The U.S. government has released a long-awaited trove of documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, a case that continues to fuel conspiracy theories more than 60 years later. The release follows an executive order issued in January by President Donald Trump, mandating the public disclosure of previously withheld and unredacted files. While historians and researchers do not expect any groundbreaking revelations, they have been carefully examining the records since their release on Tuesday night.
Trump has estimated that 80,000 pages of documents will be unsealed, adding to the hundreds of thousands of pages already made public over the years. However, some files were previously withheld for national security reasons, keeping speculation alive that the government may have concealed key details about the assassination. Many Americans remain skeptical of the official explanation that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone when he shot Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963.
Despite the promise of full transparency, some of the newly released files reportedly contain redacted sections, while others appear faded or difficult to read due to poor-quality scans. Trump had previously assured reporters that "nothing would be redacted," but U.S. media outlets noted that several documents still have blacked-out passages.
The official government commission concluded that Kennedy was assassinated by Oswald, a former U.S. Marine who had defected to the Soviet Union before returning to the United States. However, for decades, public opinion polls have indicated that most Americans doubt Oswald acted alone. This skepticism has fueled various conspiracy theories, suggesting potential involvement by government agencies, organized crime, or other shadowy figures.
In 1992, Congress passed a law requiring the full disclosure of all JFK assassination-related records within 25 years. Despite this, both Trump and President Joe Biden released batches of documents over the years while keeping thousands still classified. Trump's recent executive order also included directives to release files related to the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., both of whom were killed in 1968.
Trump’s push to declassify the JFK files came shortly after he received the endorsement of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., JFK's nephew and the son of Robert Kennedy. Since then, Kennedy Jr. has been appointed as Trump’s health secretary, adding further political intrigue to the document release. While the full implications of these newly disclosed records remain unclear, their publication reignites public curiosity about one of America's most debated historical events.。