President Donald Trump made good on his promise to declassify thousands of long-hidden documents related to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, but instead of bringing clarity, the newly released files have only deepened the mystery. More than 80,000 pages were made public, yet crucial details remain murky, heavily redacted, or outright missing.
Researchers had hoped for definitive answers about the events of November 22, 1963, but what they got was a tangled web of intelligence intrigue, failed plots, and a trail of cover-ups spanning decades. Many of the documents reveal CIA operations aimed at destabilizing foreign governments through “psychological warfare,” including efforts to overthrow Castro. One particularly damning CIA document from October 1963 instructed agents to offer “no comment and complete denial” if questioned about a botched bombing of a Cuban merchant ship.
Perhaps most shocking is the confirmation that Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged lone gunman, was on the U.S. government’s radar long before the assassination. Newly released files suggest he had extensive contact with intelligence agencies, and European sources reportedly warned the U.S. about his activities leading up to JFK’s murder. If Oswald was the lone wolf the Warren Commission claimed, why was he being watched so closely?
Even the Soviets weren’t buying it. KGB officials dismissed Oswald as a “poor shooter” and suspected the killing was part of a broader coup. Meanwhile, former CIA operative Gary Underhill allegedly told colleagues that rogue elements within the agency orchestrated Kennedy’s murder. Shortly after, Underhill was found dead in what was officially ruled a suicide.
The files also confirm the CIA’s deep ties with media organizations, detailing how certain journalists were “friendly” and would avoid topics that could cause “sizable embarrassment” to the agency. In other words, a select group of reporters was helping shape the narrative, just as many suspect happens today.
But the real kicker? Mentions of Israel’s intelligence service were scrubbed from key files, and a crucial 74-page interview with counterintelligence chief James Angleton—who was forced out of the CIA in 1975 over alleged ties to Israeli intelligence—was conveniently missing. If everything was above board, why the secrecy?
Despite these revelations, a large portion of JFK-related records remains locked away. Trump, staying true to his America First stance on transparency, ordered the full release of JFK, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy assassination documents. Yet, some files are still sealed, supposedly for tax reasons or grand jury secrecy. If these cases are decades old, why the continued delay?
While the Biden administration twice delayed releasing files over “national security concerns,” Trump’s move to unseal them suggests he has little patience for the Deep State’s excuses. If national security is at stake over a 60-year-old assassination, what exactly is being hidden?
The JFK case has been a cornerstone of distrust in the U.S. government for decades. With every half-hearted document dump, the public’s suspicion grows that the truth is still being buried.
