a position aboard any ship going anywhere. Richards became agitated when asked for a contact address in Japan and refused to divulge his Japanese residence. The National Maritime Union official described Richards as 5' 10" tall, 155 pounds, with brown hair, a receding hairline on both sides, and a not very prominent scar two and one-half inches long traversing the center forehead, his most outstanding characteristic being a disconcerting, idiotic grin resembling a constant grimace. According to Richards' documents and statements, he was born 8 April 1937, applied for seaman's papers in San Pedro, California, 16 June 1964 and registered there as a United States National Maritime Union member on 21 February 1968 but never shipped out. His Social Security Number is 562-46-5078; his United States Coast Guard Number Z 2711-782.
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