JFK files: Trump tweets he'll withhold names, addresses of living people in remaining docs

October 28, 2017
Washington

Embed

The National Archives released over 2,800 records on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The once-classified records have fascinated researchers and fueled conspiracy theorists for decades.
USA TODAY

After authorizing the release ofÂ more than 2,800 filesÂ relatedÂ to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, President Trump tweeted Friday night that he plans to make public the remaining files but will withhold the names and addresses of people mentioned who are still living.

ThroughÂ the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, Trump ordered Thursday the release of almost 2,900 filesÂ butÂ kept others secret because of requests from the CIA and FBI, which feared their release would compromise national security.

Trump said the decision to withhold names and addresses of those still alive came after consultation with White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and intelligence agencies.

Trump added that decision is intended “to put any and all conspiracy theories to rest.”

Under the 1992 statue, the records were to be released Oct. 26, 2017, barring presidential intervention. As the day dragged on Thursday with the documents still unreleased, many waited anxiously for the documents to be published on the National Archives’ website.

More: JFK files: Feds release 2,800 secret records; Trump withholds others due to national security concerns

More: JFK files: What we found in the 2,800 previously classified records

More: Russian-born oilman, a real international man of mystery, a vivid presence in JFK files

Trump tweeted Friday morning that the files were being released “carefully.”

JFK Files are being carefully released. In the end there will be great transparency. It is my hope to get just about everything to public!

â€” Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 27, 2017

Despite his decision to keep some documents secret, Trump said his move provided a new look at old secrets.

“The American public expects â€“ and deserves â€“ its government to provide as much access as possible to the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records so that the people may finally be fully informed about all aspects of this pivotal event,” Trump’s memo said. “Therefore, I am ordering today that the veil finally be lifted.”

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement that the other records would be held back for further review, and released on a rolling basis with redactions in the coming weeks.Â

More: JFK files: Withheld documents only encourage more conspiracy theories, expert says

More: British newspaper got anonymous call 25 minutes before JFK assassination

Trump’s memo says some agencies worried the release of some details would hurt U.S. national security, law enforcement, and foreign affairs.Â

“I have no choiceÂ â€“ today â€“Â but to accept those redactions rather than allow potentially irreversible harm to our nation’s security,” Trump said.Â

TrumpÂ ordered agencies to review the proposedÂ redactions and justify them.Â This process will take up to 180 days, and the agencies have to demonstrate why the blackouts are necessary to protect their sources and methods of intelligence gathering.Â

Contributing: Ray Locker and David Jackson

Follow Ryan Miller on Twitter @RyanW_Miller

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

People tour an exhibit dedicated to President John F. Kennedy at the Newseum on Nov. 22, 2013 in Washington. People visit the John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza in Dallas. Women pause for the final prayer during a ceremony to marking the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy at Dealey Plaza in Dallas. People gather before a ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Friday, Nov. 22, 2013, at Dealey Plaza in Dallas. President Kennedy's motorcade was passing through Dealey Plaza when shots rang out on Nov. 22, 1963.(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) ORG XMIT: TXKJ135 The United States Naval Academy Glee Club sings during a ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination. Attendees pray during the Dealey Plaza ceremony. People watch a historical broadcast about the life of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy near Dealey Plaza. A crowd gathers for the ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy at Dealey Plaza. Crews raise a large banner on Main Street before the start of the Dealey Plaza ceremony. Barbara Clark wipes away a tear as she listens to a Andrew Fallaci read a Kennedy story at the Kennedy Memorial during a remembrance of the assassination in Hyannis, Mass. Across the country flags flew at half-staff, and moments of silence were planned for the hour when Kennedy was shot riding in a motorcade. Media prepare for a ceremony in Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, where President Kennedy was assassinated 50 years ago today. The crowd moves into position before the start of the ceremony. Bundled for the cold weather, a visitor watches the crowd in Dealy Plaza. A police officer monitors the street as a crowd streams past the Texas School book Depository building, rear, before the 50th anniversary ceremony begins. Floral tributes are laid on the John F. Kennedy Memorial in Dealey Plaza. A woman visiting the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston views a display of the flag that draped Kennedy's casket and a photo of Jacqueline Kennedy during the funeral. A wreath honoring Dallas Police Officer J.D. Tippit is placed at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC. Tippit was shot and killed by Lee Harvey Oswald when the police officer stopped to question Oswald following the assassination of President Kennedy. Attorney General Eric Holder pays his respects at the grave of John F. Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery Nov. 22, on the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's death. Holder has been visiting the grave since his youth, and used to come with his mother before she passed away. Tatiana Schlossberg granddaughter of President J.F. Kennedy, right, with Matthew Barzun U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, left, and Tony Badger Kennedy Memorial Trust prepare to lay wreaths at the JFK memorial at Runnymede, England, Nov. 22, 2013. A flag flies at half-staff above the White House in Washington Nov. 22 to mark the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination. The eternal flame flickers in the early morning light at the grave of John F. Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery Nov. 22, 2013, on the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's death.
An unidentified girl, left, holds a rose during a wreath laying ceremony with former Ambassador to Ireland Jean Kennedy Smith, center, and Patrick Hallinan, executive director of Army National Military Cemeteries, at the grave of John F. Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Va., Nov. 22.Â
Jacquelyn Martin, AP A view of the JFK Tribute on Nov. 22, in Fort Worth, Texas. People visited the JFK Tribute on the 50th anniversary of the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy when he was shot as he rode in a Presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. A woman visits the JFK Tribute on Nov. 22, 2013 in Fort Worth, Texas. People visited the JFK Tribute on the 50th anniversary of the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy when he was shot as he rode in a Presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas.