The National Archives released thousands of now declassified documents regarding the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy on December 15.
“[T]he profound national tragedy of President Kennedy’s assassination continues to resonate in American history and in the memories of so many Americans who were alive on that terrible day; meanwhile, the need to protect records concerning the assassination has weakened with the passage of time,” the White House said.
“It is therefore critical to ensure that the United States Government maximizes transparency by disclosing all information in records concerning the assassination, except when the strongest possible reasons counsel otherwise,” the White House added.
All remaining documents will become declassified after Mary 2023, Biden said. After that, “any information withheld from public disclosure that agencies do not recommend for continued postponement” will be released before June 30, 2023.
Due to the secrecy and lack of transparency from the government, conspiracy theorists have tried to piece together Kennedy’s assassination and discover what the government has been “hiding” over the years.
In a Gallup poll conducted in 1963, 52% of Americans believe that Lee Harvey Oswald, the man who assassinated Kennedy, did not act alone. By 1976, the number of Americans believing the conspiracy increased to 81%.
The Oscar-winning Oliver Stone film JFK left viewers suspecting that President Lyndon B. Johnson, among others, may have been involved in the conspiracy. In 1992, Congress passed the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act in response to the outrage, increase in conspiracy, rhetoric and lack of trust in the government due to the film.
As of December 15, the CIA claims to have released “all of its information known to be directly related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963,” its statement said— just about 95% of CIA documents have officially been made public.
What about the other 5%?
The CIA claims that releasing the information that has been blacked out “would currently do identifiable harm to intelligence operations.” A spokesperson said the records contain administrative information collected on those participating in the JFK review board to “understand, for example, CIA sources, methods, terminology, cover, and tradecraft.”
The act stated that all records regarding the assassination should be made public by October 2017. However, former President Donald J. Trump and President Biden have placed several postponements due to FBI and CIA pressures. Trump released tens of thousands of documents, and now Biden has followed.
