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Historians and history buffs are reigniting their hunt to uncover the full story behind former US president John F Kennedy’s demise as the Trump administration released thousands of government files relating to the seismic assassination on Tuesday evening, reports Cape {town} Etc.

Approximately 2 200 files consisting of more than 63 000 records – many now free of redactions – were posted on the US National Archives and Records Administration website. Researchers had initially estimated that between 3 000 and 3 500 files remained partially or fully unreleased, with the FBI last month identifying 2 400 more, reported AP News.

The digital documents, including PDFs of previously classified memos, according to Reuters, depict the general climate of fear that encompassed the time surrounding US relations with the Soviet Union shortly after the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 nearly led to a nuclear war.

The publication also added that many of the documents reflected investigation reports regarding assassin Lee Harvey Oswald’s time in the Soviet Union as well as records of his movements in the months leading up to Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas on 22 November 1963.

While the treasure trove is set to keep scholars and historians sifting through documents for months, scholars who reviewed the release thus far reported little to no deviation from the central narrative of Oswald as the sole assassin – a narrative which has long sparked debate and a myriad of conspiracy theories.

After signing the order shortly after taking office in January, Trump had announced the release while visiting the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts on Monday, promising that around 80 000 pages would be made available to the public.

The documents’ release seeks to honour Trump’s campaign promise to provide more transparency with records of the shocking event in Texas as well as the killings of former US Senator Robert F Kennedy and civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.

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Picture: @nicksortor / X

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