DALLAS — On Tuesday, the FBI announced that it had uncovered 2,400 additional documents linked to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. This revelation comes as federal agencies are in the process of adhering to an executive order issued by former President Donald Trump, which directed the release of numerous classified files.
The FBI indicated that it is in the midst of transferring these newly found documents to the National Archives and Records Administration, where they will be part of the ongoing declassification effort. In the early 1990s, the federal government mandated that all materials pertaining to the assassination—which took place on November 22, 1963—be consolidated into a single archive at the National Archives. Although a significant portion of this collection, totaling over five million pages, has been made public, researchers estimate that around 3,000 files remain unreleased, either partially or completely.
The specific details concerning the nature of the newly discovered records were not disclosed by the FBI. The agency’s establishment of a Central Records Complex in 2020 has facilitated a systematic approach to inventorying and digitizing closed case files from various field offices across the United States. The FBI noted that advancements in technology and improved methods for recordkeeping have allowed it to efficiently pinpoint and access these documents.
Jefferson Morley, who serves as the vice president of the Mary Ferrell Foundation—an organization dedicated to preserving records related to the assassination—called the FBI’s announcement about the files “refreshingly candid.”
“It indicates a serious commitment to transparency on the part of the FBI,” stated Morley, who also edits the JFK Facts blog. Morley believes that this action might encourage other agencies to release documents still held back from the National Archives.
Trump’s executive order last month instructed the national intelligence director and the attorney general to create a detailed plan for the release of classified material concerning Kennedy’s assassination. A representative from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence confirmed that a release plan has been submitted as per the order; however, there were no specifics given about the plan or any timeline for public access.
Originally, this collection was mandated to be fully accessible by 2017, unless any documents were exempted at the president’s discretion. During his first term, Trump expressed support for releasing all remaining records but ultimately withheld some due to concerns over national security. While former President Joe Biden continued to release some files, there are still documents that have not seen the light of day.
The assassination has long been a fertile ground for conspiracy theories. President Kennedy was shot and killed in downtown Dallas as his motorcade drove past the Texas School Book Depository, where 24-year-old Lee Harvey Oswald was stationed on the sixth floor. Just two days later, Oswald was murdered by nightclub owner Jack Ruby during an attempted transfer to another jail.
The Warren Commission, appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to probe the assassination, concluded that Oswald was the sole perpetrator and that there was no substantiated evidence of a conspiracy. Nevertheless, this conclusion has not stopped speculation and alternative theories from proliferating over the years.
Author Gerald Posner, known for his book “Case Closed,” which asserts that Oswald acted independently, suggested that some of the recently uncovered files might merely duplicate existing documents already stored in the National Archives.
“If these are indeed new materials related to the assassination, it triggers numerous questions about how they evaded discovery for so long,” Posner remarked. He emphasized that it would be significant if these documents were associated with Oswald or the investigation itself.
Recent releases from the collection over the past few years have shed light on the operational methods of intelligence agencies at the time. This includes CIA memos discussing Oswald’s interactions with Soviet and Cuban embassies during his visit to Mexico City shortly before the assassination. Notably, Oswald had previously defected to the Soviet Union before returning to Texas.
Morley noted that the CIA’s surveillance of Oswald has emerged as a critical narrative in the last several years and indicated that pertinent information might be contained in the new files.