More than six decades after the assassination of President John F Kennedy stunned America, the Trump government has released a significant trove of previously classified documents. The release, mandated by President Donald Trump soon after he took office, encompasses over 1,100 files, totaling approximately 31,000 pages. These documents are part of a long-standing effort by historians, researchers, and conspiracy theorists to fully understand the circumstances surrounding JFK’s death on November 22, 1963.
While many experts caution that these files may not dramatically alter existing historical narratives, the continued fascination surrounding the assassination—and the persistent belief among many Americans that the full truth has yet to surface—means these newly revealed details are certain to attract intense scrutiny and debate.
Here are 10 things you need to know from the release of the JFK assassination files:
1. Driving the news: The extent of the document release
More than 1,100 previously classified files have now been released, amounting to over 31,000 pages. Originally, Trump had estimated 80,000 pages would be disclosed, illustrating the magnitude of information related to this historical event. The documents include CIA memos, FBI reports, and diplomatic cables.
2. Why it matters: A window into Cold War dynamics
Historians emphasize that even though no revolutionary changes to the central narrative have been revealed yet, these documents provide valuable context about the intense atmosphere of suspicion and geopolitical tension during the Cold War era. They reveal intelligence operations and illustrate how the assassination impacted US-Soviet relations during a particularly volatile time.
3. Between the lines: Lee Harvey Oswald’s movements
Significant portions of the newly released material detail the movements of assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. CIA memos outline Oswald’s travels to the Soviet and Cuban embassies in Mexico City weeks before the assassination, suggesting he sought visas to relocate to Cuba or return to the Soviet Union.
4. Zoom In: Oswald’s contact with Soviet officials
One critical CIA memo from after the assassination highlights an intercepted phone call indicating Oswald spoke with a KGB officer at the Soviet Embassy in Mexico City in September 1963. The document doesn’t confirm cooperation or direction but indicates close KGB monitoring of Oswald.
5. What they’re saying: KGB insight into Oswald
An intriguing document from 1991 recounts CIA contacts with a KGB official. It stated clearly that Oswald was never controlled by the KGB, emphasizing his erratic behavior and describing him as difficult, if not impossible, for any intelligence agency to manage.
“Confident that Oswald was at no time an agent controlled by the KGB,” the memo reads, describing the Soviet viewpoint.
6. Behind the scenes: Operation Mongoose revealed
The documents shed further light on “Operation Mongoose,” a previously secret CIA-led sabotage operation against Fidel Castro’s Cuban regime authorized by JFK himself. These insights underscore the extent to which covert Cold War conflicts were deeply entwined with JFK’s presidency.
Documents available for public access in the National Archives website
7. The big picture: Trump’s commitment to transparency
The document release fulfills a transparency promise Donald Trump made soon after taking office. Despite initial delays, Trump positioned himself as a president dedicated to revealing long-held government secrets. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declared, “President Trump is ushering in a new era of maximum transparency.”
8. What’s still missing: Documents not yet public
Despite the expansive release, researchers estimate roughly 3,000 files related to JFK’s assassination remain partially or wholly undisclosed. Moreover, the FBI recently discovered another batch of approximately 2,400 assassination-related records, which they are preparing to release through the National Archives. About 500 documents, including sensitive personal tax returns, were exempted from disclosure.
9. No immediate game-changers
Historians like Fredrik Logevall emphasize that while the documents enhance historical understanding, dramatic revelations altering the assassination narrative are unlikely.
10. What next: Continued scrutiny and speculation
Larry Sabato, author and director at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, noted the task ahead for historians and researchers is substantial.
“We have a lot of work to do for a long time to come, and people just have to accept that,” Sabato said.