National Archives releases records on JFK assassination

The National Archives on Thursday released thousands of documents on the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy following an order from President Joe Biden.

Congress passed a measure in 1992 to require the release of all government records on the event by October of 2017, though both Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden extended that timeline, according to The Hill. Thousands of documents, however, were granted exceptions on the grounds they contained information that would compromise security upon release.

In his Thursday order, Biden acknowledged that roughly 16,000 documents remained redacted but that he would authorize the release of 12,879 of them. He further set a May 1, 2023 deadline for either federal agencies or the National Archives to make recommendations on keeping them from the public.

Kennedy died in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963, after former U.S. Marine Lee Harvey Oswald fired a rifle from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository while Kennedy was riding in an open-top convertible during a parade.

Oswald later killed police officer J.D. Tippit while attempting to evade capture. He was arrested and charged with Kennedy's death, but denied responsibility. Nightclub owner Jack Ruby killed him two days later and was then arrested and convicted of the murder.

Numerous conspiracy theories persist surrounding the actions of both men, with some pointing to Ruby's alleged connections to organized crime and alleging a greater conspiracy to assassinate Kennedy. Many such theories have permeated popular culture and earned references in mainstream titles such as the sitcom Seinfeld and the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops.