Over six decades after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, the federal government has started releasing what may be the last set of documents related to the event that stunned the nation and fueled numerous conspiracy theories. The National Archives and Records Administration began making these long-awaited files available online just before 7 p.m. on Tuesday, following President Donald Trump's announcement that 80,000 pages concerning the November 22, 1963, shooting would be disclosed.
The administration stated that, following Trump's directive from March 17, 2025, all previously classified records in the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection are now public. Thousands of documents, previously hidden for decades, quickly became accessible online.
It remains uncertain if these documents contain any groundbreaking information or evidence that might challenge the Warren Commission's 1964 conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in firing the fatal shots from the Texas School Book Depository. "There's a lot to read," Trump commented during a visit to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, expressing doubt that any content would be redacted.
Historians estimate that around 4,700 documents have yet to be released. Jefferson Morley, a specialist on the JFK assassination and the CIA, noted on his blog "JFK Facts" that the origins of the 80,000 pages are unclear. Meanwhile, Justice Department lawyers worked through the night to review hundreds of pages before their release, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Whether this release will finally quell public skepticism about the official narrative that Oswald acted alone is still unknown. Presidential historian Michael Beschloss remarked on the persistent doubts and conflicting theories, suggesting it's unlikely a single piece of evidence will resolve the debate. However, there is general agreement that Kennedy's assassination significantly altered history, mostly for the worse.
During his campaign, Trump promised to release these files, a pledge he renewed while seeking the endorsement of JFK's nephew, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. After securing RFK Jr.'s support, Trump vowed to establish a commission on assassination attempts if elected, in honor of RFK Jr., now serving as his secretary of health and human services.
In his second term, Trump signed an executive order for the release of all records related to JFK's assassination, as well as those of RFK Jr.'s father, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy Sr., and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 mandated the release of all related documents by 2017, during Trump's first presidency. Although some documents were released then, intelligence agencies were given more time to review the remaining files.
In December 2022, President Joe Biden released over 13,000 records after the Mary Ferrell Foundation, the largest nonprofit repository of JFK assassination records, sued for full disclosure. However, Biden only released about 98% of the documents held by the National Archives, which manages the collection.
Jefferson Morley, also vice president of the Mary Ferrell Foundation, criticized the delay, emphasizing the public's right to know their history. The withheld records, approximately 4,700 in total, were believed to include details about Oswald's activities in Mexico City before the assassination. Among these were 44 documents related to CIA agent George Joannides and a covert Cuba-related program that interacted with Oswald less than four months before Kennedy's death.
Biden's memorandum explained that some documents were withheld to prevent harm to military defense, intelligence operations, law enforcement, or foreign relations, which outweighed the public interest in disclosure. However, prominent historians, including U.S. District Judge John Tunheim, who led the Assassination Records Review Board from 1994 to 1998, criticized this reasoning, arguing there is no justification for withholding information nearly 60 years after Kennedy's assassination.