In a significant move toward transparency, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 23, 2025, mandating the declassification and public release of records related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This decision comes more than 50 years after these high-profile events and reflects a commitment to the public’s right to know.

The Path to Declassification

The JFK assassination records have been surrounded by controversy for decades, with much of the information remaining classified due to national security concerns. In 1992, Congress passed the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act, which required all records related to JFK’s assassination to be made public by 2017 unless national security interests justified withholding them. While some files have been released, others have been held back at the request of intelligence agencies.

In the new executive order, Trump states that continued redactions are no longer in the public interest, especially with regard to JFK’s assassination. While there is no law mandating the release of records concerning the deaths of RFK and MLK Jr., the order also calls for the declassification of all records related to these assassinations.

The Timeline for Release

Under the order, the Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General are tasked with presenting a plan for the full release of JFK-related records within 15 days. They will also review and present a plan for the release of records related to RFK and MLK Jr. within 45 days.

A Long-Delayed Step Toward Transparency

The decision to release these records is likely to fuel ongoing debates surrounding the assassinations of these iconic figures. The JFK assassination, in particular, has been at the center of numerous conspiracy theories, with questions about possible government involvement, foreign connections, and the circumstances surrounding the tragic event.

• JFK (1963): While the Warren Commission concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, speculation about broader conspiracies continues.
• RFK (1968): Sirhan Sirhan was convicted of the assassination, but some believe a second gunman may have been involved.
• MLK Jr. (1968): James Earl Ray confessed but later recanted, suggesting a possible setup. A 1999 civil trial even concluded that MLK’s death involved a conspiracy.

Public Interest and Government Transparency

Trump’s announcement comes at a time when public trust in government transparency is a major topic of discussion. The declassification of these records could provide new insights into these pivotal moments in U.S. history and further address questions that have remained unanswered for decades.

As the plans for declassification move forward, the American public, historians, and the families of the victims eagerly await the release of these records, which could reshape our understanding of the events that helped define modern America.