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On October 21st, U.S. President Donald Trump announced he is releasing the remaining classified John F. Kennedy files.
Subject to the receipt of further information, I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 21, 2017
More than 3,000 classified files have yet to be released to the public, but critics are wondering if Trump will attempt to withhold some of the documents.
However, the U.S. Government is required by the Assassination Records Review Board (ARRB) to release all of the remaining classified JFK files by October 26th, 2017.
All the U.S. government records relating to the 1963 assassination of JFK are currently held at the National Archives Research Administration Archives II building in College Park, Maryland.
In 1992, the ARRB, an agency independent of the U.S. government, passed a bill known as the JFK Records Act of 1992.
The Act stated that all of the remaining classified JFK assassination files, must be released to the public within 25 years of the Act.
The National Archives started releasing files in July, 2017, but the remaining, 3000+ files must be released by October 26th, 2017.
The only exceptions are if the President deems that the release of the files could harm military defense, intelligence operations, law enforcement or conduct of foreign relations. The second exception is if the identifiable harm is found to outweigh the public interest.
The collection holds any materials that provided support in connection with the federal inquiry into the assassination.
#OTD in 1963 #JFK signed the ratified Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, prohibiting nuclear tests under water, in the atmosphere or in space. pic.twitter.com/OeFEgvspdW
— TheSixthFloorMuseum (@SixthFlrMuseum) October 7, 2017
JFK experts are curious if the final released files will determine the motive for Lee Harvey Oswald killing Kennedy as well as Jack Ruby's motive for killing Oswald.
The National Archives have not said yet whether any agencies have appealed the release of the documents.
With the release of the final information, the Act does not allow a new investigation to take place.
The president was expected to open the files. But all of the files -- in full? https://t.co/chnZx5fVHl
— philipshenon (@philipshenon) October 21, 2017
The purpose of the 1992 JFK Records Act was to restore the public's trust in the U.S. government.
During a meeting on the Act, Senator John Glenn said, "This Bill is a result of a climate of suspicion and and distrust."
Numerous movies were made and books published, with various plots around JFK's assassination. Oliver Stone's 1991 film, JFK was credited for aiding in the release of the files.
"Disclosure of this information is the only reliable way to maintain the public trust and dispel distrust," stated Senator Glenn.
The ARRB spent four years determining if the assassination records were too sensitive to release to the public and completed the report in 1998.
A Letter of Transmittal was sent to President Clinton stating the reasons why the records should be released:
"We have done so in the hope that release of these records will shed new evidentiary light on the assassination of President Kennedy, enrich the historical understanding of that tragic moment in American history, and help restore public confidence in the government's handling of the assassination and its aftermath."
The final release of the records will be reviewed in a moderated discussion by Larry Sabato from the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, and Philip Shenon, former New York Times reporter and author of, A Cruel and Shocking Act.
The discussion called, "What Has The Government Been Hiding? 54 Years of Secrets & The Release of The JFK Records," takes place at the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza on November 18th, 2017.
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