New trove of John F. Kennedy assassination files made public

The US National Archives have now released a 97 per cent of the records, but some have been held back over national security concerns

The 1963 shooting continues to be the subject of numerous conspiracy theories, despite an investigation concluding that gunman Lee Harvey Oswald had acted alone

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A student walks past a copy of Aaron Shikler’s official portrait of US President John F. Kennedy during an exhibit at the Newseum in Washington in April 2013. Photo: AFP

Published: 5:51am, 16 Dec 2022Updated: 5:58am, 16 Dec 2022

A new trove of files related to the November 1963 assassination of US president John F. Kennedy was released Thursday, but the White House held some documents back, citing national security concerns.

The National Archives said a total of 12,879 documents had been made public in the latest release. It said that 97 per cent of the records, which total around 5 million pages, held by the archives have now been released.

US President Joe Biden said in a memorandum that a “limited” number of documents would continue to be held back at the request of unspecified “agencies”. Previous requests to withhold documents have come from the Central Intelligence Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“Temporary continued postponement of public disclosure of such information is necessary to protect against an identifiable harm to the military defence, intelligence operations, law enforcement, or the conduct of foreign relations,” Biden said.

US President John F. Kennedy (centre) and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy (right) are pictured riding in the presidential motorcade moments before Kennedy was shot in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. Victor Hugo King/Library of Congress via Reuters

The Warren Commission which investigated the shooting of the charismatic 46-year-old president determined that it was carried out by a former Marine sharpshooter, Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone.