The FBI has uncovered 2,400 additional records linked to the 1963 assassination of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
The newly found documents are being transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for inclusion in the ongoing declassification process.
These records were discovered as part of the FBI’s compliance with an executive order issued by former President Donald Trump, which directed the release of thousands of previously classified assassination-related files.
In the early 1990s, the U.S. government mandated that all assassination-related documents be housed in a single collection at the National Archives. While the majority—over five million records—have been made public, researchers estimate that around 3,000 files remain partially or fully unreleased.
The FBI did not disclose details about the content of these newly discovered files. However, the agency attributed the find to improvements in record management, including the opening of a Central Records Complex in 2020.
This facility allowed for a more thorough inventory of historical documents, enabling the FBI to locate and process previously overlooked records.
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Jefferson Morley, vice president of the Mary Ferrell Foundation, praised the FBI’s transparency, calling the disclosure “refreshingly candid.” He believes this move sets a precedent for other agencies to release any remaining hidden files.
The directive issued by Trump last month required the national intelligence director and attorney general to create a plan for the release of classified records related to the JFK assassination. While a plan has reportedly been submitted, no timeline has been provided for when the public may access the documents.
The assassination of President Kennedy in Dallas on November 22, 1963, remains a subject of widespread speculation. Lee Harvey Oswald, a former Marine, was identified as the lone gunman, firing from the Texas School Book Depository. However, conspiracy theories have persisted for decades, fueled by inconsistencies and classified documents.
The Warren Commission, established by President Lyndon B. Johnson, concluded that Oswald acted alone. However, the secrecy surrounding certain files has continued to generate public doubt.
Gerald Posner, author of Case Closed, which supports the lone-gunman theory, suggested that the newly discovered files might already exist in the National Archives or had been previously deemed unimportant. However, if they contain genuinely new assassination-related details, he believes they could raise significant questions about why they remained undiscovered for so long.
Morley pointed out that recent document releases have highlighted the CIA’s surveillance of Oswald, particularly his visits to Soviet and Cuban embassies in Mexico City just weeks before the assassination. He speculated that the new files might contain further information on Oswald’s activities and potential intelligence oversight.
