Unredacted JFK assassination files released, sending history buffs hunting for new clues

Unredacted JFK assassination files released by Trump administration, sparking renewed interest in conspiracy theories and historical context.

Unredacted documents related to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy were released Tuesday (March 18, 2025) following an order by President Donald Trump shortly after he took office.

More than 1,100 files consisting of over 31,000 pages were posted on the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration's website in the evening (March 18). The vast majority of the National Archives' collection of over 6 million pages of records, photographs, motion pictures, sound recordings and artifacts related to the assassination have previously been released.

Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics and author of “The Kennedy Half-Century,” said he had a team that started going through the documents but it may be some time before their full significance becomes clear.

“We have a lot of work to do for a long time to come, and people just have to accept that,” he said.

Mr. Trump announced the release Monday (March 17, 2025) while visiting the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, saying his administration would be releasing about 80,000 pages.

“We have a tremendous amount of paper. You’ve got a lot of reading,” Mr. Trump said.

Researchers had estimated that the number of files still released either in whole or in part was around 3,000 to 3,500. And last month the FBI said it had discovered about 2,400 new records related to the assassination.