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National Archives Release Files on John F. Kennedy’s Assassination National Archives Release Files on John F. Kennedy’s Assassination
(about 1 hour later)
• The federal government just released thousands of documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.• The federal government just released thousands of documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.
• The papers were posted online by the National Archives in compliance with a 1992 law requiring their release after 25 years.• The papers were posted online by the National Archives in compliance with a 1992 law requiring their release after 25 years.
• After a chaotic last-minute review in which intelligence agencies lobbied against full disclosure, the White House said it would take more time to process and release thousands more documents that were also supposed to be made public. It set a deadline of late April for the release of those documents.• After a chaotic last-minute review in which intelligence agencies lobbied against full disclosure, the White House said it would take more time to process and release thousands more documents that were also supposed to be made public. It set a deadline of late April for the release of those documents.
The papers were being posted online by the National Archives and Records Administration in compliance with a 1992 law requiring their release after 25 years. But President Trump agreed to postpone the release of thousands more files that were supposed to be made public, pending a review that should end on April 26.The papers were being posted online by the National Archives and Records Administration in compliance with a 1992 law requiring their release after 25 years. But President Trump agreed to postpone the release of thousands more files that were supposed to be made public, pending a review that should end on April 26.
From Mr. Trump’s memorandum:From Mr. Trump’s memorandum:
The decision to postpone the release of some documents will invariably lead to suspicions that the government is still protecting secrets about the case. Administration officials said there was no cover-up, just an effort to avoid compromising national security, law enforcement or intelligence gathering methods.The decision to postpone the release of some documents will invariably lead to suspicions that the government is still protecting secrets about the case. Administration officials said there was no cover-up, just an effort to avoid compromising national security, law enforcement or intelligence gathering methods.
Larry J. Sabato, the founder and director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, and a team of researchers were reviewing the files on Thursday night. He sent a report of what they had found so far:
As expected, these incomplete raw files are, often, a mess. Handwritten notes from the C.I.A. and others are often illegible. It will take an enormous amount of work and lots of time to put this together. Think of this as an unassembled million-piece puzzle.
Since the good stuff has mainly been withheld for now — or forever — we are primarily looking for obscure clues and shiny objects. Here, the files do not disappoint. In no particular order, our research team at the University of Virginia found these intriguing documents:
• Mexico was a cooperative partner with the United States in many ways — from helping to wiretap the Soviet and Cuban Embassies well prior to the assassination, to thorough attempts to investigate Lee Harvey Oswald’s ties in the country after Kennedy’s murder. Sources told the C.I.A. that Oswald had deposited $5,000 in a Mexican bank. In a document dated March 9, 1964, Mexico was reported to have traced all deposits in Mexican banks, looking for the money. They found no such Oswald transaction.
• The F.B.I. closely monitored the activities of attorney and conspiracy advocate Mark Lane, who was representing Marguerite Oswald, mother of Lee. According to an F.B.I. source, a bizarre meeting Mr. Lane had with a Polish journalist in January 1964 saw wild conspiracy theories tossed around, including a ridiculous claim in a far-right Italian newspaper that J.D. Tippit, the Dallas policeman killed by Oswald shortly after Oswald shot Kennedy, was the real presidential assassin — and that Jack Ruby had killed Mr. Tippit.
• A C.I.A. document alleges that Oswald may have been accompanied on his mysterious September 1963 trip to Mexico City by “El Mexicano.” According to another document, “El Mexicano” is believed to have been Francisco Rodriguez Tamayo, the captain of Cuban Rebel Army 57 until he defected to the United States in June of 1959. A third file also identifies Rodriguez Tamayo as the head of the anti-Castro Training Camp at Pontchartrain, La.
No doubt there are thousands of tantalizing tidbits. But are they true? How do they augment our current knowledge, if at all? Do they somehow help us to answer the larger questions about the assassination? These are questions we should ask as we examine this treasure trove.
