Trump Releases JFK Assassination Files—What the Documents Reveal
Former President Donald Trump released a massive trove of JFK assassination files onto the American public, providing 80,000 pages of previously classified documents through the National Archives. The March 18, 2025 release fulfilled Trump’s campaign promise and included 1,123 unredacted files that had been collecting dust in government vaults for over six decades.
Through an executive order signed on January 23, 2025, Trump didn’t just stop at JFK. He went full transparency, demanding the release of files related to Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassinations too. Federal agencies got a tight deadline: 15 days to figure out how to release the JFK files, and 45 days for the RFK and MLK documents.
Trump’s executive order unleashed more than JFK files, expanding transparency to include both RFK and MLK assassination records.
The files are a goldmine for assassination buffs. They detail Lee Harvey Oswald‘s mysterious movements before he allegedly put three bullets into Kennedy’s motorcade in Dallas. His trips to Mexico, his time in the Soviet Union – it’s all there. Plus, there are some fascinating audio recordings of KGB officer Yuri Nosenko spilling what he knew about Oswald. The FBI’s discovery of 2,400 previously unrecognized records added significant new material to the collection. The documents revealed that a former KGB agent confirmed Oswald was not under Russian control.
Sure, we’ve heard the official story before. Oswald acted alone, the Warren Commission said so. But most Americans aren’t buying it. They’ve spent 60 years cooking up theories about what really happened in Dealey Plaza that November day. Now they’ve got 80,000 more pages to fuel their late-night debates. The Warren Commission concluded there was no conspiracy in their official investigation.
Experts are trying to temper expectations. No, these files probably won’t reveal a second shooter on the grassy knoll or prove the CIA did it. What they do offer is context – lots of it. The documents show how intelligence agencies handled (or mishandled) information about Oswald before the assassination. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard praised the unprecedented move toward governmental transparency. Some files remain sealed due to court orders or grand jury secrecy rules.
The impact of this release could be significant. It might not change the official narrative that Oswald was a lone gunman, but it’s forcing a reassessment of what we thought we knew about November 22, 1963. The release also sets a precedent for government transparency, even if it took 60 years to get here.
One thing’s certain – America’s obsession with the JFK assassination isn’t going anywhere. These documents might answer some questions, but they’ll probably raise a hundred more. That’s just how it goes with the most scrutinized murder in American history. The truth is out there. Maybe. Sort of. In 80,000 pages or more.
