FBI Unveils 2,400 New Records Related to JFK Assassination
The FBI announced on Tuesday the discovery of 2,400 new records connected to the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy, The Associated Press reports.
This effort is part of a broader initiative by federal agencies to comply with an executive order issued by President Donald Trump last month, demanding the release of thousands of documents related to the historic event.
The FBI indicated that it is currently in the process of transferring these records to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for inclusion in the declassification process. Since the early 1990s, the federal government has mandated that all documents pertaining to the November 22, 1963 assassination be assembled in a single collection at NARA. While over 5 million pages of this collection have been made public, estimates suggest that around 3,000 files remain unreleased, in whole or in part.
The FBI did not disclose the nature of the newly uncovered records. In 2020, the agency established a Central Records Complex aimed at shipping, electronically inventorying, and storing closed case files from field offices nationwide. Advances in technology and a more comprehensive inventory process have significantly improved the FBI’s ability to locate and retrieve records swiftly.
Jefferson Morley, vice president of the Mary Ferrell Foundation—dedicated to preserving files related to the assassination—praised the FBI’s recent disclosure as “refreshingly candid.” According to a mandate, all relevant files were supposed to be made available by 2017, except for those that warranted exemptions determined by the president. During his first term, Trump indicated he would permit the release of all remaining records; however, some were withheld, citing potential threats to national security. Despite ongoing releases under President Joe Biden, several files remain inaccessible to the public.
The assassination of Kennedy has sparked conspiracy theories for decades. He was fatally shot in downtown Dallas while his motorcade passed the Texas School Book Depository, where 24-year-old Lee Harvey Oswald was positioned as the shooter. Two days post-assassination, Oswald was murdered by nightclub owner Jack Ruby during a jail transfer.
The Warren Commission, formed by then-President Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the assassination, concluded that Oswald acted alone and found no evidence supporting a conspiracy. Despite this, the commission’s findings have not stopped the proliferation of alternative theories throughout the years.
Gerald Posner, author of “Case Closed,” which supports the conclusion that Oswald was the lone assassin, suggested that the newly discovered files might simply reiterate documents already housed in the National Archives. However, over the past several years, released documents from the collection have revealed significant insights into the operational methods of intelligence services during that era, including CIA communiqués and memos that detail Oswald’s visits to Soviet and Cuban embassies in Mexico City shortly before the assassination. Oswald, a former Marine, had defected to the Soviet Union before returning to Texas.
Morley emphasized that CIA surveillance of Oswald has emerged as a prominent topic over the last five to ten years, raising speculation about potential information relating to this in the newly uncovered files.
