The Central Intelligence Agency has expressed “deep concern” at President Donald Trump’s decision to release top-secret JFK assassination files next week.
The CIA had been pressuring Trump “to block the release of some of the assassination documents on national security grounds, possibly to protect CIA tradecraft and the identity of agency informants who might still be alive.”
Sky News reports: Ahead of the deadline, the President revealed he would be allowing the documents to see the light of day, “subject to the receipt of further information”.
The magazine Politico earlier reported that Mr Trump would almost certainly block the release of some of the files, which include documents from the FBI and CIA.
White House spokesman Lindsay Walters told Politico the administration was working “to ensure that the maximum amount of data can be released to the public”.
Mr Trump can block the disclosure on the grounds that it would harm intelligence, law enforcement, military operations or foreign relations – and there are reports the CIA is lobbying to block some of the documents.
The documents include more than 3,000 that have never been made public, and more than 30,000 that have been previously released with redactions.
Kennedy assassination experts quoted in the Washington Post say they do not think the final batch of papers contains any bombshell revelations.
But they add that the documents may reveal more about Oswald’s trip to Mexico City in September 1963, during which he met with Cuban and Soviet spies.
Despite theories claiming organised crime, Cuba or elements of the US government itself was involved, conspiracy theorists have not produced conclusive proof Oswald had co-conspirators.