Since President Donald Trump’s executive order instructing the CIA to declassify the John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy assassination documents, common citizens and conspiracy theorists alike have been anticipating the files’ reveal.
Trump has given acting Director of National Intelligence Lora Shiao until Feb. 7 to create a plan to declassify the JFK files, and March 9 for the RFK and MLK Jr. documents. The release of all classified files relating to these major assassinations is long overdue. Full disclosure will keep the government accountable for its inaction during these assassinations and repair trust with the public.
The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 set this executive order in motion three decades ago. Congress passed this during the presidency of George H.W. Bush. Whitehouse.gov states that the act required all records related to the assassination of President Kennedy to be disclosed in full by Oct. 26, 2017.
Yet the government held back thousands of files on and after the 25-year deadline. According to Politico, “The National Archives reports that, as of last year, about 3,600 [JFK] documents remain at least partially sealed, most from the files of the CIA.”
Even though more were released during the former Trump and Biden administrations, we are still missing critical information. The government was wrong to delay declassification. Trump may finally make this right.
Many Americans chiefly doubt the convictions of both Kennedy brothers’ assassins. Lee Harvey Oswald, the man posthumously convicted of shooting JFK, was shot while in federal custody before getting a hearing. Some have claimed that RFK’s killer, Sirhan Sirhan, worked with a second shooter or even the CIA. Additionally, James Earl Ray initially pled guilty to murdering MLK Jr., but later recanted his claim. For years conspiracy theorists have wondered: Was something more sinister behind these deaths?
The unsolved mysteries surrounding each case have caused the decree to gain attention, sparking speculation from news corporations. The remaining JFK files may shed light on Oswald’s 1963 trip to Mexico and subsequent meeting with the Cuban embassy.
The public may also discover why some RFK files have been kept secret. RFK’s son, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said there is great evidence the CIA had a hand in his father’s death. Details on the thoroughness of the assassination investigations may put some conspiracy theories to rest.
A 1979 report of the U.S. House Select Committee on Assassinations found that JFK “was probably assassinated as a result of a conspiracy.” Although the extent of the conspiracy was unidentifiable at the time, it suggests there is something more to the situation. The new documents could pinpoint what that is.
The CIA may pressure Trump into omitting some files. Considering no president has followed through with completely declassifying the assassination records, this could occur. Even Trump’s bold, black Sharpie may fall short of its promises.
The government destroyed documents over the decades, so some potentially incriminating evidence may never be released. Also, according to a Jan. 23 Associated Press article, “Around 500 documents, including tax returns, weren’t subject to the 2017 disclosure requirement.”
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, distrust of the government has grown. Trump is taking this positive step to restore citizen’s trust in the government. Declassifying the assassination details of these three Americans is a valuable move.
It has been too long. Many citizens alive during the assassinations have now died. Those people will never get answers. The government owes the rest of us transparency.
In the following months, we can anticipate more answers, and likely more questions. Trump has promised to make more information available to the public. Now we have to see if he follows through.
Charlotte Knobloch is a freshman studying the liberal arts.
