Trump repeats pledge on JFK files; don't expect big revelations, experts say

dallas — 

More than 60 years aft President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, conspiracy theories inactive swirl and immoderate caller glimpse into the fateful time of Nov. 22, 1963, successful Dallas continues to fascinate.

President-elect Donald Trump promised during his reelection run that helium would declassify each of the remaining authorities records surrounding the assassination if helium returned to office. He made a akin pledge during his archetypal term, but yet bent to appeals from the CIA and FBI to support immoderate documents withheld.

At this point, lone a fewer 1000 of the millions of governmental records related to the assassination person yet to beryllium afloat released, and those who person studied the records released truthful acold accidental that adjacent if the remaining files are declassified, the nationalist shouldn't expect immoderate earth-shattering revelations.

"Anybody waiting for a smoking weapon that's going to crook this lawsuit upside down volition beryllium sorely disappointed," said Gerald Posner, writer of Case Closed, which concludes that assassin Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.

November 22, 1963

When Air Force One carrying Kennedy and archetypal woman Jacqueline Kennedy touched down successful Dallas, they were greeted by a wide entity and enthusiastic crowds. With a reelection run connected the skyline the adjacent year, they had gone to Texas connected governmental fence-mending trip.

But arsenic the motorcade was finishing its parade way downtown, shots rang retired from the Texas School Book Depository building. Police arrested Oswald, 24, and, 2 days later, nightclub proprietor Jack Ruby fatally changeable Oswald during a jailhouse transfer.

A twelvemonth aft the assassination, the Warren Commission, which President Lyndon B. Johnson established to analyse the assassination, concluded that Oswald acted unsocial and determination was nary grounds of a conspiracy. But that hasn't quelled a web of alternate theories implicit the decades.

The collection

In the aboriginal 1990s, the national authorities mandated that each assassination-related documents beryllium housed successful a azygous postulation successful the National Archives and Records Administration. The postulation of implicit 5 cardinal records was required to beryllium opened by 2017, barring immoderate exemptions designated by the president.

Trump, who took bureau for his archetypal word successful 2017, had said that he'd let the merchandise of each of the remaining records but ended up holding immoderate backmost due to the fact that of what helium called the imaginable harm to nationalist security. And portion files person continued to beryllium released during President Joe Biden's administration, immoderate inactive stay unseen.

The documents released implicit the past fewer years connection details connected the mode quality services operated astatine the time, and see CIA cables and memos discussing visits by Oswald to the Soviet and Cuban embassies during a travel to Mexico City conscionable weeks earlier the assassination. The erstwhile Marine had antecedently defected to the Soviet Union earlier returning location to Texas.

Mark S. Zaid, a nationalist information lawyer successful Washington, said what's been released truthful acold has contributed to the knowing of the clip period, giving "a large picture" of what was happening during the Cold War and the activities of the CIA.

Withheld files

Posner estimates that determination are inactive astir 3,000 to 4,000 documents successful the postulation that haven't yet been afloat released. Of those documents, immoderate are inactive wholly redacted portion others conscionable person tiny redactions, similar someone's Social Security number.

"If you person been pursuing it, arsenic I person and others have, you benignant of are zeroed successful connected the pages you deliberation mightiness supply immoderate further accusation for history," Posner said.

There are astir 500 documents that person been wholly withheld, Posner said, and those see Oswald's and Ruby's taxation returns. Those files, the National Archives says connected its website, weren't taxable to the 2017 disclosure requirement.

Trump's modulation squad hasn't responded to questions this week astir his plans erstwhile helium takes office.

A continued fascination

From the start, determination were those who believed determination had to beryllium much to the communicative than conscionable Oswald acting alone, said Stephen Fagin, curator of the Sixth Floor Museum astatine Dealey Plaza, which tells the communicative of the assassination from the gathering wherever Oswald made his sniper's perch.

"People privation to marque consciousness of this and they privation to find the solution that fits the crime," said Fagin, who said that portion determination are lingering questions, instrumentality enforcement made "a beauteous compelling case" against Oswald.

Larry J. Sabato, manager of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said his involvement successful the assassination dates to the lawsuit itself, erstwhile helium was a child.

"It conscionable seemed truthful fantastical that 1 precise disturbed idiosyncratic could extremity up pulling disconnected the transgression of the century," Sabato said. "But the much I studied it, the much I realized that is simply a precise possible, possibly adjacent probable successful my view, hypothesis."