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:
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.
A large fire at the import cargo complex of Dhaka airport has caused significant damage to goods and materials belonging to key garment exporters, wit...
The Orenburg gas processing plant, the world's largest facility of its kind, has been forced to halt its intake of gas from Kazakhstan following a Ukr...
Israel launched air strikes and artillery fire on Gaza on Sunday, in what officials called a response to militant attacks, as the U.S.-mediated ceasef...
The Louvre Museum in Paris was closed on Sunday after thieves broke in and stole “priceless” jewellery from the Napoleon collection, the French go...
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy said he is not afraid of going to prison, days before beginning a five-year sentence over his 2007 campaign fi...
Israel launched air strikes and artillery fire on Gaza on Sunday, in what officials called a response to militant attacks, as the U.S.-mediated ceasefire came under renewed strain.
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy said he is not afraid of going to prison, days before beginning a five-year sentence over his 2007 campaign financing case linked to Libya.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will remain closed until Hamas returns the bodies of deceased hostages, as both sides traded blame over alleged ceasefire violations.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Snapchat will start charging users who store more than 5GB of photos and videos in its Memories feature, prompting backlash from long-time users.
A large fire at the import cargo complex of Dhaka airport has caused significant damage to goods and materials belonging to key garment exporters, with losses and impacts on trade potentially amounting to millions of dollars, according to industry leaders on Sunday.
The Orenburg gas processing plant, the world's largest facility of its kind, has been forced to halt its intake of gas from Kazakhstan following a Ukrainian drone strike, according to Kazakhstan's energy ministry.
The Louvre Museum in Paris was closed on Sunday after thieves broke in and stole “priceless” jewellery from the Napoleon collection, the French government said.
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy said he is not afraid of going to prison, days before beginning a five-year sentence over his 2007 campaign financing case linked to Libya.
Millions of Americans took to the streets for “No Kings” rallies across all 50 states, denouncing what they called the corruption and authoritarianism of President Donald Trump.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment