Trump Orders Full Declassification of JFK, RFK, and MLK Assassination Files
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to declassify the final secret files related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (JFK), as well as the deaths of his younger brother, Robert F. Kennedy (RFK), and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. This action marks a major move toward ending decades of secrecy surrounding these high-profile assassinations that have continued to fuel conspiracy theories for more than six decades.
During the signing ceremony in the Oval Office, Trump told reporters, “That’s big one, huh? A lot of people have been waiting for this for years, for decades. Everything will be revealed.” He later handed the pen he used to sign the order to an aide with the words, “Give that to RFK Jr.,” referencing JFK’s nephew, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is currently nominated by Trump to serve as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
The executive order mandates the “full and complete release” of all records related to the JFK assassination without any redactions, a reversal of his decision in 2017 when he allowed most documents to be released but withheld some for national security reasons. The move aims to resolve any remaining questions regarding the events of November 22, 1963, when JFK was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, and end the prolonged secrecy around the case.
The National Archives has already released over 97 percent of the JFK-related files, which total five million pages, but thousands of documents remained withheld. Conspiracy theorists have long claimed that the official investigation, led by the Warren Commission, which concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination, did not reveal the whole truth. Speculation about a larger conspiracy has persisted, with some pointing fingers at the CIA, Russia, Cuba, the Mafia, and even Vice President Lyndon Johnson.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an outspoken critic of the official story, has publicly stated that he believes there is “overwhelming evidence” the CIA was involved in his uncle’s death and that the agency may have also played a role in the assassination of his father, Robert F. Kennedy, in 1968.
This new wave of document releases is expected to provide further clarity, though many scholars and experts believe that the remaining documents are unlikely to contain groundbreaking revelations. Nevertheless, the release of these files marks a significant step in the ongoing effort to address one of the most enduring mysteries in American history.
