Declassification of Records Concerning the Assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Headline: Requires Release of Federal Records on Three Major Assassinations
What it does: Agencies must present plans to the President to release federal records on President John F. Kennedy within 15 days, and on Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. within 45 days.
- Leads to public release of previously withheld federal records about the three assassinations.
- Creates firm deadlines for agency plans: 15 days and 45 days respectively.
- May require agencies to re-review and remove remaining redactions from records.
Summary
This order directs the release of all federal records about the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It finds that continued redactions for President Kennedy are no longer consistent with the public interest and decides the other two sets of records should also be released.
The Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General must deliver plans to the President for full release—15 days for President Kennedy, 45 days for the other two—working with presidential advisers. The order aims to give families and the public transparency and truth.
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