The Trump administration has declassified over 2,000 documents related to the assassination of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, reigniting speculation about one of the most controversial political murders in history. Despite official reports stating that JFK’s killer, Lee Harvey Oswald, acted alone, the newly released files have stirred fresh debate over possible intelligence cover-ups and Cold War espionage.
Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963, by Oswald, a former U.S. Marine, who allegedly shot him from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository. However, Oswald never stood trial, he was gunned down two days later by nightclub owner Jack Ruby in an event that only deepened public suspicion. In response to the assassination, President Lyndon B. Johnson set up the Warren Commission, which concluded in 1964 that Oswald acted alone, dismissing any larger conspiracy. Yet, a 2023 Gallup poll revealed that 65% of Americans still reject this conclusion, believing that something far more sinister was at play.
While the latest document release does not contradict the official narrative, it does offer insight into Cold War intelligence tactics and Oswald’s movements before the assassination. Intelligence reports confirm that before assassinating Kennedy, Oswald visited both the Soviet and Cuban embassies in Mexico City. A declassified report mentions a KGB agent named Nikonov, who reviewed Oswald’s file to assess whether he was ever a Soviet operative. Oswald had previously defected to the Soviet Union in 1959, renouncing his U.S. citizenship, only to return to America in 1962.
Some experts argue that the timing of this release is politically motivated, as U.S. authorities attempt to close the case on JFK’s assassination once and for all. Despite the new revelations, scholars like Marc Selverstone, a professor of presidential studies at the University of Virginia, remain unconvinced that these documents provide evidence of a larger conspiracy.
“I didn’t really see anything to change the narrative indicating that Oswald acted alone,” Selverstone told Al Jazeera.
But with the majority of Americans still skeptical of the official explanation, the question remains: Was JFK’s assassination truly the work of a lone gunman, or is there a deeper cover-up that has lasted six decades?
Stay tuned to Mbaitu FM for more updates on this developing story.
