Trump orders declassification of all files related to the assassinations of the Kennedy brothers and Martin Luther King Jr. within 15 days

U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered officials to draw up plans to declassify files related to three of the most impactful assassinations in American history, involving former President John F. Kennedy, his brother, former Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and renowned civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday (January 23) Eastern Time, Trump said, "Many people have been waiting for a long time for this to be revealed, for years, even decades." He added, "Everything will be disclosed."

The order requires senior officials in Washington to submit a plan for declassifying the documents within 15 days.

President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, in 1963. His brother Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968 during the Democratic primary for the presidential election in California, just two months after the murder of Martin Luther King Jr., the most famous civil rights leader in the United States, in Memphis, Tennessee.

Many documents related to the investigations have been released over the years, but thousands have been redacted, especially those related to the massive Kennedy investigation.

President Kennedy was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald, a former Marine who had defected to the Soviet Union and later returned to the United States.

At the time, a U.S. government commission concluded that Oswald acted alone.

However, the case has long had unresolved questions and has spawned alternative theories involving government agents, the Mafia, and other nefarious actors, as well as some more outlandish conspiracy theories.

Decades of polls show that most Americans do not believe Oswald was the sole assassin.

In 1992, the U.S. Congress passed a law requiring all documents related to the investigation to be released within 25 years. During Trump's first term and under former President Joe Biden, a large number of documents related to the Kennedy assassination were released, but thousands (out of millions) remain partially or fully sealed.

Trump promised to declassify all files during his first term, but he failed to keep that promise after being persuaded by CIA and FBI officials. Today's executive order states that continued secrecy "is not in the public interest."

"It's good news that the president has stated his intention and put his commitment into words. This is important," emphasized Jefferson Morley, a former Washington Post reporter, expert on the Kennedy assassination, and editor of the online newsletter JFK Facts.

"But the details and implementation are key. This process is just beginning. How it will be carried out is still unclear," he said.

Recently released documents have revealed more details about the assassination, including extensive CIA surveillance of Oswald.

In 2023, Paul Landis, a former Secret Service agent, now 88, said he picked up a bullet from the car after witnessing the assassination at close range.

Experts say this detail complicates the official account of the assassination. According to the official version, only one bullet struck the former president and then-Texas Governor John Connally, who was also riding in the motorcade and survived the shooting.

Morley said the new information further questions the theory that Oswald acted alone. He predicted that full release of all redacted documents could significantly increase public knowledge.

But he said there may not be a "smoking gun," and the CIA and other security officials will push to maintain some level of secrecy.

"This story is not over," he said.

At the signing ceremony on Thursday (23), Trump asked that the pen he used to sign the order be given to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the son of former Senator Robert F. Kennedy, nephew of the late president, and Trump's nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services. The latter has long questioned the official accounts of the assassinations of his father and uncle.

Former Senator Kennedy was assassinated in a ballroom in Los Angeles by a Palestinian named Sirhan, who said he was angry over U.S. support for Israel. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has spoken with Sirhan in prison and has said he does not believe Sirhan killed his father, although other Kennedy family members dispute his claim.

Martin Luther King Jr. was shot by James Earl Ray, a white racist. Members of Dr. King's family have also claimed that Ray did not act alone but was part of a larger conspiracy.

Source: BBC