National Archives releases trove of JFK assassination documents

by Maureen Breslin - 12/15/21 1:53 PM ET

Nearly 1,500 previously classified documents pertaining to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy were released by the National Archives on Wednesday, with thousands more yet to be disclosed.

The latest tranche of documents, posted to the National Archives’ website, comes after President Biden in October delayed their release until this month, giving federal agencies more time to review the documents.

The National Archives said it and other agencies “will be conducting an intensive review” of redactions across more than 14,000 withheld documents “to ensure that the United States Government maximizes transparency.”

“Any information currently withheld from public disclosure that agencies do not propose for continued postponement beyond December 15, 2022, will be released to the public on that date,” the archives said.

CNN noted that releasing the JFK documents may help restore faith in the government’s functioning, given that polling has shown a number of Americans question the Warren Commission’s finding that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in assassinating Kennedy.

Many have hoped the documents would reveal more details of Kennedy’s assassination; however, researchers predict that no smoking gun will be unveiled by the documents’ declassification, CNN reported.

The total number of documents and records surrounding the assassination kept by the Archives amounts to around 5 million pages, with the vast majority already released.

Former President Trump in 2018 had approved the release of more than 19,000 documents, most of which had some redactions, while pushing back the disclosure of other documents.

Biden then delayed a scheduled release in October as Kennedy’s nephews called for their unveiling. The president also set the December 2022 deadline for the remaining documents to be reviewed and released.

“It’s an outrage against American democracy. We’re not supposed to have secret governments within the government,” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in October. “How the hell is it 58 years later, and what in the world could justify not releasing these documents?”