— Larry J. Sabato
Dr. Sabato is the author or editor of two dozen books on American politics. Dr. Sabato was the editor and lead author of the recent book “Trumped,” which explores the 2016 election.
Some of the long-withheld documents convey some of the drama and chaos of the days immediately after the murder of the president. Among them is a memo apparently dictated by J. Edgar Hoover, the F.B.I. director, on Nov. 24, 1963, shortly after Jack Ruby fatally shot Lee Harvey Oswald as Oswald was moved from one jail to another.Some of the long-withheld documents convey some of the drama and chaos of the days immediately after the murder of the president. Among them is a memo apparently dictated by J. Edgar Hoover, the F.B.I. director, on Nov. 24, 1963, shortly after Jack Ruby fatally shot Lee Harvey Oswald as Oswald was moved from one jail to another.
“There is nothing further on the Oswald case except that he is dead,” the memo begins laconically before reciting the day’s events.“There is nothing further on the Oswald case except that he is dead,” the memo begins laconically before reciting the day’s events.
Referring to Nicholas Katzenbach, then the deputy attorney general, Mr. Hoover expresses anxiety that the killing of the suspected assassin may spur undesirable doubts among Americans.Referring to Nicholas Katzenbach, then the deputy attorney general, Mr. Hoover expresses anxiety that the killing of the suspected assassin may spur undesirable doubts among Americans.
“The thing I am concerned about, and so is Mr. Katzenbach, is having something issued so that we can convince the public that Oswald is the real assassin,” Mr. Hoover says. The F.B.I. director discussed his agents’ early findings — a call Oswald had made to the Cuban Embassy in Mexico City and a letter he had sent to the Soviet Embassy in Washington — and says they could “complicate our foreign relations.”“The thing I am concerned about, and so is Mr. Katzenbach, is having something issued so that we can convince the public that Oswald is the real assassin,” Mr. Hoover says. The F.B.I. director discussed his agents’ early findings — a call Oswald had made to the Cuban Embassy in Mexico City and a letter he had sent to the Soviet Embassy in Washington — and says they could “complicate our foreign relations.”
Mr. Hoover calls the killing of Oswald “inexcusable” in light of “our warnings to the Dallas Police Department” and hints at Ruby’s mob connections, which would soon spawn an industry of research and speculation: “We have no information on Ruby that is firm, although there are some rumors of underworld activity in Chicago.”Mr. Hoover calls the killing of Oswald “inexcusable” in light of “our warnings to the Dallas Police Department” and hints at Ruby’s mob connections, which would soon spawn an industry of research and speculation: “We have no information on Ruby that is firm, although there are some rumors of underworld activity in Chicago.”
— Scott Shane— Scott Shane
Paging through the documents on Thursday night was a little like exploring a box of random documents found in an attic. There are fuzzy images of C.I.A. surveillance photos from the early 1960s; a log from December 1963 of visitors, including a C.I.A. officer, to President Lyndon B. Johnson’s ranch in Texas; and a White House memo from 1965 discussing how the F.B.I. and the Secret Service should collaborate on presidential protection.Paging through the documents on Thursday night was a little like exploring a box of random documents found in an attic. There are fuzzy images of C.I.A. surveillance photos from the early 1960s; a log from December 1963 of visitors, including a C.I.A. officer, to President Lyndon B. Johnson’s ranch in Texas; and a White House memo from 1965 discussing how the F.B.I. and the Secret Service should collaborate on presidential protection.
