On the evening of March 18, 2025, the National Archives began posting tens of thousands of pages of previously withheld records on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The release followed an executive order President Trump signed on January 23, 2025, which also called for files on the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.

The first night came in two waves totaling more than 60,000 pages. More batches followed on March 20, March 26 and April 3, for about 80,000 pages overall. ABC News reported that meeting the president’s deadline set off an all-night scramble at the Justice Department.

Most of the records had been public before in redacted form. This time they came out unredacted. Researchers called it the most significant JFK declassification since the 1990s, but quickly noted gaps. Jefferson Morley of the Mary Ferrell Foundation said the first night covered only about a third of the redacted documents researchers had been tracking. It also left out more than 500 IRS records and roughly 2,400 FBI files the bureau had only recently found. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said records under court seal or grand jury secrecy still had to be unsealed.

Scholars said early on that a smoking gun was unlikely. The release also exposed Social Security numbers of some living former congressional staffers.