The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has uncovered thousands of previously unrecognized documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, following a push by former President Donald Trump to release classified files.
In a statement Tuesday, the FBI revealed that its new search yielded approximately 2,400 newly inventoried records, now digitized and linked to the 1963 case. “The FBI is working to transfer these newly discovered documents to the National Archives for inclusion in the ongoing declassification process,” the agency said.
This discovery follows Trump’s January 2021 executive order, which instructed the release of classified materials surrounding Kennedy’s murder in Dallas. Last week, the Director of National Intelligence also sent recommendations to Trump regarding which documents to release.
Despite the enduring public interest in JFK’s death, experts suggest the new documents are unlikely to alter established views on the assassination. “I suspect we won’t get anything too dramatic,” said Harvard historian Fredrik Logevall.
Questions remain about the CIA’s awareness of Lee Harvey Oswald, but experts such as Gerald Posner argue that any new files may reveal negligence, not conspiracy.
As the documents are released, conspiracy theories are expected to persist. “I can’t imagine anything that will convince conspiracy theorists,” said historian Alice George.
