This week saw the release of previously redacted documents concerning the assassination of John F. Kennedy, but the inclusion of sensitive personal data, such as Social Security numbers, has stirred discontent among those affected. Many are concerned about privacy violations.
Joseph diGenova, a former lawyer for President Donald Trump, is among those whose details were leaked. He plans to sue the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, holding them accountable for potential identity theft risks. “This should never have happened,” diGenova stated in a phone interview on Thursday. He attributes the breach to “incompetent people” failing in their review duties. He argued the error wasn’t due to a rushed process but rather inadequate oversight by those handling the documents.
This sensitive information pertained to documents from his involvement with a U.S. Senate select committee examining governmental abuses of power in the 1970s, including citizen surveillance.
In response, officials from the White House announced measures to assist individuals affected by the personal data breach, including offering credit monitoring services until individuals are issued new Social Security numbers. They are actively screening documents to pinpoint all released Social Security numbers.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt affirmed that President Trump honored his pledge of transparency by releasing the assassination files. The National Archives, alongside the Social Security Administration, has initiated a proactive plan to assist those impacted by the data exposure. The National Archives assured that they would directly contact affected individuals, although they also urged those affected to reach out proactively.
Despite the release, neither the White House nor the National Archives has clarified the rationale behind making this personal information public. Following Trump’s directive shortly after assuming office in January, over 63,000 pages from approximately 2,200 files were made available on the National Archive’s website. This release included previously hidden details.
Most of the over 6 million documents relating to the assassination, including records and artifacts, had been disclosed earlier. Yet, the most recent files offer additional insights into the United States’ covert operations during the Cold War, without providing new evidence for conspiracy theories about Kennedy’s assassination.
Among the newfound documents is a troubling file revealing Social Security numbers for individuals acquiring security clearances in the 1990s to access JFK documents. Author Gerald Posner, who believes Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in assassinating Kennedy, criticized the document release process as rushed. Despite this being a decades-old event, he remarked that the sheer volume of files warranted more thorough scrutiny and guidance from the Archives, which was lacking this time.
The National Archives began identifying Social Security numbers within these documents on Wednesday, as stated by the White House. These numbers will be relayed to the Social Security Administration to identify living persons and issue them new numbers.
John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas during a motorcade when shots fired from the Texas School Book Depository shattered the city’s peace. Lee Harvey Oswald, a disgraced ex-Marine, was detained shortly after, suspected to have fired from a sixth-floor vantage point. Lee Harvey Oswald met a violent end himself, being shot by nightclub owner Jack Ruby just two days after his arrest, a moment broadcast live, marking another extraordinary chapter in a tragic historical narrative.