Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Thursday 28 sepTember 2017
Will Trump allow release of secret JFK assassination papers?

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER the 1990s that made pub-
Associated Press lic many assassination re-
BOSTON (AP) — The antici- cords and decided how
pated release of thousands long others could remain
of never-seen government secret.
documents related to Pres- Sabato and other JFK
ident John F. Kennedy’s scholars believe the trove
assassination has scholars of files may provide insight
and armchair detectives into assassin Lee Harvey
buzzing. Oswald’s trip to Mexico
Now, they’re waiting to see City weeks before the kill-
whether President Don- ing, during which he visited
ald Trump will block the the Soviet and Cuban em-
release of files that could bassies.
shed light on a tragedy Oswald’s stated reason for
that has stirred conspiracy going was to get visas that
theories for decades. would allow him to enter
The National Archives has Cuba and the Soviet Union,
until Oct. 26 to disclose according to the Warren

In this April 30, 1963 file photo, President John F. Kennedy listens while Grand Duchess Charlotte
of Luxembourg speaks outside the White House in Washington.
Associated Press
A CIA spokeswoman would ments. because he thought that
say only that it “continues The Archives in July pub- by killing Kennedy he might
to engage in the process to lished online more than 440 be saving the life of Fidel
determine the appropriate never-before-seen assas- Castro,” said Philip Shenon,
next steps with respect to sination documents and a former New York Times
any previously-unreleased thousands of others that reporter who has written a
CIA information.” had been released previ- book about Kennedy’s as-
Congress mandated in ously with redactions. sassination.
In this Nov. 22, 1963 file photo, President John F. Kennedy waves 1992 that all assassination Among those documents Some of the files will likely
from his car in a motorcade approximately one minute before documents be released was a 1975 internal CIA remain under wraps, ex-
he was shot in Dallas. Riding with Kennedy are First Lady Jac- within 25 years, unless
queline Kennedy, right, Nellie Connally, second from left, and the president asserts that
her husband, Texas Gov. John Connally, far left. doing so would harm in-
Associated Press
telligence, law enforce-
the remaining files related Commission, the investiga- ment, military operations
to Kennedy’s 1963 assassi- tive body established by or foreign relations. The
nation, unless Trump inter- President Lyndon B. John- still-secret documents in-
venes. son, but much about the clude more than 3,000 that
The CIA and FBI, whose trip remains unknown. have never been seen by
records make up the bulk Among the protected in- the public and more than
of the batch, won’t say formation up for release is 30,000 that have been re-
whether they’ve appealed details about the arrange- leased previously, but with
to the Republican presi- ments the U.S. entered into redactions.
dent to keep them under with the Mexican govern- The files that were withheld
wraps. ment that allowed it to in full were those the Assas-
“The American public de- have close surveillance of sination Records Review In this Nov. 22, 1963 file photo, the limousine carrying mortally
serves to know the facts, those and other embas- Board deemed “not be- wounded President John F. Kennedy races toward the hospital
or at least they deserve sies, said Tunheim, a fed- lieved relevant,” Tunheim seconds after he was shot in Dallas. Secret Service agent Clin-
to know what the govern- eral judge in Minnesota. said. Its members sought ton Hill is riding on the back of the car, Nellie Connally, wife of
ment has kept hidden from Kennedy experts also hope to ensure they weren’t hid- Texas Gov. John Connally, bends over her wounded husband,
them for all these years,” to see the full report on Os- ing any information directly and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy leans over the president.
Associated Press
Larry Sabato, director of wald’s trip to Mexico City related to Kennedy’s as-
the University of Virginia from staffers of the House sassination, but there may memo that questioned perts say.
Center for Politics and au- committee that investigat- be nuggets of information whether Oswald became It’s unlikely the National Ar-
thor of a book about Ken- ed the assassination, said in the files that they didn’t motivated to kill Kennedy chives will release some IRS
nedy, said in an email to Rex Bradford, president of realize was important two after reading an AP ar- records, including the tax
The Associated Press. “It’s the Mary Ferrell Founda- decades ago, he said. ticle in a newspaper that returns of Jack Ruby, the
long past the time to be tion, which publishes assas- “There could be some jew- quoted Fidel Castro as say- man who killed Oswald,
forthcoming with this infor- sination records. els in there because in our ing “U.S. leaders would be Bradford said.
mation,” he said. The White House didn’t level of knowledge in the in danger if they helped in Sabato said he also sus-
It’s unlikely the documents immediately respond to 1990s is maybe different any attempt to do away pects that some key re-
contain any big revelations emails seeking comment. from today,” Tunheim said. with leaders of Cuba.” cords may also have been
about Kennedy’s killing, The FBI declined to com- The National Archives “Oswald might have had a destroyed before the 1992
said Judge John Tunheim, ment on whether it has would not say whether any clear motive, one that we law ordered that all the
who was chairman of the asked Trump to keep the agencies have appealed have never really under- files be housed in the Na-
independent agency in files hidden. the release of the docu- stood for killing Kennedy, tional Archives.q