Trump's administration releases declassified files about Kennedy's assassination
John Kennedy (photo: Getty Images)
On Tuesday, March 18, the administration of US President Donald Trump published previously classified documents related to the assassination of former US President John F. Kennedy. In doing so, Trump fulfilled his campaign promise to release these materials, according to Bloomberg and other media outlets.
Specifically, Trump's Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, shared a link on the social media platform X to the website of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) with the documents. She added that the files are being provided to the public without any redactions.
According to a statement from Gabbard's office, it consists of approximately 80,000 pages of previously classified records, released unedited. Other documents, which are kept under judicial seal or as grand jury secrets, or which fall under the Tax Code, are also expected to be declassified.
"NARA is working with the Department of Justice to expedite the unsealing of these records," the statement reads.
According to NARA, the collection of records related to the assassination now consists of more than six million pages of records, photographs, films, audio recordings, and artifacts.
Currently, media outlets are reporting that journalists are examining the documents that have been published.
What preceded this
It should be noted that on Monday, during his visit to the Kennedy Center (a concert hall and performing arts theater dedicated to the former president), Trump announced that he would release the documents.
"We have a tremendous amount of paper. You've got a lot of reading," he told reporters.
It is mentioned that Trump had promised to release the documents during his first term as president. However, he eventually yielded to requests from the intelligence community to keep much of the classified material. During his last presidential campaign, Trump reiterated his commitment to releasing the documents.
Specifically, in January 2025, an executive order was signed. It stated that any potential harm to defense, intelligence, law enforcement, or diplomatic operations would be outweighed by the public interest.
Last year, Trump stated in a podcast that the request to delay the publication of the documents during his first term came from the CIA, and they likely preferred that he not declassify additional materials.
