From the Book Depository to the Texas Theater

March 18, 2025, Final Release of Information

On March 18, 2025, the National Archives released over 63,000 pages of documents related to President John F. Kennedy’s 1963 assassination, following an executive order by President Donald Trump. This release aimed to promote transparency and address longstanding public interest in the event.​ The newly available documents offer deeper insights into the activities of U.S. intelligence agencies during the Cold War era, particularly concerning covert operations against Cuba and surveillance of individuals like Lee Harvey Oswald.  They confirm suspected deeper intelligence connections, potential CIA involvement, and Oswald’s Soviet ties.

However, these documents do not substantiate theories suggesting a conspiracy beyond Oswald’s actions. ​ Notably, the release inadvertently exposed personal information, including Social Security numbers of former congressional staffers involved in past investigations, raising concerns about privacy breaches. ​ A summary of new information from these documents indicates that in 1961, nearly 47% of political officers in U.S. embassies abroad were actually CIA intelligence agents working undercover as diplomats.

I believe the relevant documents – those which were not consistent with a lone gunman theory that also implicated the Secret Service, the CIA and even the FBI, were long ago destroyed.

No Significant New Evidence

The documents released in 2025 largely reinforce existing historical understandings of the assassination, with no significant new evidence pointing to alternative explanations. The release is supposed to underscore the U.S. government’s commitment to transparency regarding this pivotal historical event as crafted shortly after the assassination. They do not.

These documents, which were intended to be released in 1992, include over 2,000 pages that shed new light on key aspects of the investigation, particularly concerning Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby’s connections to organized crime.  However, many of these pages are the same that were previously released but the redactions have been removed (including social security numbers of parties involved in the investigation).

Key points from the records include:

1. Lee Harvey Oswald’s Activities: New details about Oswald’s actions, particularly his trip to Mexico City and a cryptic phone call he made to the Soviet embassy, which may suggest foreign support or deeper conspiracies than previously understood.
2. Jack Ruby’s Connections: Information on Ruby’s interactions with figures from organized crime, which could imply that his killing of Oswald was influenced or orchestrated by other persons controlling events rather than being a spontaneous act of patriotic rage.
3. Edgar Hoover’s Involvement: A note from Hoover emphasizing the need to convince the public that Oswald was the sole perpetrator, suggesting possible attempts by high levels of government to control the narrative surrounding the assassination.
4. Connection between Oswald and Ruby: The released information suggests a prior meeting between Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby, which adds complexity to their subsequent interactions and Ruby’s motives for killing Oswald.
5. CIA Knowledge and Inaction: The files suggest that the CIA had more information than previously disclosed and may not have acted appropriately. This aligns with broader conspiracy theories suggesting government foreknowledge or involvement in significant events but failing to act.

The “grassy knoll.”

Oswald’s Location