FBI Discovers Thousands of Classified JFK Assassination Documents Following Trump’s Directive | US News
The FBI has announced the discovery of 2,400 additional files linked to the assassination of President John F Kennedy.
This new search was conducted following Donald Trump’s signing of an executive order in January to declassify all records pertaining to the 1963 shooting.
On Tuesday, the FBI revealed that the newly digitized and cataloged records had not been previously recognized as pertinent to the Kennedy assassination case.
These documents have since been forwarded to the National Archives and Records Administration for “integration into the ongoing declassification process.”
The FBI did not specify what type of information is included in these newly uncovered files.
Last week, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence provided Mr Trump with recommendations on which classified documents to declassify regarding the assassination, a spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday.
However, the office did not disclose details about the recommendations or when the documents might be made public.
John F Kennedy, often referred to as JFK, was assassinated while traveling through Dallas, Texas, in a motorcade on November 22, 1963.
Lee Harvey Oswald, a 24-year-old former Marine, was arrested the same day and charged with the murder, only to be killed two days later by nightclub owner Jack Ruby.
A 1964 investigation into JFK’s assassination determined that Oswald acted alone, with no evidence of a conspiracy.
Lee Harvey Oswald being taken for police questioning after shooting. Pic: AP
Historians observe that the findings of the Warren Commission gained significant acceptance among the public. However, skepticism from conspiracy theorists in subsequent years has led many to question the official narrative.
Notable conspiracy theories include the assertions of multiple shooters, CIA involvement, and mafia responsibility for the assassination.
While more than five million records related to the JFK assassination have been released, researchers estimate that around 3,000 files remain classified, either entirely or in part.
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Mr Trump, who returned to the White House in January, had committed to releasing further documents regarding the shooting during his campaign.
In addition to JFK’s assassination, Mr Trump pledged to declassify documents concerning the assassinations of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr and Senator Robert Kennedy, both of whom were killed in 1968.
Mr Trump has extended the timeframe to develop a strategy for those releases.
His candidate for the Health and Human Services Department, Robert F Kennedy Jr, son of Robert Kennedy and nephew of JFK, believes the CIA was involved in his uncle’s assassination.
The agency has dismissed this claim as unfounded.
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Trump declassifies files pertaining to JFK’s assassination
The newly released documents could shed light on one of the most pivotal events in U.S. history; however, historians caution that they are unlikely to validate the various conspiracy theories surrounding JFK’s assassination.
“I doubt we will receive anything overly dramatic in the releases or anything that fundamentally alters our comprehension of the events in Dallas,” noted Fredrik Logevall, a Harvard history professor.
One potential revelation could be that the CIA had a greater awareness of Oswald than previously disclosed.
If the files indicate that the CIA did not share intelligence concerning Oswald with the FBI, that would be a significant story, according to Gerald Posner, author of Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK, which maintains that Oswald acted independently.
“For me, the crucial question isn’t whether the CIA was colluding, but rather if the CIA was negligent,” Mr Posner stated.