An April 1964 F.B.I. cable recounts Oswald’s bus trip to Mexico in October 1963, including the names of the people sitting around him and his clothing: “a short-sleeved light colored sport shirt and no coat.” From the 1970s, there are reports on interviews conducted by the House Select Committee on Assassinations with retired F.B.I. agents. The agents had interviewed mobsters with C.I.A. ties and Cuban exiles in Florida who might have encountered Oswald.An April 1964 F.B.I. cable recounts Oswald’s bus trip to Mexico in October 1963, including the names of the people sitting around him and his clothing: “a short-sleeved light colored sport shirt and no coat.” From the 1970s, there are reports on interviews conducted by the House Select Committee on Assassinations with retired F.B.I. agents. The agents had interviewed mobsters with C.I.A. ties and Cuban exiles in Florida who might have encountered Oswald.
— Scott Shane— Scott Shane
Mr. Hoover sent a memo to the White House more than three years after the assassination. The cover letter indicates that the memo was a summary of information in the F.B.I.’s files about how the Soviet government responded to Kennedy’s death. Mr. Hoover sent a memo to the White House more than three years after the assassination summarizing information in the F.B.I.’s files about how the Soviet government responded to Kennedy’s death.
One passage of the memo notes that Johnson was considered virtually unknown to the Soviet leaders, and that their intelligence agencies suspected his involvement in the assassination:
The memo, which Mr. Hoover notes was not “furnished to the Acting Attorney General,” Ramsey Clark, opens by saying that the news was met with “shock and consternation” and that church bells tolled in the president’s memory.The memo, which Mr. Hoover notes was not “furnished to the Acting Attorney General,” Ramsey Clark, opens by saying that the news was met with “shock and consternation” and that church bells tolled in the president’s memory.
The intelligence, some of which was gathered by a source who was inside Russia when Kennedy was assassinated, details how Communist Party leaders believed the killing was part of an “ultraright” conspiracy to “effect a ‘coup.’” Soviet officials also claimed not to have a connection with Oswald.The intelligence, some of which was gathered by a source who was inside Russia when Kennedy was assassinated, details how Communist Party leaders believed the killing was part of an “ultraright” conspiracy to “effect a ‘coup.’” Soviet officials also claimed not to have a connection with Oswald.
In the days after the assassination, according to the memo, the K.G.B. focused its attention on gathering information about the new president, Johnson, who “was practically unknown to the Soviet Government.”In the days after the assassination, according to the memo, the K.G.B. focused its attention on gathering information about the new president, Johnson, who “was practically unknown to the Soviet Government.”
— Mikayla Bouchard— Mikayla Bouchard
As a new trove of documents about the killing is released, Peter Baker of The New York Times walks us through who’s who in this American tragedy.As a new trove of documents about the killing is released, Peter Baker of The New York Times walks us through who’s who in this American tragedy.
Few seem as excited about the release of the final batch of secret documents as the current occupant of the Oval Office.Few seem as excited about the release of the final batch of secret documents as the current occupant of the Oval Office.
Surely, then, it was just a coincidence that Mr. Trump posted that message while on Air Force One heading to, of all places, Dallas. Or was it? Fifty-three years and 11 months after the event that gave rise to a thousand conspiracy theories, the president even landed at Dallas Love Field Airport, where Kennedy’s body was brought for the final flight home, and his motorcade came within a few miles of Dealey Plaza, where the fateful shots rang out.Surely, then, it was just a coincidence that Mr. Trump posted that message while on Air Force One heading to, of all places, Dallas. Or was it? Fifty-three years and 11 months after the event that gave rise to a thousand conspiracy theories, the president even landed at Dallas Love Field Airport, where Kennedy’s body was brought for the final flight home, and his motorcade came within a few miles of Dealey Plaza, where the fateful shots rang out.
Somehow it feels only appropriate that the remaining papers from one of history’s most infamous mysteries would be made public by the administration of a president who dabbles in conspiracy theories himself. After all, it was Mr. Trump who during last year’s campaign suggested that the father of his Republican rival, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, was somehow involved in the Kennedy assassination. And one of his longtime advisers, Roger J. Stone Jr., wrote a book blaming the killing on Lyndon B. Johnson. Read more »Somehow it feels only appropriate that the remaining papers from one of history’s most infamous mysteries would be made public by the administration of a president who dabbles in conspiracy theories himself. After all, it was Mr. Trump who during last year’s campaign suggested that the father of his Republican rival, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, was somehow involved in the Kennedy assassination. And one of his longtime advisers, Roger J. Stone Jr., wrote a book blaming the killing on Lyndon B. Johnson. Read more »
While it will take some time to sort through the documents, several historians said they did not expect stunning revelations.
