US President Donald Trump has promised to declassify documents concerning three of US history’s most consequential assassinations: the killings of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. At the wake of his second term, Trump ordered top administration officials to come up with a plan to declassify all files related to the assassinations within 15 days, according to BBC News.
Trump’s advocacy for complete transparency about the investigations is highly improbable and could result in breaches in national security.
The American populous has long waited for the publication of the document set in its entirety. The efforts of past presidents, including Joe Biden and Trump in his first term, have successfully released most of the documents. Yet, according to The White House, a hefty sum of data regarding the investigations remains redacted.
During his first term, Trump had promised to declassify all files regarding the affairs, yet the intervention of CIA and FBI officials halted his claimed desires. Now, not even a week into his second term, Trump is already making similar promises to gain public approval.
Government officials must be upfront and honest with the populace. Trump’s continued secrecy regarding his promises’ logistics adds complexity to the declassification issue. It creates more of an incentive for Americans to distrust the government’s involvement in the assassinations. There have already been several alternative theories about the involvement of government agents and the mafia in the killings, according to The New York Times.
Although, ideally, the publication of the document set in its entirety could help to muffle persistent conspiracy theories and publicize a more accurate historical narrative, the potential risks of complete transparency outweigh the benefits.
While the assassinations occurred decades ago, declassifying sensitive files regarding them may endanger American security and those involved in the investigations. Documents could reveal operational details about intelligence-gathering techniques used during the Cold War, and they could reveal the names of foreign intelligence agents, compromising potential relationships. The release of sensitive materials may also strain diplomatic ties between the US and implicated foreign governments.
Although government transparency is integral to national prosperity, it must be balanced against potential national security breaches.
Regardless of your stance on the recent political alterations, your voice deserves to be heard. Keeping up with current events can help you make more informed decisions concerning voting procedures. If you want to get involved in the affairs of the federal government, you can reach out to Pennsylvania’s representatives and senators. Their contact information can be found both on govtrack.us as well as congress.gov.