In a move that fulfills a campaign pledge, President Donald Trump announced the forthcoming release of files concerning the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. These documents are scheduled to be disclosed on Tuesday without any redactions. Trump’s decree includes approximately 80,000 files, although the specific number of new documents isn’t clear, as millions of related records have previously been made public. The president did not provide further specifics about the release, but at an event at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, he remarked on the volume of material available for review.
The release is not expected to unveil any groundbreaking discoveries, according to many historians and researchers who have studied the JFK assassination documents. However, the public’s interest remains high regarding the information surrounding the assassination and its subsequent events. After Trump assumed office, he ordered the release of remaining classified files linked to the assassination, initiating the move to declassify documents related to both the 1968 assassinations of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Upon signing the declassification order, Trump offered the pen used to an aide, with instructions to pass it to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a top health official in his administration. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nephew of John F. Kennedy, has voiced his doubts about a lone gunman being solely responsible for his uncle’s assassination, aligning with various conspiracy theories.
John F. Kennedy landed in Dallas on November 22, 1963, together with his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy. Excited crowds and clear skies welcomed them during this political trip aimed to strengthen party ties ahead of his reelection campaign. As JFK’s motorcade traveled through downtown, shots were fired from a nearby building. Lee Harvey Oswald, a 24-year-old, was arrested for the assassination, which was subsequently followed by his murder by Jack Ruby two days later. The Warren Commission, established by President Lyndon B. Johnson, concluded that Oswald acted independently without any evidence supporting conspiracy theories. Nevertheless, alternative narratives have persisted over the decades.
In the 1990s, the federal government mandated the consolidation of all assassination-related documents within the National Archives and Records Administration, aiming for complete disclosure by 2017, subject to presidential discretion. During Trump’s first term, he promised to disclose all remaining assassination records. However, some files were withheld due to national security concerns, and additional files continued to be released during President Joe Biden’s administration.
While the National Archives claims that most of its JFK-related collection of over six million documents has been revealed, an estimated 3,000 files are still pending release. The FBI disclosed last month the existence of around 2,400 new records, which are in the process of being transferred to the National Archives for declassification. A portion of the JFK files, approximately 500 documents, likely remains undisclosed, as they fall outside the 2017 mandate.
Available records have provided insights into intelligence operations during that era. Some documents detail Lee Harvey Oswald’s travels and activities, including visits to the Soviet and Cuban embassies in Mexico City shortly before Kennedy’s assassination. Oswald sought visas for both the Soviet Union and Cuba, indicating an eagerness to leave the United States. Communication with a KGB officer in Mexico City is also described in the records. Such documents have expanded researchers’ understanding of the complex political landscape of the Cold War period.
