US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to declassify records related to the assassinations of Former President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He stated it is time for the American people to know the “truth” after six decades of secrecy.
The White House shared the detailed document, emphasizing the significance of transparency. “Providing Americans with the truth after six decades of secrecy,” it stated. Trump added that withholding these records is “not in the public interest” and that their release is long overdue.
Plans For Full Declassification
The executive order instructs top officials, including the Director of National Intelligence, to present a plan within 15 days for the complete release of all JFK assassination records. Additionally, the order mandates a review of records related to the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. A plan for their full release must be submitted within 45 days.
Trump previously directed agencies to disclose more information about the JFK assassination during his first term. The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 required all related records to be released within 25 years unless a presidential certification justified their postponement for reasons like national security.
Campaign Promise To Reveal Truth
Trump made declassification of assassination records a key campaign promise. In June 2024, he reiterated his pledge, saying, “When I return to the White House, I will declassify and unseal all JFK assassination-related documents. It’s been 60 years for the American people to know the TRUTH!”
Trump’s executive order follows delays in the disclosure of JFK assassination records by President Biden in 2021, 2022, and 2023. The White House highlighted Trump’s earlier efforts in 2017 and 2018 to push agencies toward disclosing redacted information.
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas in 1963. His brother, Robert F. Kennedy, was killed while campaigning in California in 1968. Martin Luther King Jr., the renowned civil rights leader, was murdered in Memphis, Tennessee, two months before Robert’s death.
The release of these records aims to provide closure to the victims’ families and offer Americans a transparent account of historical events that shaped the nation.
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