CV NEWS FEED // In a promised step toward government transparency, President Donald Trump’s administration has made public 80,000 pages of previously classified files related to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
The long-awaited release follows an executive order signed by Trump on his first day back in office. The documents, now available online, cover investigations into Kennedy’s assassination, as well as the deaths of his brother Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr.
“This release consists of approximately 80,000 pages of previously-classified records that will be published with no redactions,” stated a press release from the office of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. “Additional documents withheld under court seal or for grand jury secrecy, and records subject to section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code, must be unsealed before release. [The National Archives and Records Administration] is working with the Department of Justice to expedite the unsealing of these records.”
Government officials have maintained that the files will not change the official conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in assassinating President Kennedy in Dallas. However, critics of the intelligence community have long suspected that certain classified materials may reveal more details about possible covert government activities at the time.
The massive information dump has journalists scrambling to process it and report any major revelations.
Gabbard framed the release as part of the administration’s broader effort to rebuild public trust in federal agencies through a policy of “maximum transparency.”
While many of the records are now available digitally, others remain in analog form, with Trump administration officials promising to digitize and make them available online soon.
The push to declassify JFK assassination records dates back to the 1992 JFK Records Act, which mandated full disclosure by 2017 unless a sitting president deemed certain documents too sensitive. Trump released some of the records during his first term but kept others classified based on advice from CIA and FBI officials, who cited national security concerns.
President Joe Biden further delayed full disclosure of the files, granting intelligence agencies additional time to review sensitive information.
The conclusion of official investigations into the Kennedy assassination has raised suspicions for decades, particularly in light of Oswald being shot and killed just days after the assassination.
Some have long suspected government involvement or a broader coverup, a sentiment echoed by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the late president’s nephew. Kennedy Jr., now Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary, has called for full transparency to determine whether any US officials were complicit in the events surrounding his uncle’s death.
The release of an additional 2,400 FBI documents last month has further heightened public interest, though it remains unclear whether the latest files contain new information or simply reaffirm existing knowledge.
With the documents now in public hands, journalists, historians, and independent researchers will begin the painstaking process of analyzing them. Whether they confirm long-standing government narratives or introduce new uncertainties remains to be seen.
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