Release of the John F. Kennedy assassination case: What secrets did the new documents reveal?
Trump signed an executive order in early February after taking office, requiring U.S. officials to release documents related to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, within 15 days, and those related to the assassinations of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. and U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy within 45 days.
It is worth noting that in 1992, Congress passed a law requiring the government to release all records related to the assassination by October 2017, while giving the president the authority to withhold records for national security reasons. During his first term, Trump released thousands of documents, but some of their contents were kept secret after lobbying by the CIA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). During 2021 and 2022, former President Joe Biden released thousands of files but redacted key sections, frustrating researchers and observers who had been calling for their full release for years.
So, at various times, the US National Archives released more than 6 million pages of photographs, audio recordings and text related to the assassination. The FBI announced in early February that it had discovered thousands of new documents related to the Kennedy assassination. Trump announced on Monday that his administration would release about 80,000 pages of documents related to the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy on Tuesday; the documents were eventually released, but studying this volume of documents takes time.
The Assassination Story and Four Conspiracy Theories
Kennedy was born in 1917 into a prominent and wealthy family in Massachusetts; a family that had a significant impact on American politics. After studying at Harvard University and serving in the US Navy during World War II, he entered politics and was elected to Congress in 1947.
Kennedy was elected in 1960 as the youngest president in US history and the country’s first Catholic president. His presidency was marked by major challenges, including the Cuban Missile Crisis, the civil rights movement, and the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union.
On November 22, 1963, Kennedy, 46, traveled to Dallas, Texas, with his wife Jacqueline and a group of government officials. The purpose of the trip was to garner political support for the 1964 presidential election. Kennedy’s motorcade traveled through the streets of Dallas, where people gathered to greet him. At 12:30 p.m., as the motorcade passed through Dealey Square, three shots were fired at Kennedy. One hit him in the neck and the other in the head. Kennedy was rushed to the hospital, but he was pronounced dead at 1:00 p.m.
Release of the John F. Kennedy Assassination Case; What Secrets Have New Documents Revealed?
Former Marine Lee Harvey Oswald was identified as the prime suspect in the assassination. Oswald was shot dead in police custody by nightclub owner Jack Ruby two days after his arrest. Oswald’s death left many questions unanswered about his motives and possible accomplices.
The Warren Commission, which was formed to investigate the assassination, concluded that Oswald acted alone and that there was no widespread conspiracy. However, this conclusion was met with widespread skepticism from the beginning, and various conspiracy theories were raised about it;
Release of the John F. Kennedy assassination file; What secrets did the new documents reveal?
Government agency involvement: Some believe that the CIA or FBI played a role in the assassination, because Kennedy’s approach conflicted with their policies.
Mafia: Another hypothesis claims that the Mafia was involved in the assassination because of Kennedy’s policies in combating organized crime.
Soviet or Cuban involvement: Given the tensions of the Cold War, some believe that the Soviet Union or Cuba were involved in the incident.
Role of the military-industrial complex: Some analysts believe that Kennedy was targeted for this assassination because of his opposition to the Vietnam War and the reduction of the military budget.
What do the newly released documents say?
The new documents, nearly 2,200 files containing 63,000 pages, have been placed on the websites of the National Archives and the United States National Archives.
Details of these documents have not yet been released, and more details of the contents of these documents are likely to be published in the US media in the coming days. So it will probably take some time for researchers who have investigated the Kennedy assassination to be able to examine the 1,123 new documents, which are identified only by file numbers and have no explanation.