Requested Full Disclosure During First Term, but Only Partial Release Due to Opposition
Public Interest Remains High in Conspiracy Theories Surrounding Kennedy and Others
Donald Trump, the President of the United States, who had raised suspicions that secretive bureaucratic groups within the government, including the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), and the Department of Justice, were trying to weaken elected powers like himself, signed an executive order to declassify top-secret documents related to the 1963 assassination of former President John F. Kennedy. In addition, Trump signed executive orders directing the release of documents related to his brother, former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy (assassinated in 1968), and civil rights activist Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. (assassinated in 1968).
On the 23rd, foreign media outlets such as the Associated Press and CNN reported that after signing the related executive orders at the White House, Trump stated that "the families of these individuals and the American people deserve transparency and truth." According to the reports, through the executive order, Trump instructed the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the Attorney General, saying, "Many people have been waiting for this for a long time, for years, even decades," and ordered them to "present a complete plan for the full disclosure of the Kennedy assassination documents within 15 days." Trump also told reporters, "Everything will be revealed."
Donald Trump, the President of the United States, who had raised suspicions that secret bureaucratic groups within the government, including the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), and the Department of Justice, were trying to weaken elected powers like himself, signed an executive order to declassify top-secret documents related to the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Photo by EPA Yonhap News
Earlier, on the 20th, during his inauguration speech, Trump pledged to "abolish excessive federal government secrecy" and promised to release documents related to the Kennedy assassination. He also instructed that the pen used to sign the executive order be given to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy Jr. is the son of Robert F. Kennedy, former Attorney General and brother of President Kennedy. Kennedy Jr.'s father was also assassinated shortly after delivering a victory speech in a primary election. Secretary-designate Kennedy Jr. has consistently claimed that he does not believe the assassinations of his uncle and father were the acts of a lone gunman and has suggested possible CIA involvement.
Trump signed an executive order requiring the submission of plans to release materials related to the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy and civil rights activist Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. within 45 days. Photo by AP and Yonhap News
In this way, conspiracy theories have persisted in some parts of the United States, raising the possibility of involvement by the Soviet Union, which was competing for hegemony with the U.S. at the time, or the CIA in the Kennedy assassination, despite official investigations concluding it was the act of a lone gunman. The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. has also been the subject of various conspiracy theories.
Meanwhile, during his first term in office in 2018, Trump approved the release of approximately 19,000 documents related to the Kennedy assassination. Not only Trump, but also President Joe Biden released about 13,000 classified documents in 2022. However, it is known that some documents remain unreleased by the CIA, Department of Defense, and Department of State, citing reasons such as protecting the identities of informants. The Associated Press noted, "Among the millions of government records related to President Kennedy's assassination, thousands have yet to be fully declassified," adding that "public interest in the assassination remains strong."
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