Update: 2,800 documents will be released tonight, others may be released on April 26, 2018.
Update 2: Documents have been released.
Update 3: Check this live feed: JFK files: government releases classified assassination documents – live
John F. Kennedy, often better known as JFK, was the United States of America's 35th President. He was assassinated on November 22, 1963.
The deadline for the release of redacted and withheld records from the JFK Assassination Records Collection is today. Of the approximately 5 million pages in the collection, about 11% are redacted and 1% are withheld in full:
According to the [JFK Assassination Records Collection Act], all [JFK assassination-related] records previously withheld either in part or in full should be released on October 26, 2017, unless authorized for further withholding by the President of the United States. The 2017 date derives directly from the law that states:
Each assassination record shall be publicly disclosed in full, and available in the Collection no later than the date that is 25 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, unless the President certifies, as required by this Act, that –
(i) continued postponement is made necessary by an identifiable harm to military defense, intelligence operations, law enforcement or conduct of foreign relations; and
(ii) the identifiable harm is of such gravity that it outweighs the public interest in disclosure.
The Act was signed by President Bush on October 26, 1992, thus the final release date is October 26, 2017.
Some records related to grand jury information and tax return information will remain withheld, as specified in Sections 10 and 11 of the Collection Act.
Although the current President of the United States could authorize the non-disclosure of any documents in the collection, that action appears unlikely:
Few seem as excited about the release of the final batch of secret documents from the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy as the current occupant of the Oval Office. "The long anticipated release of the #JFKFiles will take place tomorrow," President Trump wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. "So interesting!"
Surely, then, it was just a coincidence that Mr. Trump posted that message while on Air Force One heading to, of all places, Dallas. Or was it? Fifty-three years and 11 months after the event that gave rise to a thousand conspiracy theories, the president even landed at Dallas Love Field Airport, where Kennedy's body was brought for the final flight home, and his motorcade came within a few miles of Dealey Plaza, where the fateful shots rang out.
[...] "Of all the presidents since 1963, this is the one who would mind the least if the release of these documents damaged the C.I.A. and the F.B.I., two organizations that he's very angry at at the moment," said Michael Beschloss, a presidential historian.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday October 26 2017, @06:16PM (18 children)
Yeah, right.
Each assassination record shall be publicly disclosed in full, . . . unless authorized for further withholding by the President of the United States.
That "identifiable harm" part? Let me point out how far things have been stretched. Encryption is a munition. Photographing the police is, uh, something bad. The mis-named Patriot act. NSA snooping. Do you really think that "identifiable harm" can't be stretched to mean almost anything. Think of the children!
Of course, it may be released. But if it is not, I for one will not be shocked by the withholding. It will merely confirm my cynicism. If it is released, what is in those records then may confirm my cynicism.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by takyon on Thursday October 26 2017, @06:18PM (10 children)
You've got it all mixed up. Trump is giddy about the release and probably won't be withholding much of anything back.
But the real truth wasn't written down and won't be in any of the documents.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday October 26 2017, @06:28PM (3 children)
Maybe I have it mixed up, as you say. The records are released. So I am left to wonder what is in them that warranted withholding.
If true, I wouldn't be surprised. Not much would surprise me these days.
Please Explain.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday October 26 2017, @06:33PM (2 children)
I see no indication that they have been released yet.
It's in the summary. Here's the paragraph I didn't quote:
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday October 26 2017, @08:11PM
I saw it below in another comment and jumped the gun.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday October 26 2017, @08:12PM
Your explanation makes sense. I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that Ted Cruz father was not involved in the assassination. But I guess we'll find out. If that is true, I will be surprised and wonder how Mr. Trump knew?
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by DeathMonkey on Thursday October 26 2017, @07:27PM (2 children)
Trump is giddy about the release and probably won't be withholding much of anything back.
Well, not on purpose at least. Failing due to incompetence, on the other hand....
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Thursday October 26 2017, @09:46PM (1 child)
Well I called it!
"Delayed" due to executive branch bumbling. [nbcnews.com]
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday October 26 2017, @09:56PM
I expressed skepticism in the 1st reply to the 1st post above.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Thursday October 26 2017, @09:17PM
Oh yes it was: The aliens keep very thorough records of such things!
Then there's my favorite explanation: It's Dave Lister's fault [youtube.com]
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Friday October 27 2017, @04:13PM (1 child)
You've got it all mixed up. Trump is giddy about the release and probably won't be withholding much of anything back.
Turns out he was lying. Big surprise.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday October 27 2017, @04:20PM
I like to think it was a mix of incompetence and ignorance rather than an outright lie.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2, Insightful) by khallow on Thursday October 26 2017, @06:35PM (5 children)
(Score: -1, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Thursday October 26 2017, @09:04PM (4 children)
Please please please papers, pleasy say the Jews did it. Please.
(Score: 2, Informative) by khallow on Thursday October 26 2017, @10:23PM (2 children)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 27 2017, @12:18AM (1 child)
Um, khallow? You know you are responding to Eth, do you not? I don't think it was a serious comment, it was Eth, racist anti-semitic Eth. Don't do this, khallow. You are making SoylentNews look bad.
(Score: 2, Informative) by khallow on Friday October 27 2017, @03:54AM
I sure do. I occasionally subscribe to the MDC school of calling a troll's bluff.
What exactly did I do? Reply to E-F as if he were serious? And why should that make SN look bad?
Let us keep in mind that just like most other large groupings of people, Jews do contain a few people of extraordinary wickedness or ruthlessness. And the JFK assassination has these very fishy elements to it just because the assassin was killed before he could state his piece.
(Score: 2) by jmorris on Friday October 27 2017, @04:25AM
You may get your wish. Of course it is far too early for context or anything like that... Just something somebody noticed and posted.
Image [windows.net]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 26 2017, @08:06PM
> That "identifiable harm" part
it tells it was inside job or incompetence in preventing an outside job. I guess all people and procedures published do not present harmful info.