The Trump administration has declassified thousands of previously restricted documents related to the 1963 assassination of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy. The newly released files, published by the National Archives on Tuesday evening, include pages that had been partially redacted in earlier releases.
While much of the JFK assassination material had already been made public—particularly during the Biden administration, which released 13,000 documents—the latest batch offers additional details that were previously withheld.
Trump’s Push for Transparency
Former President Donald Trump, who had previously signed an executive order for the release of assassination-related documents involving Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr., said Americans had “been waiting for decades” to see these files.
“People have been waiting for decades to see the 80,000 pages of records related to Kennedy’s assassination,” Trump said on Monday.
What’s Inside the Newly Released Files?
Researchers are now sifting through 1,123 newly posted files, which are listed by record numbers without descriptions. Some experts, however, caution against expecting any groundbreaking revelations.
Tom Samoluk, a former deputy director of the Assassination Records Review Board, believes most of the documents align with previously released records.
“If there had been anything that cut to the core of the assassination, the Review Board would have released it in the mid-’90s,” Samoluk told CNN. “So there is a sense of what the records are.”
More Documents Remain Sealed
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard confirmed that while the records contain “approximately 80,000 pages of previously classified information,” some files remain sealed due to grand jury secrecy laws, tax code restrictions, and national security concerns.
The National Archives is working with the Justice Department to determine how soon those documents can be unsealed.
A Continued Mystery
For decades, conspiracy theories surrounding Kennedy’s assassination have persisted, with speculation that the government may still be withholding crucial information.
Larry Sabato, a political scientist and author of The Kennedy Half-Century, warned that the public may not get the answers they expect.
“People hoping to crack the case after 61 years will be bitterly disappointed,” Sabato said.
The CIA, Pentagon, and State Department have also withheld certain documents, citing the need to protect intelligence sources and methods.
Although Trump previously delayed the release of some files at the request of national security agencies, he has renewed his promise on the 2024 campaign trail to make all remaining documents public.
The declassification marks another chapter in the long-running efforts to uncover the full story behind one of America’s most infamous assassinations.
