Department of Research, Studies and International News 19-03-2025

The Trump administration has declassified thousands of pages related to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, a move that has reignited discussions about one of the most debated events in American history. While former President Donald Trump heralded the release as a landmark moment for transparency, experts remain doubtful that the newly disclosed information will alter the widely accepted narrative surrounding Kennedy’s death.

Speaking ahead of the document release, Trump emphasized the significance of making the records public. “People have been waiting decades for this,” he said during a visit to the Kennedy Center. He credited his administration, including then-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, with overseeing the process. The release comes after a previous round of document disclosures in 2017, when Trump first took office.

Despite the anticipation, analysts believe the files do little to challenge the prevailing conclusion: that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in shooting Kennedy from a window of the Texas School Book Depository in Dealey Plaza, Dallas. The newly released records contain CIA and FBI memos, handwritten notes, and reports addressing inconsistencies in intelligence files related to Oswald’s background and alleged motivations.

Cold War Context and Conspiracy Theories

Among the documents is a 1964 interview conducted by a Warren Commission researcher with CIA employee Lee Wigren. The interview scrutinized discrepancies in State Department and CIA records concerning marriages between American men and Soviet women, an issue linked to Oswald, who had briefly lived in the Soviet Union before returning to the United States in 1962.

Some of the records reference conspiracy theories suggesting Oswald left the USSR with the premeditated intent to assassinate Kennedy. However, previously declassified documents, including a 1975 CIA memo, found no evidence connecting Oswald to U.S. intelligence agencies, a claim that has persisted among skeptics for decades.

The files also provide insight into Cold War tensions, particularly the U.S. government’s concerns about Cuba. Defense Department records from 1963 indicate that while Cuban leader Fidel Castro was unlikely to provoke a direct conflict with the United States, he was expected to increase support for communist insurgencies across Latin America. One memo noted that Castro was unlikely to escalate tensions to a level that would “seriously and immediately endanger the Castro regime.”

The Push for Transparency

The decision to release the files stems from a 1992 law mandating the public disclosure of JFK-related records, barring specific national security concerns. Trump signed an order upon taking office directing agencies to accelerate the process, leading the FBI to uncover thousands of additional documents related to the Kennedy assassination.

Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence at the time, praised the move, stating, “President Trump is ushering in a new era of maximum transparency.” The disclosure triggered a last-minute scramble at the Justice Department as officials worked overnight to prepare the documents for public release.

The assassination of President Kennedy on November 22, 1963, remains one of the most scrutinized events in modern history. Two days after Oswald’s arrest, he was fatally shot by Jack Ruby, a Dallas nightclub owner, fueling decades of speculation about potential conspiracies.

While many historians accept the findings of the Warren Commission, which concluded Oswald acted alone, countless alternative theories have persisted, ranging from CIA involvement to organized crime plots. The newly released files are unlikely to resolve these debates but provide further insight into intelligence agency activities at the time.

The Legacy of the Kennedy Assassination

The release comes just weeks after the passing of Clint Hill, the Secret Service agent who famously jumped onto Kennedy’s limousine during the attack, a moment captured in the iconic Zapruder film. Hill’s death at 93 further underscores the passage of time since the tragic event.

Trump, who survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania last year, has also promised the release of documents related to other high-profile assassinations, including those of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., both of whom were killed in 1968.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now serving as U.S. Secretary of Health, has publicly supported conspiracy theories regarding his father’s and uncle’s deaths, claiming that the CIA was likely involved. Meanwhile, Martin Luther King Jr.’s family has expressed concern that past FBI efforts to discredit the civil rights leader may resurface in future disclosures.

Public Expectations and Expert Reactions

Despite the fanfare surrounding the release, some scholars and historians have cautioned against expecting groundbreaking revelations. Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia and author of a book on Kennedy, remarked, “People expecting big things are almost certain to be disappointed.”

Trump’s decision to release the files follows a broader trend of declassifications aimed at appealing to transparency advocates. However, a similar approach last month, when his administration declassified documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, failed to yield significant new information and was widely criticized as a political maneuver.

As the JFK files continue to be analyzed, the debate over his assassination is unlikely to subside. While the documents may provide fresh details on the geopolitical climate of the early 1960s, they are unlikely to change the core facts of the case. For historians and conspiracy theorists alike, the question of whether the full truth about Kennedy’s death has been revealed remains open-ended.