_ Today (Thursday) the National Archives are expected to release thousands of files containing tens or hundreds of thousands of unredacted documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Donald Trump, who has the power to postpone the release of any of the documents for military, intelligence, law enforcement, or diplomatic reasons, has said that he will allow them to be released on schedule. Here’s what you need to know.
… The Files Are Required To Be Released By A 1992 Law: After Oliver Stone released his conspiracy-theory-inspired film “JFK” in 1991, Congress passed a law requiring the National Archives to release all government documents related to the Kennedy assassination by October 26, 2017. Over the years, the National Archives has released most of the documents, either in full or partially redacted. But one final batch remains, and only the president has the authority to extend the papers’ secrecy past the deadline.
… Trump Is Reportedly Under Pressure From The CIA To Block Part Of The Release: A congressional official who has been closely monitoring the issue, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Trump had been under pressure from the CIA to block the release of some of the assassination documents on national security grounds, possibly to protect CIA tradecraft and the identity of agency informants who might still be alive.
… Trump Tweeted — With A Caveat — That He Will Release The Files: On Sunday, Trump announced on Twitter that he will not block the release of the files “subject to the receipt of further information.”
… The Files Are Not Expected To Contain Any Bombshells: JFK assassination experts say that the files probably don’t contain any information that will challenge the consensus conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in killing JFK. However, they might contain information about a trip to Mexico that Oswald took not long before the assassination. Many [of the files] are known to involve a mysterious chapter in the history of the assassination — a six-day trip that JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald paid to Mexico City several weeks before the president’s murder, in which Oswald met with Cuban and Soviet spies and came under intensive surveillance by the CIA’s Mexico City station. Previously released FBI documents suggest that Oswald spoke openly in Mexico about his intention to kill Kennedy.