Decades of questions and conspiracy theories surrounding the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. may soon be answered. On Thursday, former President Donald Trump signed an executive order to declassify remaining government files related to these historic events, fulfilling a promise first made in 2017.
Despite earlier releases, key details remain classified, fueling speculation about foreign involvement, intelligence agencies, and organized crime. The National Archives has already made 97% of JFK-related files public, but thousands of pages are still withheld or redacted, leaving historians and the public eager for transparency.
Trump stated, “We are going to make public the remaining records related to the assassinations of President Kennedy, his brother Robert Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and other topics of great public interest.”
The files include extensive FBI surveillance of Dr. King, directed by J. Edgar Hoover, which revealed invasive tactics aimed at discrediting the civil rights leader. These methods included wiretapping, bugging hotel rooms, and sending an anonymous letter urging King to commit suicide. Historians have debated the ethics of releasing such personal details, especially as some files remain sealed until 2027 due to privacy concerns.
Trump’s executive order aims to shed light on these long-standing mysteries while reopening debates about civil liberties, national security, and historical accountability.
