In a surprising development, President Trump's recent executive mandate has led to the FBI's discovery of approximately 2,400 previously undisclosed records related to the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
According to Axios, A directive from President Trump on January 23, 2025, has resulted in revealing about 14,000 pages of secret FBI documents related to the JFK assassination.
The discovery emanated from an executive order issued by President Trump, compelling the release of all remaining assassination records. This order marks a significant attempt to address historical secrecy surrounding one of the most scrutinized events in American history.
Following the order, the FBI found these records, which the original assassination review board established under the JFK Records Act of 1992 never received. This act aimed to consolidate all assassination-related documents in the National Archives to ensure their eventual public disclosure.
The responsibility of planning how to disclose these newly discovered documents falls to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. However, as of now, the contents of these records remain a closely guarded secret, with their relevance to historical and ongoing debates about the assassination still unknown.
Back in 2017, President Trump delayed the full release of the JFK files, citing potential threats to national security. President Biden partially maintained this position. Both Presidents took actions that controverted the expected full disclosure originally set for 2017 by the JFK Records Act.
This hesitance to release all records sparked the Mary Ferrell Foundation, a prominent research organization, to file a lawsuit against the government in 2022, in hopes of forcing the disclosure of all remaining undisclosed documents.
During his 2024 campaign, Trump promised full transparency regarding the assassination records of JFK, as well as other significant figures like RFK and Martin Luther King Jr. He stated plans to initiate the full release by March 9, following his executive order to end "the endless delays," as noted in a White House fact sheet.
Yet, intelligence circles are palpably concerned that officials may still apply extensive redactions to these documents, despite the clear directive from the president.
Jefferson Morley of the Mary Ferrell Foundation expressed significant optimism about the recent developments. "This is huge. It shows the FBI is taking this seriously," Morley stated. He further noted the shift in the FBI's approach, commenting, "The FBI is finally saying, 'Let's respond to the president's order,' instead of keeping the secrecy going."
Such disclosures are not just bureaucratic milestones; they potentially carry substantial implications for historical scholarship and public understanding of the JFK assassination. "The Joannides file sounds exactly like the newly discovered FBI files," Morley remarked, referencing undisclosed CIA files and drawing parallels with the recent findings.
The issue of undisclosed documents has repeatedly ignited debates about the so-called "Deep State," with one anonymous White House official vehemently describing the withholding of documents as "total Deep State bull****."
People are already speculating about how the release process might unfold, and a Trump adviser noted, "Don't be surprised if all these records just suddenly wind up online."
White House discussions also suggest that Trump will follow through rigorously, as a White House official stated, "When POTUS hears about this stonewalling, he's gonna hit the roof."
As this story unfolds, it continues to attract attention from historians, conspiracy theorists, and the general public, all keen on what these records might reveal about one of the most infamous days in American history.
