JFK Assassination Files Declassified: 80,000 Pages Released Without Redactions

The U.S. government has declassified around 80,000 pages of documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, following an executive order from President Donald J. Trump. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) announced that the records were released in full and without redactions.

Trump had long advocated for full disclosure, arguing that withholding information was against the public interest. His Executive Order 14176 mandated the immediate release of all remaining documents, stating that the American people deserved complete transparency regarding the assassination.

Following the directive, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard ordered all intelligence agencies to provide unredacted documents from the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for public access. The files are now available online at archives.gov/jfk and can also be viewed in person at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. Some documents are still being digitized and will be uploaded in the coming days. Updates on the release process will be shared by DNI Gabbard via her official accounts on X and Truth Social.

Among the records released is the full text of a previously redacted June 1961 memo from Kennedy's aide, Arthur Schlesinger Jr., which contains sharp criticism of the CIA’s role in U.S. foreign policy. In addition to the JFK files, 14 documents related to the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have also been made public, comprising roughly 1,050 pages.

Although the majority of documents have been declassified, some records remain sealed due to grand jury confidentiality and restrictions under section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code. The National Archives is coordinating with the Department of Justice to expedite the unsealing process. The ODNI statement noted that much of this information has already been presented to grand juries in past decades and will be released once court approval is granted.

This disclosure follows years of delays. In 1992, Congress mandated that all JFK assassination records be declassified by 2017, but both Trump and former President Joe Biden postponed full publication, citing national security concerns. The latest release represents an effort to enhance transparency and rebuild public trust in the Intelligence Community and federal agencies.