During an interview aboard Air Force One, Donald Trump expressed his belief in Lee Harvey Oswald being the sole perpetrator of JFK’s assassination but also raised the question of potential assistance to Oswald. The Justice Department maintains Oswald acted alone, shooting President Kennedy from the Texas School Book Depository in 1963. Oswald himself claimed involvement of others, referring to himself as a “patsy” before his death. Theories surrounding the assassination include mafia, CIA, Fidel Castro, and Soviet Union implications.
Recent government document releases revealed more about US espionage than insights into Kennedy’s killing. The National Archives shared over 63,000 pages of records online, previously containing redacted CIA sources and covert operation details from the 1960s. The event, where Kennedy was shot in Dallas, led to Oswald’s arrest and subsequent murder by Jack Ruby.
The disclosure of new files reignited conspiracy theories, though scholars reiterate Oswald likely acted alone. The National Archives holds over six million related records, with some 2,200 files now available online. Efforts to declassify remaining documents related to Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassinations continue.
Critics described the rushed release as lacking organization, leading to a random search for unreleased information. Larry Sabato, from the University of Virginia, criticized the process, highlighting the need for a more thorough review of the documents.