Uncover Hidden Secrets: Newly Released JFK Assassination Files Ignite Investigation Among History Buffs

DALLAS (AP) — Recently, over 1,100 documents tied to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy were released. This follows a directive from former President Donald Trump shortly after he took office. The files, which add up to more than 31,000 pages, are now accessible on the U.S. National Archives website. This release is part of a long process, as the National Archives houses a massive collection of over 6 million related pages.

Larry J. Sabato from the University of Virginia Center for Politics, who is analyzing the documents, emphasizes that it will take time to grasp their full importance. "We have a lot of work ahead, and people need to be patient," he advises.

Trump announced this release at the Kennedy Center in Washington, mentioning that around 80,000 pages would be made public. “We have quite a bit of paperwork for everyone to review,” he remarked.

Researchers estimated that roughly 3,500 files were still under wraps, and recently, the FBI revealed they had found about 2,400 new documents related to the case.

Jefferson Morley, from the Mary Ferrell Foundation, welcomed the release as a positive first step. He noted that about a third of previously redacted documents are now available. “They have removed excessive overclassification, which is a relief,” he added, although he cautioned that not all promised files were included in this release.

The National Archives confirmed that this release was intended to unveil all previously classified records. However, Morley pointed out that two-thirds of files were still missing, including those newly found by the FBI.

Interest in JFK’s assassination has persisted over the years, fueling numerous conspiracy theories. On November 22, 1963, he was assassinated in Dallas while his motorcade was making its way through the city. Lee Harvey Oswald, who fired shots from the Texas School Book Depository, was arrested shortly after. Just two days later, Oswald was killed by nightclub owner Jack Ruby.

The Warren Commission, set up by President Lyndon B. Johnson, concluded that Oswald acted alone and found no evidence of a conspiracy. Yet, this conclusion has not quelled the many alternative theories that persist today.

Oswald, a former Marine, had lived in the Soviet Union before returning to the U.S. Some of the newly released documents include a CIA memo from 1991. This memo indicates a CIA official learned from a Russian intelligence contact that Oswald was never controlled by the KGB. The official noted that Oswald was closely monitored during his time in the USSR and, interestingly, was not a skilled shot.

In the early 1990s, the government mandated a single repository for all assassination-related documents at the National Archives. The collection was supposed to be released by 2017, with few exemptions.

However, around 500 documents, like tax returns, were not part of this requirement. While Trump claimed he would make all remaining records public, he ultimately withheld some for national security reasons. Files continued to be released under President Joe Biden’s administration, yet some documents remain classified.

Sabato has pointed out that his team is still on the lookout for sensitive materials that have major redactions, particularly those related to Cuba and Oswald’s activities.

Many of the documents that have been previously released shed light on how intelligence agencies operated at the time. They include CIA cables and memos discussing Oswald’s visits to Soviet and Cuban embassies shortly before the assassination.

As new information emerges, public interest in JFK’s assassination continues to grow. The darkness surrounding these events, combined with ongoing debates about transparency, keeps us questioning history and the forces that shape it. For more detailed historical context, you can read guides on the assassination at the National Archives.

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