US President Donald Trump on Wednesday officially released tens of thousands of classified documents related to the 1963 assassination of former President John F Kennedy. By releasing the documents, Trump has fulfilled an election campaign promise.
“President Trump is ushering in a new era of maximum transparency. Today, per his direction, previously redacted JFK Assassination Files are being released to the public with no redactions. Promises made, promises kept,” said Tulsi Gabbard, the US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) in a post on X.
The files can be downloaded from the National Archives website.
The release comprises approximately 80,000 pages of previously classified records being published without redactions, according to a statement from Gabbard’s office. Other documents held under court seal or for grand jury secrecy or subject to the Internal Revenue Code must be unsealed before release, it said
“NARA (National Archives and Records Administration) is working with the Department of Justice to expedite the unsealing of these records,” the statement said.
The collection of assassination records already “consists of over six million pages of records, photographs, motion pictures, sound recordings, and artifacts,” according to the NARA website.
Campaign Promise
In January, soon after he was sworn into office, Trump ordered the release of the remaining classified files related to the assassination, which has spawned countless conspiracy theories.
He directed the national intelligence director and attorney general to develop a plan to release the records. The order also aimed to declassify the remaining federal records related to the 1968 assassinations of Robert F Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
After signing the order, Trump had handed the pen to an aide and directed that it be given to Robert F Kennedy Jr, the Trump administration’s top health official and nephew of John F Kennedy and son of Robert F Kennedy.
The collection of assassination records already “consists of over six million pages of records, photographs, motion pictures, sound recordings, and artifacts,” according to the NARA website.
Trump while visiting the Kennedy Center, the Washington performing arts concert hall and theater dedicated to the former president, had announced that he would be releasing the documents.
“We have a tremendous amount of paper. You’ve got a lot of reading,” he told reporters Monday, adding that he hadn’t received an executive summary of what was contained in those files.
About The Author
