Donald Trump orders the publication of secret files on the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King

In the final hours of this Thursday, January 23, the president of the United States signed an executive order that gives the green light to the declassification and publication of the “top secret” files on the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

“Their families and the American people deserve transparency and truth. “It is in the national interest that all records related to these murders are finally published, without delay,” reads the executive order signed by Trump.

The North American president stressed that “the continued concealment of information” from the files related to the assassination of John F. Kennedy “is not consistent with the public interest.” “The publication of these records has been a long time coming”he added.

Within 15 days, the Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General must “present a plan to the President for the full and complete disclosure of records related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.”

Likewise, the executive order urges the aforementioned relevant authorities to present a plan within 45 days for full disclosure of records on the murders by Robert F. Kennedy and the Reverend Martin Luther King.

“Although no law of Congress governs the release of information relating to the assassinations of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and the Reverend Martin Luther King, I have determined that publication (…) is in the public interest,” he added.

Lawyer and Senator Robert F. Kennedy was shot in the kitchen of a Los Angeles hotel during a campaign event to celebrate the victory in the Democratic Party primary elections in the race for the Presidency of the United States in 1968.

The death of the 42-year-old senator from New York occurred less than five years after the assassination of his brother, President John F. Kennedy, at age 46 on November 22, 1963 in the city of Dallas, in Texas.

For his part, the American civil rights activist Martin Luther King, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, He was assassinated on April 4, 1968 while preparing a demonstration in support of the Memphis black garbage workers union.

According to media in the United States, the reason why these files have been kept secret as some of the information could expose human sources or intelligence methods that are still considered sensitive, even years later.

In recent years, particularly in 2021 and 2022, the United States declassified more documents regarding the JFK assassination. However, some still remain under reservation.

The Biden administration cited the need to carefully review the documents to ensure that there are no risks associated with its publication.

The Warren Commission, which investigated the assassination, concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. However, many conspiracy theories suggest otherwise.

*With information from Europa Press.