“I don’t think it will turn the case on its head,” said Mr. Posner, author of “Case Closed,” the 1993 book that concluded that Oswald indeed killed Kennedy on his own.
“We’re not going to find some secret memo from J. Edgar Hoover drawing out the escape path for Lee Harvey Oswald,” he said. “The public expectations are very high — they’ve heard about secret files, they know they’ve been locked up for all these years. The average person may think there’s a bombshell in there.”
Jefferson Morley, an author who spent years suing the C.I.A. for documents related to the Kennedy assassination, said he hoped the documents would answer some questions for researchers that linger after nearly 54 years.
“There won’t be any smoking gun,” said Mr. Morley, editor of the assassination website JFKfacts.org, who re-examined the period for his new book, “The Ghost: The Secret Life of C.I.A. Spymaster James Jesus Angleton.” “But it will fill in the picture of the pre-assassination surveillance of Oswald,” especially during his visit to the Cuban Consulate in Mexico City.
Max Holland, a Washington writer and author of the 2004 book “The Kennedy Assassination Tapes,” said he believed expectations about potential revelations from the files were overblown.
He noted that while the documents have not been previously made public, they all were seen years ago by the J.F.K. Assassination Records Review Board and were unlikely to significantly affect the official story. He cautioned against conspiratorial thinking that runs against the evidence, which he finds persuasive, that Oswald alone killed Kennedy.
“I can understand why people are curious,” Mr. Holland said. “But the level of distrust in this country is such that people will believe anything. The problem is really with us.”
— Peter Baker and Scott Shane
The granddaddy of all conspiracy theories has re-emerged in the American psyche with the release of the National Archives’s final trove of records about the assassination.The granddaddy of all conspiracy theories has re-emerged in the American psyche with the release of the National Archives’s final trove of records about the assassination.
Kennedy’s death and the numerous investigations that followed were simultaneously some of the most secretive and public events in modern history.Kennedy’s death and the numerous investigations that followed were simultaneously some of the most secretive and public events in modern history.
Government agencies, Hollywood big shots and amateur sleuths have floated theories of what happened to Kennedy: a plot by Cold War adversaries like Cuba and the Soviet Union, an elaborate mafia-backed hit, a covert federal government coup. And it’s been going on for over 50 years. Read more »Government agencies, Hollywood big shots and amateur sleuths have floated theories of what happened to Kennedy: a plot by Cold War adversaries like Cuba and the Soviet Union, an elaborate mafia-backed hit, a covert federal government coup. And it’s been going on for over 50 years. Read more »
As the longtime government explanation goes: Kennedy was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963, by a lone gunman, Oswald. Oswald fired three bullets from a nearby building, striking Kennedy and Gov. John Connally of Texas.As the longtime government explanation goes: Kennedy was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963, by a lone gunman, Oswald. Oswald fired three bullets from a nearby building, striking Kennedy and Gov. John Connally of Texas.
But much of the public has never fully bought that explanation. The trove of files released on Thursday, which the federal government had long fought to keep from public view, may address some of the conspiracy theories that have lingered for decades.But much of the public has never fully bought that explanation. The trove of files released on Thursday, which the federal government had long fought to keep from public view, may address some of the conspiracy theories that have lingered for decades.
As you dive into the documents or read news coverage, refresh your memory on some of the people, theories and other aspects of the assassination. Read more »As you dive into the documents or read news coverage, refresh your memory on some of the people, theories and other aspects of the assassination. Read more »