More JFK assassination files set to be released today
CBSNov 26, 2022
The Facts
The US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) on Thursday released over 13k documents related to the 1963 assassination of former US Pres. John F. Kennedy. However, thousands more remain redacted or completely withheld, ostensibly for national security or foreign relations reasons.
The release came shortly after Pres. Joe Biden signed an executive order authorizing their disclosure. In its text, Biden cited his admin's "commitment to transparency" and desire to give Americans a better "understanding of the Government's investigation" of the assassination.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
While the release of new documents is undoubtedly of interest to historians, it's unexpected that they'll contain new bombshells that will challenge what the JFK Commission concluded years ago — that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in killing the president.
Establishment-critical narrative
By continuing to redact and hold back thousands of documents, intelligence agencies and the Biden administration are failing to abide by the letter of the law — that all of the documents are released without further censorship. Now almost 60 years after Kennedy's death, there's no reason for the continued secrecy.
Cynical narrative
Whether you're willing to entertain the idea of the CIA's involvement or not, there are certainly parts of this story that deserve more scrutiny, particularly regarding the relationship between the agency, Lee Harvey Oswald, and the man who killed Oswald, Jack Ruby. Leaders' reluctance to fully disclose the information only feeds Americans' distrust of their government and hints that there's more to the story than what has been shared.
