Washington, D.C.: The U.S. government has made available around 80,000 pages of formerly classified documents concerning the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, following an executive order issued by President Donald J. Trump. These records were released on Tuesday without any redactions, as confirmed by an official announcement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Trump emphasized the importance of transparency, asserting that "the ongoing redaction and withholding of information related to JFK's assassination is not in the public's best interest, and the release of these records is long overdue." His Executive Order 14176 mandated the complete release of all remaining documents, according to the statement.
In response to the President's directive, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard issued a communication to the Intelligence Community (IC), instructing agencies to submit "all unredacted records from the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for prompt release."
The records are now available online at archives.gov/jfk and can also be accessed in person at the National Archives in College Park, MD. Some documents, which are currently only accessible for in-person viewing, are in the process of being digitized and will be uploaded shortly. "DNI Gabbard will provide updates on X (@DNIGabbard) and Truth Social (@DNITulsiGabbard) as the files are released," the statement noted. The White House website will also feature these files.
The announcement stated, "This release includes approximately 80,000 pages of previously classified records that will be published without redactions. Additional documents that are currently sealed by court order or protected for grand jury secrecy, as well as records governed by section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code, must be unsealed prior to their release."
The National Archives is collaborating with the Department of Justice to accelerate the process of unsealing these records. According to a statement, "Grand juries from many years ago have already reviewed them, so most of this information is already public. Nevertheless, this information will be released immediately upon the Court's directive."
This release also features significant documents, including the unredacted version of a June 1961 memo regarding the CIA, which was sent to President Kennedy by aide Arthur Schlesinger Jr. Previously, this memo had extensive redactions and included pointed critiques of the CIA's influence on U.S. foreign policy.
Furthermore, the government has made available 14 documents pertaining to the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., amounting to approximately 1,050 pages.
This release marks a shift after decades of confidentiality. In 1992, Congress mandated that all records related to the JFK assassination be declassified by 2017. However, both President Trump and President Joe Biden postponed full disclosure citing national security issues.
The release on Tuesday is part of a broader initiative aimed at ensuring "maximum transparency and a commitment to restoring the trust of the American public in the Intelligence Community (IC) and federal agencies."
