U.S. releases 230,000 documents on Martin Luther King Jr assassination

The U.S. government has released more than 230,000 pages of documents related to the 1968 assassination of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., nearly six decades after his death.

The records were published following an executive order signed by President Donald Trump. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced the declassification, calling it an “historic step toward transparency.”

The release is the first time all known federal documents linked to King’s assassination have been digitised and made available in one collection, with minimal redactions. While some of the material had been made public through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, many of the files had never been published or reviewed in decades.

“This is the American people’s history, and they have waited long enough to see the full scope of the federal investigation into Dr. King’s death,” Gabbard said.

The documents include:

• FBI files tracking leads, internal updates, and interviews;
• Canadian police records linked to James Earl Ray’s escape after the assassination;
• CIA intelligence on the global search for Ray, the convicted assassin;
• Testimony from Ray’s former cellmate, who claimed Ray spoke of an assassination plot before King was killed.

The release was coordinated by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), in partnership with the Department of Justice, the FBI, the CIA, and the National Archives.

“This marks a major milestone in the White House’s commitment to transparency,” said Secretary of State and Acting U.S. Archivist Marco Rubio.

“Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and interagency cooperation, we were able to review and release these records at unprecedented speed.”

Two weeks ahead of the release, members of the King family were invited to review the material. Dr. Alveda King, niece of the slain civil rights leader, welcomed the move.

“I am grateful to President Trump and DNI Gabbard for delivering on their pledge of transparency,” she said. “While we continue to mourn his death, this is an historic step toward the truth that the American people deserve.”

Attorney General Pamela Bondi also praised the release, calling it “a fulfilment of the American people’s right to answers decades after the loss of one of our nation’s great leaders.”

CIA Director John Ratcliffe added, “The CIA is proud to support The White House’s historic initiative to declassify intelligence information in the public interest.”

The release builds on earlier efforts by Trump to declassify files related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

Officials say more Martin Luther King related material may still be located and released. Any future files will be added to the online archive, ensuring all records are centralised and accessible to the public.

Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on 4 April 1968, while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was 39 years old. James Earl Ray pleaded guilty to the killing and received a 99-year prison sentence, but doubts and conspiracy theories about the case have persisted over the years.

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