President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to declassify government records related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., and Senator Robert F. Kennedy. The move aims to shed light on three of the most consequential and contested tragedies in American history, more than half a century after they occurred.
"Lot of people are waiting for this for a long, long time, for years, for decades, and everything will be revealed," Trump said during the Oval Office signing.
The order mandates the full release of all remaining classified records related to the assassinations. The directive requires the director of national intelligence and the attorney general to collaborate with Trump's national security team to develop a plan for releasing the records within 15 days.
The assassinations of JFK in 1963, MLK in April 1968, and RFK in June 1968 have long fueled conspiracy theories. Official investigations concluded that each was carried out by a lone gunman, but withheld records have led many to question those findings.
"More than 50 years after the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Federal Government has not released to the public all of its records related to those events," the executive order states. "Their families and the American people deserve transparency and truth. It is in the national interest to finally release all records related to these assassinations without delay."
Trump's action comes after years of delays by prior administrations. Under the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, all records related to JFK's assassination were supposed to be declassified by October 26, 2017, unless the president determined that releasing specific documents posed risks to national security, intelligence, law enforcement, or foreign relations.
During his first administration, Trump delayed the full release of JFK records in 2017 and 2018, citing national security concerns raised by agencies like the CIA and FBI. He said then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a former CIA director, had asked him to withhold some documents. On Thursday, Trump reversed that stance, stating, "I have now determined that the continued redaction and withholding of information from records pertaining to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy is not consistent with the public interest, and the release of these records is long overdue."
In addition to JFK records, Trump's executive order includes files on MLK and RFK, which have not been subject to a similar congressional mandate for release. "Although no Act of Congress directs the release of information pertaining to the assassinations of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I have determined that the release of all records in the Federal Government's possession pertaining to each of those assassinations is also in the public interest," the order states.
Trump's order could provide answers to lingering questions surrounding the assassinations. JFK was shot on November 22, 1963, while riding in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas. Robert Kennedy, his younger brother, was assassinated on June 5, 1968, in Los Angeles after winning the California Democratic presidential primary. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, as he stood on the balcony of a motel.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., son of the slain senator, praised the decision to release the documents. Trump has nominated him to serve as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
The potential implications of the release are far-reaching. Historians, conspiracy theorists, and the public at large have long speculated about the roles of foreign governments, intelligence agencies, and other shadowy forces in the killings. For decades, the secrecy surrounding the records has fed skepticism and distrust.
The timeline for the declassification process remains uncertain, particularly given the vast number of records and the potential challenges of organizing their release. In the case of Martin Luther King Jr., many files are still scheduled to remain classified until 2027 under the Martin Luther King Jr. Records Collection Act.
