The newly elected US President Donald Trump recently ordered the declassification of thousands of JFK assassination files this Thursday. The documents are about the John F Kennedy assaisanton in 1963. The incident fueled thousands of conspiracy theories for decades. The executive order from President Trump signed this Thursday will also declassify the assassination files of other major leaders like Robert F Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. This order as stated by President Trump himself was a big one. The President has signed many other major executive orders in the very first week of his tenure. This article brings you all the details we have so far about the executive order that aims to declassify JFK files. It includes the reactions from various relatives of the leader.
What Did Trump Say During The Signing Of The Executive Order?
Trump made many promises during his re-election campaign in 2024 one of these being the declassification of JFK files. He promised to release the thousands of still-classified documents surrounding John F Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas to the public. He made similar promises to the public in his first term. However, later listened to the CBI as well as the FBI and withheld the documents.
However, in his second term, Trump issued an executive order for the declassification. According to what’s mentioned in the executive order, it has been more than 50 years since the assassinations. However, the government still hasn’t released all the records related to the events to the public.
The executive order also stated that American families deserve transparency and truth. Hence, it is in the national interest to finally release all the assassination-related records without any further delay. Trump while signing the order said that everything would be revealed.
Who Is Rober F Kennedy Jr And What He Said About The Decision?
Robert F Kennedy Jr is the son of Robert F Kennedy who was assassinated in 1968. RFK was running for President when his assassination was executed. Trump in his latest administration appointed Robert F Kennedy Jr as the health secretary. The son of the late legendary leader reportedly mentioned that he does not believe a single gunman was solely responsible for his uncle John F Kennedy’s assassination.
During an interview with NBC, Robert F Kennedy expressed his gratitude to President Trump. He later added that he thinks this decision is a great move. He also accepted that transparency is indeed needed in their government. Robert also said that Trump is keeping his promise of making the government tell the truth to the people of America.
Who Is Jack Schlossberg And What He Had To Say About The Decision?
Jack Schlossberg, who is an American writer and political correspondent, is the grandson of John F Kennedy. Reportedly, he was not as happy as Robert F Kennedy Jr about the decision to declassify the assassination documents of his grandfather. In an interview with NBC, Jack Schlossberg termed this decision as a political prop.
Jack Schlossberg further added that the truth is actually much sadder than the myth. It was a tragedy that didn’t need to happen, not a part of an inevitable grand scheme. He said that the declassification of the JFK assassination files as a political prop when he is not here to punch back is nothing heroic.
What Larry Sabato Had To Say About The Decision?
Most of the records related to the assassinations have been released already and only a few thousand are actually left. Many people have studied the already-released documents and say that the public should not expect any ground-breaking revelations. However, there is still a lot of interest related to the assassinations and the related events.
Larry Sabato who is currently serving as the director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics has authored the infamous book The Kennedy Half-Century. According to her, there is still a slight possibility of something slipping up that might reveal the tip of the rather huge iceberg. That’s exactly what the researchers will now look for. There are more odds that we won’t find it but the possibilities are endless.
John F Kennedy Assassination Records: The Background Story
John F Kennedy was shot dead in Dallas on the 22nd of November 1963. His motorcade was passing in front of the Texas School Book Depository building. Lee Harvey Oswald who was 24 years old back then had himself positioned on the 6th floor of the building in a sniper’s perch. He executed the assassination successfully. Two days after Kennedy’s assassination, Jack Ruby, who was a nightclub owner, shot Lee Harvey Oswald dead during a transfer to Jail.
During the early 1990s, the federal government made it mandatory that all the documents related to assassinations be housed in a single collection. This collection will be in the National Archives and Records Administration. It had more than 5 million documents that were required to be opened by 2017 and barred any exemptions designated by the President.
Past Declassifications Of The JFK Files
During Trump’s first tenure, he promised and even boasted that he would declassify all the remaining documents related to the assassinations. However, he had to withhold the release of some of the documents. The reason is the threat of potential harm to the national security of the United States of America. During Joe Biden’s tenure, more documents were released but many still remained unseen.
Sabato believes that nearly 3000 records are yet to be released to the public. The researchers do not really believe that the President can actually release all the remaining documents. Around 500 documents were not subject to the document disclosure of 2017. Researchers also believe that several documents are also destroyed. The documents already released discuss Oswald’s visits to the Soviet as well as Cuban embassies right before the assassination.
