US President Donald Trump has ordered the declassification of all remaining classified records related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, fulfilling a long-standing promise. The move was formalised through an executive order, which also called for the release of files concerning the assassinations of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The order highlights that over 50 years after these assassinations, the federal government has yet to release all relevant records. “The families and the American people deserve transparency and truth,” the order says, adding that it is in the national interest to release these records without further delay. While the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 mandated full public disclosure of the files by October 2017, exemptions have allowed for the continued withholding of certain documents. Trump’s order states that continued redactions are “not consistent with the public interest.”
“I have now determined that the continued redaction and withholding of information from records pertaining to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy is not consistent with the public interest and the release of these records is long overdue,” the order says.
The declassification process is set to unfold swiftly. The Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General have 15 days to present a plan for the full release of Kennedy-related records and 45 days for the records on Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. Despite the directive, it remains unclear when the documents will actually be accessible to the public.
During his re-election campaign, Trump had pledged to release the remaining Kennedy assassination files, a promise he also made during his first term but later walked back, citing advice from intelligence officials. Former CIA Director Mike Pompeo was among those who urged Trump to keep certain files classified, citing potential national security concerns. This time, however, Trump has insisted that all files will be disclosed.
Speculation around Kennedy’s assassination has persisted for decades. Only a small fraction of the millions of records remain classified, and researchers agree that the files may not hold earth-shattering revelations. However, some believe these documents could still provide critical insights.
Kennedy was fatally shot in Dallas on November 22, 1963, and while Lee Harvey Oswald was identified as the lone gunman, conspiracy theories have long overshadowed the official narrative.