The truth behind November 22nd, 1963, the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated has always been a controversial topic and surrounded with conspiracy theories. In 1992, Congress declared that all government records involving the Kennedy assassination should be made available to the public. However, part of the JFK Records Act of 1992 is that the release of these documents can be postponed if they would cause harm to the military, intelligence, law enforcement or foreign operations.
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 the White House announced that the National Archives and Records Administration stated they need more time to discuss with government agencies to see how much more information can be released. In October 2017, 2,800 files were released to the public with new information on Lee Harvey Oswald, Cuba, KBG, and LBJ conspiracies, which can be found here. However, White House has now decided that the recordings will be released on December 15th, 2022, even though they were supposed to be released October 2021. Former President Trump previously pledged to release all documents, until in 2018 when he believed it would cause issues for national security.
The Ramifications
This decision has outraged many people including Jefferson Morley, the editor of JFKFacts.org. In 2003, Morley even sued the CIA, pressuring them to produce records about spy George Joannides, who worked with the group associated with Oswald and then aided the committee that tried to investigate that killing. Morley was also furious with the postponement of the record release, believing that the White House is working to avoid the law and to keep secrets. Morley represents a large majority of Americans who want to know the truth behind one of America’s darkest days and its great effect on the American psyche.
In terms of the people who were not alive at the time of the assination, they may have been witness to the all movement stopped across the fifty states when the bullet ripped through the air, but they have heard the backfire. When learning about President Kennedy’s assassination, their is always a lingering of distrust and unwavering suspicion of the truth behind the Presidents death. Hence, it is crucial that we are able to trust our government by understanding one of the tragedies in American history.
Conspiracies
While the release of these records may seem insignificant in comparison to other issues at large, the questions surrounding the assassination have plagued Americans for generations. It is no secret that there was a strong possibility that the assassination was an inside job done with the help of either the Mafia, Federal Government, or CIA, all of which JFK had made enemies out of. As of November 2013, 61% of Americans believed that the job was not just done by Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged man who shot President Kennedy from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository. Now, almost 60 years since the assassination, a plethora of conspiracies exist about what happened on November 22nd, 1963. Including, that there was a second shooter at the grassy knoll and even the idea that Texas Senator Ted Cruz’s father was somehow involved.
Due to the vast number of theories, people are anxious to know more information about what happened on that dark day in history. While this may seem like irreverent in the grand scheme of things, the American people have a right to know the truth behind the assassination of one of their most beloved presidents. The United States Government has a responsibility to disclose all related information to the assassination under the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992. This is crucial for the American public to not only know the truth behind November 22nd, but for them to be able to trust the U.S. Government and have faith that they keep their word.