US National Archives release additional John F. Kennedy assassination files

WASHINGTON

The US National Archives released thousands of additional documents Thursday on the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy, nearly six decades after he was shot dead as his motorcade passed through Dallas, Texas.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) published 12,879 new files on the assassination following an order from President Joe Biden.

NARA said on its website that it was "processing previously withheld John F. Kennedy assassination-related records to comply with" Biden's request to disclose them by Dec. 15.

"Pursuant to my direction, agencies have undertaken a comprehensive effort to review the full set of almost 16,000 records that had previously been released in redacted form and determined that more than 70 percent of those records may now be released in full," Biden wrote in the order.

"This significant disclosure reflects my Administration's commitment to transparency and will provide the American public with greater insight and understanding of the Government's investigation into this tragic event in American history."

Kennedy, the country’s 35th president, was shot and killed on Nov. 22, 1963 while riding in a motorcade in downtown Dallas.

As a result of an investigation, then-Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald, a former Marine and communist activist, acted alone in the assassination.

However, the probe drew criticism for allegedly being incomplete, and a commission was set up in Congress which later declared that Oswald’s actions could have stemmed from a conspiracy.

The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act passed in Congress in 1992 required that all documents related to his death be made public by Oct. 26, 2017 unless it harms national security or intelligence sources.

Former President Donald Trump released thousands of documents during his presidency but kept some files classified due to national security concerns.

Biden released nearly 1,500 confidential records in October 2021, while postponing the release of the most sensitive documents until Dec. 15, 2022.

The remaining records will be released by June 30, 2023, according to Biden's order.