Why Donald Trump is releasing final assassination files on John F Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr

A trove of long-classified US government documents related to the assassinations of former US president John F. Kennedy, his younger brother and senator Robert F. Kennedy, as well as civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., is finally expected to be made available to the public.

On Thursday, an executive order was issued by US President Donald Trump, which stated that documents connected to these assassinations would be declassified, Al Jazeera reported.

What does Donald Trump’s order say?

The executive order from Trump directs top administration officials, including the National Intelligence Director and the Attorney General, to present a plan to declassify the documents related to the assassinations within 15 days. Officials have been asked to coordinate with others to jointly present a plan to release the full and complete set of records regarding John F. Kennedy's death.


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Additionally, the same group will need to review records related to Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassinations and present a plan for their full and complete release within 45 days.

Noting that this is being done in the national interest, the order states that families as well as the general public “deserve transparency and truth.”

How were they killed?

John F. Kennedy, who became US president in January 1961, died on November 22, 1963, at the age of 46. He was shot dead in Dallas, Texas. After his death, then vice president Lyndon B. Johnson took Kennedy's position and ordered an investigation into the matter.

Nearly five years later, Robert F. Kennedy was shot dead in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968. This occurred after he announced his candidacy for the US presidential election.

Meanwhile, Martin Luther King Jr. was targeted at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968.

Documents released so far

In 1992, a law passed by the US Congress mandated files connected to John F. Kennedy's murder be declassified within 25 years. According to the National Archives and Records Administration, nearly 3,20,000 documents have been reviewed so far, with 99 per cent of them released.

During his first term, Trump released 2,800 more documents but withheld several others, while former president Joe Biden released 17,000 more documents in 2023, leaving just over 4,500 documents still partially or fully withheld.

Conspiracy theories

Since the CIA and FBI have kept several documents related to these three assassinations classified, this has led to the development of various conspiracy theories.

Several government officials, as well as some family members of the three leaders, have doubted the investigations, with some claiming that the killers were not acting alone and that key details were being withheld by the agencies.

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the son of Robert F. Kennedy, stated in 2023 that there was “overwhelming” evidence regarding the CIA's involvement in his uncle John F. Kennedy's killing. He further claimed that there was “very convincing” but “circumstantial” evidence suggesting that the agency was involved in his father's killing as well.

FAQs

When was John F. Kennedy assassinated?
John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963, at the age of 46.

Who was responsible for John F. Kennedy's assassination?
Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested in connection with Kennedy's assassination. However, Oswald was killed shortly after his arrest, before he could stand trial.