FBI uncovers 2,400 secret docs related to JFK assassination: Report
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The classified documents are part of a collection spanning 14,000 pages, which the FBI identified during a review initiated by President Donald Trump's January 23 executive order.
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President John F. Kennedy waves from his car in a motorcade approximately one minute before he was shot, Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas (AP)
The FBI has uncovered approximately 2,400 records linked to the 1963 assassination of US President John F. Kennedy, Axios reported on Monday.
These classified documents are part of a collection spanning 14,000 pages, which the FBI identified during a review initiated by President Donald Trump's January 23 executive order mandating the full release of JFK assassination records. According to Axios, the records were never submitted to a task force responsible for reviewing and disclosing them.
For over six decades, conspiracy theories surrounding Kennedy’s assassination at Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, have persisted, largely due to the government's reluctance to make all related documents public.
The discovery of these additional records was communicated to the White House on Friday, and further examination could provide new insights into one of America's most scrutinized historical events. Their release may also prompt changes in how federal agencies vet and disclose government records.
"This is huge. It shows the FBI is taking this seriously," said assassination expert Jefferson Morley, who also serves as vice president of the Mary Ferrell Foundation—the largest online archive of Kennedy assassination records—adding, "The FBI is finally saying, 'Let's respond to the president's order,' instead of keeping the secrecy going."
Under the 1992 JFK Records Act, all assassination-related documents were to be handed over to the JFK Assassination Records Review Board before being archived and fully disclosed by 2017, during Trump’s first term. However, the Axios report revealed that these newly found records had not undergone that process.
In 2017, Trump delayed the full release of assassination records at the CIA's recommendation. His successor, former President Joe Biden, later authorized a limited disclosure, reinforcing public concerns about ongoing government secrecy.
Experts believe the remaining records are unlikely to provide conclusive evidence on whether Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone or was part of a larger plot. However, they may highlight why key documents were withheld for so long, fueling long-standing suspicions of a cover-up.
Despite Trump’s directive to declassify all JFK assassination records, sources told Axios that intelligence agencies continue to push for redactions.
"When the president hears about this obstruction, he’s going to be furious," a White House official said.
Trump’s order also includes the release of records related to the assassinations of Kennedy’s brother, Robert F. Kennedy, on June 5, 1968, and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968. The documents concerning RFK and MLK are expected to be made public by March 9.
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