US President Donald Trump on Monday (Mar 17) announced that his administration will release the long-awaited JFK files on the assassination of former president John F Kennedy, promising full transparency by making 80,000 unredacted pages public.

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President John F Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963, while riding in an open-top limousine alongside First Lady Jackie Kennedy. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the crime, but speculation about the involvement of other people—including intelligence agencies—has fuelled decades of conspiracy theories.

While visiting the Kennedy Center in Washington DC on Monday, Trump reiterated his commitment to the release, telling reporters: "While we're here, I thought it would be appropriate— we are, tomorrow, announcing and giving all of the Kennedy files."

"So, people have been waiting for decades for this, and I've instructed my people… lots of different people, Tulsi Gabbard, that they must be released tomorrow."

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Also read | FBI 'discovers' 2,400 hidden JFK assassination files 61 years after his killing

"Man of my word"

Announcing the imminent declassification, Trump said that people have a lot of reading to do and that his administration might not redact any information from the much-awaited complete JFK files.

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"You got a lot of reading. I don't believe we are going to redact anything...it's going to be very interesting...approximately 80,000 pages," he said.

"I said during the campaign I’d do it, and I'm a man of my word," added Trump.

When asked if he had personally reviewed the files, Trump said he has "heard about them," but said "I'm not doing summaries, you'll write your own summary."

Also read | Trump orders 'full and complete release' of JFK assassination files: 'Everything will be revealed'

Trump has long promised that he would declassify the John F Kennedy Assassination files documents, claiming it is in the "national interest" to bring transparency and closure to one of America's most scrutinised assassinations. 

Also read | 'Nothing heroic about it': JFK's grandson slams Trump's decision to declassify assassination records

Shortly after taking office in January 2025, he ordered officials to begin the process, saying, "A lot of people are waiting for this for long, for years, for decades - and everything will be revealed."

A historic moment for transparency in America

While the majority of JFK assassination-related documents have already been released over the years, thousands remain classified, even after more than 60 years. Trump's decision to release the files marks a dramatic step in fulfilling a campaign promise of "full disclosure."

His order, signed on January 23, stated: "More than 50 years after the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Federal Government has not released to the public all of its records related to those events.

"Their families and the American people deserve transparency and truth. It is in the national interest to finally release all records related to these assassinations without delay."

(With inputs from agencies)