November 22, 1963. Dallas. Three shots. Sixty years of questions. The Warren Commission said lone gunman. The House Select Committee said probable conspiracy. Thousands of documents remain classified.
The official story: Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, firing three shots from the Texas School Book Depository. The problems: the "magic bullet" trajectory, Oswald's intelligence connections, his murder by Jack Ruby two days later (on live TV, in a police station), and the 1979 House Select Committee on Assassinations concluding there was "probable conspiracy." In 2017, Trump promised to release all JFK files. Many were released, but thousands remain classified for "national security." Why, after 60 years?
The official National Archives collection. Over 5 million pages of documents, photos, and films.
archives.govThe most comprehensive online archive. Over 2 million pages searchable. Essential for researchers.
maryferrell.orgThe full 888-page official report. Read what they concluded — and what they ignored.
history-matters.comThe 1979 congressional investigation that concluded there was "probable conspiracy." Contradicts Warren.
archives.govThe CIA's own FOIA reading room for JFK-related documents. Watch what they chose to release.
cia.govOral histories, photographs, and artifacts from the museum at Dealey Plaza.
jfk.orgAccording to the Warren Commission, a single bullet passed through Kennedy's neck, then Governor Connally's chest, wrist, and thigh — emerging nearly pristine. It changed direction multiple times in mid-air. Critics call it physically impossible. The HSCA's forensic panel had serious doubts.
A police motorcycle's open radio captured sounds from Dealey Plaza. Acoustic analysis presented to the HSCA indicated a 95% probability of four shots — including one from the grassy knoll in front of Kennedy. This was key to the "probable conspiracy" finding.
Oswald defected to the USSR at the height of the Cold War, returned easily, and associated with anti-Castro Cubans, FBI informants, and suspected CIA assets. His tax returns show income sources still unexplained. George de Mohrenschildt, his Dallas handler, had documented CIA ties.
Oswald was shot by nightclub owner Jack Ruby on live television, in a police station, two days after the assassination. Ruby had mob connections and reportedly said he was part of a conspiracy. He died of cancer before he could testify further — after claiming he was injected with cancer cells.
An unusual number of witnesses died before they could testify to various investigations:
Journalist who interviewed Ruby. Found dead of "overdose" — her notes disappeared.
Oswald associate, key witness in Garrison investigation. Found dead days before subpoena.
Oswald's CIA-connected handler. Died of "suicide" hours after HSCA investigator contacted him.
JFK's mistress with CIA connections. Murdered in 1964. Case never solved.
Claimed foreknowledge of assassination. Hit-and-run death in 1965.
Saw men behind grassy knoll fence. Died in single-car accident 1966.
An actuary calculated the odds of so many material witnesses dying within three years at 100,000 trillion to one.
Despite the JFK Records Act of 1992 mandating full release by 2017, thousands of documents remain classified. Both Trump and Biden continued the delays, citing "national security."
What could possibly threaten national security 60 years later? The CIA and FBI continue to fight full disclosure. The classified files reportedly include:
James W. Douglass (2008)
Why Kennedy turned toward peace, and why that made him dangerous to the national security state.
James DiEugenio (2012)
Deep dive into Jim Garrison's investigation and the evidence he uncovered.
Mark Lane (2011)
By the attorney who represented Oswald's interests and exposed Warren Commission failures.
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