History

National Archives Releases Declassified Documents on Kennedy Assassination

December 18, 2021Lauren Coontz
Kennedy assassination

President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie, ride in the motorcade on parade, Nov. 22, 1963. The president was in Dallas to smooth relations within the Democratic Party. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

The National Archives and Records Administration on Wednesday, Dec. 15, released 1,491 previously classified documents regarding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The move followed a memorandum issued by President Joe Biden.


Since 2017, the National Archives and Records Administration has released more than 100,000 pages of classified material related to the Kennedy assassination. The pages span materials from ticker tape messages and phone calls to more contemporary forms of communication, such as emails. 


According to the official story, gunman Lee Harvey Oswald waited in the upper-story window of the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas with a rifle as Kennedy’s motorcade slowly made its way through downtown on Nov. 22, 1963. After the shooting, ambulances rushed the president to the nearby Parkland Hospital, where doctors later pronounced him dead.


Robert H. Jackson
Winning the 1964 Pulitzer Prize for photography, Robert H. Jackson captured the exact moment Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald as Dallas Police Department detective Jim Leavelle escorted him on Nov. 24, 1963. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Kennedy’s assassination has inspired numerous conspiracy theories over the years. These range from the “phantom bullet” theory to blaming culprits in high places, such as the CIA, the FBI, the Soviets, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, time travelers, a “Kennedy curse,” and an elderly woman wearing a scarf. 


Historians and archivists look forward to sorting through the released documents, many of which relate to Oswald, Kennedy’s assassin. Local nightclub owner Jack Ruby killed Oswald on Nov. 24, 1963, before authorities could prosecute him. 


After Kennedy’s death, newly appointed President Johnson immediately created the President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy to investigate the assassination. Nicknamed for its chairman, Chief Justice Earl Warren, the commission concluded that Oswald had committed the crime alone.


Even so, the Warren Commission’s results remain highly controversial and are frequently disputed by experts and armchair investigators alike. The cache of documents, which are now in the public domain, could provide new clues for modern historians and investigators.


Read Next: How a ‘Coconut Message’ Rescued a Shipwrecked JFK During World War II



Lauren Coontz
Lauren Coontz

Lauren Coontz is a former staff writer for Coffee or Die Magazine. Beaches are preferred, but Lauren calls the Rocky Mountains of Utah home. You can usually find her in an art museum, at an archaeology site, or checking out local nightlife like drag shows and cocktail bars (gin is key). A student of history, Lauren is an Army veteran who worked all over the world and loves to travel to see the old stuff the history books only give a sentence to. She likes medium roast coffee and sometimes, like a sinner, adds sweet cream to it.

More from Coffee or Die Magazine
eric smith marine corps commandant nominee
Highly Decorated Marine Officer Nominated To Be Next Commandant

President Joe Biden has nominated a highly decorated Marine officer who has been involved in the transformation of the force to be the next Marine Corps commandant.

USS Arizona
Profile of a Ship: USS Arizona

When the USS Arizona sank, it took 1,177 crew members with it. Today it remains beneath the water as a memorial to all those who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor.

b1 bombers bosnia
US Bombers Fly Over Bosnia in Sign of Support Amid Continued Secessionist Threats

A pair of U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers flew low over Sarajevo and several other Bosnian cities...

SR-71 Blackbird
SR-71 Blackbird: The Spy Plane That Could Outrun Missiles

Lockheed Martin’s SR-71 Blackbird was a government secret for years. Now retired, a newer version plans to take its place.

medal of honor recipient remains returned
Missing 73 Years, Medal of Honor Recipient's Remains Return To Georgia

Soldiers of the 9th Infantry Regiment made a desperate retreat as North Korean troops closed in arou...

dear jack
Dear Jack: My Battalion Is Out of Control

In this installment of “Dear Jack,” Marine veteran and amateur life coach Jack Mandaville advises a lieutenant colonel on how to restore order in the lower ranks.

Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor: A Long and Epic History

For more than 150 years, the Medal of Honor has been used to recognize acts of extraordinary battlefield courage performed in service to the United States.

  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
Contact Us
  • Request a Correction
  • Write for Us
  • General Inquiries
© 2023 Coffee or Die Magazine. All Rights Reserved