Today, the National Archives released 2,891 records related to the JFK assassination that were previously withheld. But this is far short of what was expected to be released, which included 3,100 files never before released, along with 30,000 pages of previously redacted files. Now WikiLeaks is offering a $100,000 reward for the files that are still being held back.
The National Archives announced that President Donald Trump ordered the release of all the remaining Section 5 records and a “more precise review for remaining redactions within six months.” So, although the Section 5 records will be “released,” they won’t all be released in full.
The National Archives stated:
The President has also ordered that all remaining records governed by section 5 of the JFK Act be released, and thus additional records will be released subject to redactions recommended by the executive offices and agencies. NARA will process these records for release as soon as possible on a rolling basis.
Based on requests from executive offices and agencies the President has allowed the temporary withholding of certain information that would harm national security, law enforcement, or foreign affairs. The President also ordered agencies to re-review their proposed redactions and only redact information in the rarest of circumstances where its withholding “is made necessary by an identifiable harm to military defense, intelligence operations, law enforcement, or conduct of foreign relations; and the identifiable harm is of such gravity that it outweighs the public interest in disclosure.” These instructions will allow the National Archives to release as much information as possible by the end of the temporary certification period on April 26, 2018.
In response, WikiLeaks is offering a reward for the files that are still held back. More specifically, they will issue a $100,000 reward for any withheld JFK documents that “show violations of law, inefficiency, or administrative error.”
Julian Assange stated on Twitter that the delay is inexcusable, since the agencies had 25 years to prepare for this release.
JFK’s assassination has been the subject of many conspiracy theories, some centered around the CIA itself. A popular quote from JFK reads: “I will splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it into the winds.” The New York Times affirmed the authenticity of that quote in a 1966 article, stating that JFK said the quote to one of the highest officials in his administration. The person who told the NYT about the quote was an anonymous source.
Read more about the JFK files below: