New Revelations from the Recently Released JFK Files

New Revelations from the Recently Released JFK Files

On March 18, 2025, the Trump administration released a significant tranche of previously classified documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, fulfilling a long-standing promise to shed light on one of America’s most enduring mysteries. This release, comprising over 63,000 pages across approximately 2,200 files, marks the final batch of records held by the National Archives under the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992. While historians and researchers caution that no single “smoking gun” overturns the official narrative of Lee Harvey Oswald as the lone gunman, the newly unredacted files offer fresh details that deepen our understanding of the events surrounding November 22, 1963. Here’s a comprehensive look at the key revelations emerging from this historic disclosure.

One of the most striking insights from the files centers on the CIA’s surveillance of Lee Harvey Oswald in the months leading up to the assassination. Previously redacted documents now confirm that the agency intercepted a phone call Oswald made to a KGB agent at the Soviet Embassy in Mexico City on September 28, 1963—less than two months before Kennedy’s death. This call, alongside evidence of Oswald’s meetings with both Soviet and Cuban officials during his trip, bolsters theories of a possible Castro-linked motive, potentially tied to the Kennedy administration’s attempts to oust the Cuban leader. A declassified CIA memo also reveals that an officer, alarmed by Oswald’s activities, raised concerns to superiors, only to have them dismissed—a detail hinting at either bureaucratic incompetence or intentional suppression.

Additionally, the files expose the role of James Angleton, the CIA’s counterintelligence chief, as the primary conduit of information to the Warren Commission. His selective sharing of intelligence has long fueled speculation about what the agency knew—and chose not to disclose—about Oswald’s movements and intentions.

The declassified records provide tantalizing new evidence of organized crime’s potential involvement in the assassination plot. Wiretap transcripts from the early 1960s, now fully unredacted, capture mob bosses discussing the need to “take care of Kennedy.” One explosive document links Chicago mafia figures to the training of Cuban exiles, suggesting a coalition of mobsters, anti-Castro Cubans, and possibly rogue CIA elements. The motive? Revenge for Kennedy’s perceived betrayal during the Bay of Pigs invasion, which cost mafia figures lucrative casino operations in Havana after Fidel Castro’s rise to power.

Another file ties Jack Ruby—the man who killed Oswald two days after the assassination—to this shadowy underworld. Previously unreleased testimony from Julia Ann Mercer, a witness near the grassy knoll, identifies Ruby as delivering guns to an unidentified man on the day of the assassination. Mercer’s claim that the FBI altered her statement adds a layer of intrigue, suggesting possible efforts to obscure Ruby’s role. Separate records confirm Ruby’s earlier activities as a numbers runner for Al Capone, an informant for then-Representative Richard Nixon in the late 1940s, and a gunrunner to Cuba for Castro, painting a picture of a man deeply enmeshed in criminal and intelligence networks.

Perhaps the most debated revelation is evidence supporting the theory of a second shooter—a notion the Warren Commission dismissed in 1964. Newly released ballistic reports and witness testimonies challenge the official timeline that Oswald fired three shots in 8.6 seconds from the Texas School Book Depository. One document suggests a shot may have originated from the grassy knoll, an elevated area ahead of Kennedy’s motorcade, aligning with long-standing eyewitness accounts. While not conclusive, this evidence revives questions about whether Oswald acted alone, with some researchers pointing to the House Select Committee on Assassinations’ 1979 finding of a “high probability” of conspiracy.

The files shed new light on Ruby’s activities in the days before and after the assassination. A document places Ruby in a meeting with oil magnate H.L. Hunt and E.H. Branding at the Dal-Tex Building—across from Dealey Plaza—the day before Kennedy’s death. This meeting, previously undocumented, raises questions about Ruby’s motivations and potential ties to powerful figures opposed to Kennedy’s policies. Combined with a memo from FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover expressing frustration that Oswald died without confessing, leaving the bureau unable to “convince the public” of his guilt, Ruby’s role as Oswald’s silencer takes on heightened significance.

A bombshell memo details CIA officer George Joannides funneling $25,000 to an anti-Castro group with ties to Oswald in 1963. This financial trail, previously obscured by redactions, suggests the agency may have had closer contact with Oswald—or his associates—than previously admitted. While it doesn’t prove a CIA-orchestrated hit, it underscores the murky interplay between U.S. intelligence, Cuban exiles, and Oswald’s pro-Castro activism, further complicating the lone gunman narrative.

The files reveal chilling instances of foreknowledge that went unheeded. A Secret Service memo recounts Robert C. Rawls overhearing a man in a New Orleans bar, a week before the assassination, betting $100 that Kennedy would be dead within three weeks. Rawls dismissed it as “drunk talk” at the time but reported it after the shooting. Similarly, a tip to Cambridge News in England—received 25 minutes before the assassination—warned of “big news” in the U.S., hinting at possible insider knowledge. These incidents, combined with the CIA’s failure to act on Oswald’s Mexico City activities, point to a breakdown in communication between agencies that may have allowed the tragedy to unfold.

Despite these revelations, experts remain skeptical that the files will definitively upend the Warren Commission’s conclusion. The documents offer “puzzle pieces” rather than a complete picture, as historian Fredrik Logevall noted, providing context on intelligence gathering, Oswald’s surveillance, and Ruby’s connections without proving a grand conspiracy. The CIA has reiterated that it “never engaged” Oswald, and much of the new material focuses on procedural details rather than explosive breakthroughs. Still, the unredacted files expose gaps and inconsistencies that keep conspiracy theories alive.

The March 2025 release of the JFK files, spurred by President Trump’s Executive Order 14176, delivers on a decades-long quest for transparency. With over six million pages now public, the collection paints a richer portrait of the assassination’s backdrop—CIA surveillance failures, mafia vendettas, and tantalizing hints of additional players. For historians, the files offer valuable insights into Cold War-era intelligence and organized crime. For the public, they sustain a fascination with unanswered questions: Was Oswald a patsy? Did Ruby act alone? Was there a second shooter?

As scholars continue to sift through the documents, the assassination of John F. Kennedy remains a paradox—a case closed by official decree yet perpetually open in the American imagination. These latest revelations may not rewrite history, but they ensure that the debate over what happened in Dallas will endure for generations to come.