Donald Trump is to release a trove of long-classified documents on the assassination of former president John F Kennedy.
Tweeting over the weekend, the current US President said “subject to receipt of further information” he would allow the “long blocked and classified JFK files to be opened”.
In 1992, partly in response to the Oliver Stone film JFK, Congress ruled that all documents relating to the assassination should be released within 25 years, unless the president decided they would harm national security.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The deadline for the release of the final batch of files, believed to number around 3,100 documents, is Thursday 26 October. “It is unclear whether Trump intends to allow the release in full or with redactions,” says the BBC.
Even though their publication is required by law, “speculation has mounted among his critics that Trump might have readily agreed to release the files in order to distract from the ongoing investigation into his alleged ties with Russia”, says The Independent.
The Washington Post claims Kennedy assassination experts do not think the last batch of papers contains any bombshells. However, it may shed light on Lee Harvey Oswald’s activities in Mexico City months before the assassination and especially his links to the CIA, potentially discrediting one of the agencies investigating Trump over his links to the Kremlin.
Oswald was arrested in Dallas just hours after the President was shot on 22 November 1963 and was himself gunned down by night-club owner Jack Ruby while in police custody two days later.
Trump is no stranger to spreading JFK conspiracy theories, says Newsweek, “alleging that the father of his rival for the Republican presidential candidacy, Ted Cruz, was involved in the plot, prompting a furious denial from the Texas senator”.
-
Gavin Newsom and Dr. Oz feud over fraud allegationsIn the Spotlight Newsom called Oz’s behavior ‘baseless and racist’
-
‘Admin night’: the TikTok trend turning paperwork into a partyThe Explainer Grab your friends and make a night of tackling the most boring tasks
-
Find art, beautiful parks and bright pink soup in VilniusThe Week Recommends The city offers the best of a European capital
-
Greenland: The lasting damage of Trump’s tantrumFeature His desire for Greenland has seemingly faded away
-
The price of forgivenessFeature Trump’s unprecedented use of pardons has turned clemency into a big business.
-
Will Peter Mandelson and Andrew testify to US Congress?Today's Big Question Could political pressure overcome legal obstacles and force either man to give evidence over their relationship with Jeffrey Epstein?
-
The ‘mad king’: has Trump finally lost it?Talking Point Rambling speeches, wind turbine obsession, and an ‘unhinged’ letter to Norway’s prime minister have caused concern whether the rest of his term is ‘sustainable’
-
A running list of everything Donald Trump’s administration, including the president, has said about his healthIn Depth Some in the White House have claimed Trump has near-superhuman abilities
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
‘Implementing strengthened provisions help advance aviation safety’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Does standing up to Trump help world leaders at home?Today’s Big Question Mark Carney’s approval ratings have ‘soared to new highs’ following his Davos speech but other world leaders may not benefit in the same way
