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U.S. NEWS Thursday 26 OcTOber 2017

AP Explains: What could be in the long-secret JFK files?

By ALANNA RICHER stop any of the documents two days after Kennedy’s led the independent board are related to Oswald’s
Associated Press from becoming public and assassination when the sus- that reviewed and released mysterious six-day trip to
BOSTON (AP) — For de- he’s not tipping his hand. pect was in police custody. thousands of the assassi- Mexico City right before
cades, the existence of On Wednesday, the eve nation documents in the the assassination, scholars
secret government files
linked to President John F.
Kennedy’s assassination
has helped fuel conspiracy
theories that others besides
Lee Harvey Oswald were
involved in his murder. Now
the public is going to get a
deeper look at the collec-
tion.
The government is required
by Thursday to release the
final batch of files related to
Kennedy’s assassination in
Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. Ex-
perts say the publication of
the last trove of evidence
could help allay suspicions
of a conspiracy — at least
for some.
“As long as the govern-
ment is withholding docu-
ments like these, it’s going
to fuel suspicion that there
is a smoking gun out there
about the Kennedy as-
sassination,” said Patrick
Maney, a presidential histo- In this Nov. 23, 1963, file photo, surrounded by detectives, Lee Harvey Oswald talks to the media as he is led down a corridor of the
rian at Boston College. Dallas police station for another round of questioning in connection with the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
(AP Photo)
Here’s a look at what to ex-
pect from the files: of their scheduled release, WHY ARE THEY BECOMING 1990s. The files that were say. Oswald said he was vis-
Trump tweeted: “The long PUBLIC NOW? withheld in full were those iting the Cuban and Soviet
HOW MANY FILES ARE THERE anticipated release of the President George H.W. the Assassination Records Union embassies there to
AND HOW CAN I SEE THEM? #JFKFiles will take place to- Bush signed a law on Oct. Review Board deemed get visas, but much about
The collection includes morrow. So interesting!” 26, 1992, requiring that all “not believed relevant,” his time there remains un-
more than 3,100 docu- On Saturday, he had documents related to the Judge John Tunheim of Min- known. The to-be-released
ments — comprising hun- tweeted that — “subject assassination be released nesota told The Associated documents contain details
dreds of thousands of pag- to the receipt of further within 25 years, unless the Press. But Tunheim said it’s about the arrangements
es — that have never been information” — he will al- president says doing so possible the files contain in- the U.S. entered into with
seen by the public. About low the “long blocked and would harm intelligence, formation the board didn’t the Mexican government
30,000 documents were classified JFK FILES to be law enforcement, military realize was important two that allowed it to have
released previously with opened.” operations or foreign rela- decades ago. JFK experts close surveillance of those
redactions. The National The CIA and FBI, whose files tions. The push for transpar- believe the files will provide and other embassies, Tun-
Archives is planning to post make up the bulk of the fi- ency was driven in part by insight into the inner work- heim said. Other files schol-
the files on its website. nal batch, have refused to the uproar in the wake of ings of the CIA and FBI. But ars hope will be released in
say whether they’re lobby- Oliver Stone’s 1991 conspir- they stress that it will take full include an internal CIA
WILL ALL OF THEM BE RE- ing the president to keep acy-theory filled film “JFK.” weeks to mine the docu- document on its Mexico
LEASED? any of the files under wraps. ments for potentially new City station, and a report
It’s unclear exactly how Experts expect certain IRS WILL THERE BE ANY BOMB- and interesting information. on Oswald’s trip from staff-
many files will be released. files to remain secret, like SHELLS? ers of the House commit-
President Donald Trump is the tax return of Jack Ruby, The chances are slim, ac- WHAT WILL THE FILES SHOW? tee that investigated the
the only person who can the man who killed Oswald cording to the judge who Some of the documents assassination.q