The FBI recently found 2,400 new documents related to the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy. This discovery is part of an effort to follow former President Donald Trump’s order to release more files about the case. The FBI is working to send these records to the National Archives for review and possible declassification.
Since the early 1990s, U.S. law has required that all documents about the November 22, 1963, assassination be kept in one collection at the National Archives. While most of these files—over 5 million pages—have already been made public, experts believe around 3,000 documents remain partially or fully classified.
The FBI has not revealed what information is in the newly found files. However, a new system for managing records has helped them search and organize old case files more efficiently. This system may have made it easier to locate the missing documents.
Jefferson Morley, vice president of the Mary Ferrell Foundation, which archives JFK assassination documents, called the FBI’s move “refreshingly candid.” He believes it encourages other government agencies to release any files they have yet to share with the National Archives.
Trump’s 2023 order required intelligence officials to create a plan for releasing classified JFK-related records. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence confirmed that a plan has been submitted but did not provide details or a timeline for when the records would be made public.
Under the 1992 JFK Records Act, all assassination records were supposed to be released by 2017 unless the president approved exceptions for national security reasons. Trump initially promised to release all files but later held some back. During President Joe Biden’s term, more documents have been released, but some remain classified.
The assassination of JFK has fueled conspiracy theories for decades. On that tragic day, Kennedy was shot as his motorcade passed through Dallas, Texas. The accused shooter, 24-year-old Lee Harvey Oswald, was stationed in the Texas School Book Depository. Two days later, nightclub owner Jack Ruby shot and killed Oswald while he was in police custody.
The Warren Commission, set up by President Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate, concluded that Oswald acted alone, but many people remain skeptical. Some researchers hope the newly discovered documents may provide more insight into Oswald’s actions, especially his reported visits to the Soviet and Cuban embassies weeks before the assassination.
For now, experts eagerly await the release of these files, hoping they will shed new light on one of America’s most debated historical events.
