JFK Files: Why Were US Ex-President’s Assassination Records Kept Secret? What Do ‘Unclassified’ Files Contain?

<p>The assassination of President John F Kennedy on November 22, 1963, remains one of the most shocking and controversial events in American history. While the Warren Commission, under Chief Justice Earl Warren, concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in killing Kennedy, questions surrounding the circumstances of the assassination and its aftermath have long fuelled conspiracy theories.</p>
<p>However, Wednesday’s development, wherein US President Donald Trump released the last batch of classified records on the JFK assassination could shed light on aspects of the investigation, which were not available to the public so far.</p>
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-media-max-width=”560″>
<p dir=”ltr” lang=”en”>In such a sensitive world, the jfk assassination is still available for anybody to watch online even in slow motion, it has had multiple investigative documentaries made on it , even a movie,why? because it was 100% fake ,it&rsquo;s Hollywood work<br /><br />They only allow us to view production <a href=”https://t.co/J4weFsEjR7″>pic.twitter.com/J4weFsEjR7</a></p>
&mdash; Rambo (@Seekthetruth101) <a href=”https://twitter.com/Seekthetruth101/status/1355581293799624706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>January 30, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<h2><strong>JFK Assassination And Its Aftermath</strong></h2>
<p>John F Kennedy was fatally shot while riding in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. Alongside him were First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Texas Governor John Connally, and Connally&rsquo;s wife.</p>
<p>Lee Harvey Oswald, a former Marine, fired three shots from the Texas School Book Depository, hitting Kennedy in the head and neck. Connally was also wounded but survived the attack. The President was rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead 30 minutes later. Vice-President Lyndon B Johnson was sworn in as President aboard Air Force One just hours later.</p>
<p>Oswald was arrested shortly after the assassination but was shot dead two days later by nightclub owner Jack Ruby before he could be tried in court. Oswald, before his death, had claimed that he was being framed for the assassination of President Kennedy.</p>
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<p dir=”ltr” lang=”en”>🧵New JFK files thread!🧵<br /><br />The JFK assassination F.B.I. files have been dropped<br />as promised by our president Donald J Trump!<br /><br />As the new files drop ill be posting them in this thread! <br /><a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/JFKFilesRelease?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#JFKFilesRelease</a> <a href=”https://t.co/DT7TwNpLv6″>pic.twitter.com/DT7TwNpLv6</a></p>
&mdash; Jakey (@JacobBaker613) <a href=”https://twitter.com/JacobBaker613/status/1902170507648078147?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>March 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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<h2><strong>Why Were the Files Classified?</strong></h2>
<p>The classification of JFK assassination files began as part of efforts to protect national security and sensitive information. Agencies like the FBI and CIA withheld documents citing concerns over revealing sources, methods, and ongoing investigations. Many files contained information about organised crime figures, confidential informants, and intelligence operations related to Cuba, Operation Mongoose, and Communism &mdash; issues central to Cold War-era geopolitics.</p>
<p>For example, some of the classified documents contained details of Oswald&rsquo;s trip to Mexico City weeks before the assassination, where he reportedly expressed intentions to kill Kennedy. The CIA&rsquo;s Mexico City station faced accusations of covering up evidence about its surveillance of Oswald during this trip, a report by The Politico states.</p>
<p>Other files involved organised crime investigations tied to figures like Jack Ruby and Mafia members, leading some researchers to speculate about connections between Kennedy&rsquo;s assassination and his administration&rsquo;s crackdown on organised crime.</p>
<p>The investigation and intelligence agencies also argued that releasing certain records could put national security or foreign relations in jeopardy. The US Department of Defense cited active war plans and nuclear weapons information as reasons for withholding specific documents.</p>
<p>Moreover, the killing of Oswald, despite intelligence inputs of his safety being in question, before he could stand trial deepened the JFK Assassination mystery.</p>
<h2><strong>Calls For Transparency</strong></h2>
<p>Public pressure for transparency ended in the 1992 JFK Records Act, which mandated the release of most assassination-related documents by 2017 unless agencies could prove substantial risks to national security or foreign policy. Despite this law, thousands of files remained classified due to bureaucratic disputes between the National Archives and intelligence agencies like the CIA and FBI.</p>
<p>In recent years, presidents have faced decisions about whether to release these files fully. In 2017, President Donald Trump postponed the release of hundreds of records at the request of intelligence agencies, citing “potentially irreversible harm to national security”. This delay fueled further speculation among historians and conspiracy theorists alike.</p>
<h2><strong>What’s In The Final Tranche Of JFK Files?</strong></h2>
<p>The final tranche of the JFK files was released on Tuesday, March 18. The latest release contains around 80,000 documents, covering witness accounts and descriptions, details of Operation Mongoose and the US’s covert operations in Cuba, official correspondences with other nations, operations of the FBI, US Secret Service, and other government agencies, location of erstwhile CIA bases,etc.</p>
<p>However, as per CNN, there is little in those files which will change the conclusion of the Warren Commission report.</p>
<p>To read the unclassified documents and know what’s in the now-public documents, <a href=”https://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/release-2025″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>click here</a>.</p>