Decades after President John F. Kennedy's assassination, the quest for transparency continues. Documents related to his death, as well as those concerning Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., remain veiled in secrecy. US President Donald Trump has pledged to release additional JFK files, but when can the public expect this to happen?
Trump's Pledge to Unveil JFK Files
This week, President Trump issued an executive order aimed at declassifying the remaining files from the investigation into John F. Kennedy's assassination. While some records were released in 2022, the National Archives and Records Administration has revealed that approximately 97% of the 5 million pages tied to the JFK assassination are now publicly accessible.
Love him or hate him, you gotta give credit where credit is due.
— JayAlders (@jayalders) January 23, 2025
This level of transparency is incredible.
Trump signs executive order to declassify MLK Jr, RFK and JFK assassination files. pic.twitter.com/VXcsxnzKK2
Trump is instructing the director of national intelligence and the attorney general, who has yet to be confirmed, to develop a plan within the next 15 days to release the remaining JFK files, according to a report by CBS.
The order also mandates the declassification of additional records related to the 1968 assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and former Senator and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. The DNI and the Attorney General will have 45 days to create plans to release these files.
When Will The JFK Files Be Released?
The specific timing of the file releases remains uncertain.
Officials are still working to finalise the review process and ensure that national security interests are adequately protected. This process may involve further interagency consultations and could lead to additional delays.
White House officials have not yet specified which JFK assassination files will be made public or how many will be included in the upcoming release. In late 2022, the National Archives released a significant number of documents – 13,173 in total – related to the assassination following an executive order issued by then-President Biden. However, thousands of sensitive records remain classified.
Why Release The JFK Files?
During a rally in Washington, D.C., on the eve of his inauguration, President Trump stated his intention to release the remaining JFK assassination files publicly. He emphasised this action as a symbolic gesture to restore 'transparency and accountability to government.'
Trump noted that his administration would 'reverse the overclassification of government documents, and in the coming days, we are going to make public remaining records relating to the assassinations of JFK, his brother Robert, as well as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and other topics of great public interest.'
Released JFK Assassination Files
The 1992 President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act mandated the release of nearly all assassination-related documents by October 2017, with exceptions for national security, intelligence sources, and privacy concerns. While Trump released thousands of documents during his first term, many were withheld due to national security concerns.
In October 2021, the Biden administration released nearly 1,500 additional documents while deferring the release of other sensitive records until December 15, 2022. This delay was justified by the need for further review to 'protect against identifiable harm to the military defence, intelligence operations, law enforcement, or the conduct of foreign relations.'
What We Know About The JFK Assassination
According to the National Archives and Records Administration, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, while riding in a motorcade through Dallas, Texas. He was 46 years old.
The Warren Commission, led by Chief Justice Earl Warren, concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald, a former Marine with communist ties who had lived in the Soviet Union, acted alone in assassinating President Kennedy.
However, this conclusion has been widely contested by scholars and historians for nearly 60 years, fueling ongoing debate and speculation about the factual circumstances surrounding the president's death.
Two days after President Kennedy's assassination, Oswald himself was fatally shot while being transferred from the Dallas Police Headquarters, adding fuel to the fire of conspiracy theories surrounding the events.
