Potential Release of Long-Awaited JFK Files Imminent
There are still around 5,000 documents that remain either sealed or redacted, over 60 years following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Trump stated in the order, “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.”
Following the fatal shooting of Kennedy in Dallas on November 22, 1963, speculation about the government’s knowledge of the events has persisted, with the gradual release of documents heightening public curiosity and skepticism, particularly among advocates for declassification.
While around 99 percent of the records are accessible for public review, around 5,000 documents still remain either sealed or redacted.
In addition, there are questions surrounding the official accounts of the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. The executive order mandates the release of King’s records as well, with plans due by early March.
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Trump’s order emphasizes, “Their families and the American people deserve transparency and truth. It is in the national interest to finally release all records related to these assassinations without delay.”
Trump instructed his staff to present the pen he used for the signing of the order to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the nephew of the late president and the son of the murdered former senator.
RFK Jr. has been vocally critical of the government’s lack of transparency and has speculated that the Central Intelligence Agency may have been involved in his uncle’s assassination.
He stated that JFK warned, “The very word ‘secrecy’ is repugnant in a free and open society, and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secrecy … We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it.”
RFK Jr. suggested that the absence of transparency has diminished public trust in the government.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr,, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, testifies before the Senate Committee on Finance on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 29, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times
RFK Jr., who has been nominated by Trump for Health and Human Services Secretary, expressed gratitude towards the president for his efforts in releasing the documents, stating, “A nation that does not trust its people is a nation that is afraid of its people. A government that withholds information is inherently fearful of its citizens’ ability to make informed decisions and engage actively in democracy.”
In 1992, Congress enacted the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act, which mandated that all government documents related to the event be publicly released by October 26, 2017.
Exceptions were made for records considered damaging to national security, foreign relations, military defense, or law enforcement, provided that this potential harm outweighed the public’s right to know.
As the deadline approached during Trump’s presidency, he acknowledged accepting certain redactions proposed by unspecified agencies and departments in his order.
He instructed these agencies to reevaluate the redactions within three years and to offer further disclosures.
He emphasized that the public has been waiting a long time for this information to be declassified and deserves transparency from their government.
“Whatever it is, it will be very interesting for people to see,” Trump remarked. “And we’re going to have to learn from it.”
President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington on Jan. 21, 2025. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Investigative Timeline
At approximately 12:30 p.m., President Kennedy was assassinated while riding in a convertible in downtown Dallas, Texas.
He sustained a head injury and was declared dead by 1 p.m.
Shortly thereafter, Lee Harvey Oswald was apprehended by police and charged with the murder at 1:30 a.m. on November 23.
The following day, Oswald was killed on live television by Jack Ruby during a transfer.
A week post-assassination, President Lyndon B. Johnson instituted the Warren Commission to investigate the event.
This commission, led by Chief Justice Earl Warren and including CIA director Allen Dulles, concluded that Oswald acted alone.
Lee Harvey Oswald, accused of assassinating former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, is pictured with Dallas police Sgt. Warren (R) and a fellow officer in Dallas, Texas, on Nov. 22, 1963. Dallas Police Department/Dallas Municipal Archives/University of North Texas via Reuters
Further investigations ensued, including an inquiry by the Rockefeller Commission in 1975.
This commission examined the CIA’s domestic operations and determined that the agency was not connected to the assassination, and it ruled out the theory that President Kennedy was shot from the front, as some observers suggested based on the infamous Zapruder film.
These initial findings spurred a renewed call for a detailed examination of the assassination.
In 1976, members of the House of Representatives set up a Select Committee on Assassinations.
Nonetheless, the committee concurred with the Warren Commission’s assertion that Oswald fired the fatal shot as well as the bullet that struck both the president and then-Governor of Texas, John Connally.
The committee’s findings regarding the bullet, particularly the so-called “single bullet theory,” have remained a subject of debate and were prominently featured in Oliver Stone’s 1991 film “JFK.”
The new executive order represents a pledge Trump made to his constituents.
According to lawmakers, “The suspicions engendered by governmental secrecy have undermined public confidence in the accuracy of federal agencies and tarnished their credibility.”
