President Donald Trump has just signed an Executive Order to declassify files pertaining to three of the most controversial and impactful assassinations of the 20th century - President John F. Kennedy, his brother, Senator Robert F.Kennedy, and civil rights leader the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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Trump pledged to do so during the presidential campaign last year and he has now followed through. All three assassinations have been shrouded in knotty conspiracy theories for years. Perhaps the release of these documents will dispel some of the layers of false or questionable information surrounding these headline-making cases. These slayings shocked America and defined the 1960s.
Per Fox News, "'Everything will be revealed,' Trump told reporters as he signed the order in the Oval Office of the White House."
President Trump Said That Releasing These Long-Secret Files Is 'In The Public Interest'
Per the outlet, President Trump's order notes, "I have now determined that the continued redaction and withholding of information from records pertaining to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy is not consistent with the public interest and the release of these records is long overdue. And although no Act of Congress directs the release of information pertaining to the assassinations of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I have determined that the release of all records in the Federal Government's possession pertaining to each of those assassinations is also in the public interest."
The Executive Order Paving The Way For The Documents' Release Sets A Timetable For The Process To Begin
Per whitehouse.gov, the Executive Order that President Trump signed stipulates that "Within 15 days of the date of this order, the Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General shall, in coordination with the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and the Counsel to the President, present a plan to the President for the full and complete release of records relating to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy."
Also, "Within 45 days of the date of this order, the Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General shall, in coordination with the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and the Counsel to the President, review records related to the assassinations of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and present a plan to the President for the full and complete release of these records."
These Three Assassinations Stunned The Nation And The World
President John F. Kennedy, 46, was slain in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. His alleged assailant was Lee Harvey Oswald. Just two days later, Oswald himself was shot to death by Jack Ruby in the Dallas County Jail.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 39, was killed on April 4, 1968 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. His assassin, James Earl Ray, died thirty years later in prison. He had been given a 99-year sentence for the murder.
Senator Robert F. Kennedy, 42, died on June 6, 1968. He was mortally shot the night before, moments after giving a victory speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California. He had won that state's presidential primary. Kennedy's assassin, Sirhan Sirhan, is still serving a life sentence for the crime.
