The CIA has released an additional 54 documents in its third round of declassifying papers related to the 1968 assassination of former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (D-N.Y.).
The disclosure comes after earlier batches were publicized first in April and again in May, following an executive order that President Trump signed in January calling for the publication of remaining classified documents concerning Kennedy’s assassination, as well as that of his brother, former President John F. Kennedy, and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
A CIA release states that the documents released comprise 1,450 pages.
“Today’s release delivers on President Trump’s commitment to maximum transparency, enabling the CIA to shine light on information that serves the public interest,” CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in the release. “I am proud to share our work on this incredibly important topic with the American people.”
The total number of documents posted on the National Archives website from the release Thursday is 237, made up of more than 9,600 pages. But a note on the page for the documents states that some documents were already available onsite, such as those from the State Department and the presidential libraries for former Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Gerald Ford.
It states that 148 of the documents were already released as part of the disclosure of records related to JFK’s assassination, though most of them weren’t previously available online.
The extent of how much new information the 54 documents reveal isn’t immediately clear, but the release of the documents isn’t expected to significantly shift the main view of the circumstances surrounding the former senator’s death.
Sirhan Sirhan was convicted of shooting and killing Kennedy while he was campaigning for president in California in 1968. He has previously admitted to killing him and indicated he committed the crime over Kennedy’s support for Israel, but he has later claimed he doesn’t remember shooting him.
This has contributed to some conspiracy theories that Sirhan was set up as a patsy or another shooter was involved.
Much anticipation built up for the first release of the documents related to JFK’s death, but the release only added some extra details and not a significant smoking gun as some had hoped for.
The CIA said in the release that the RFK records reveal for the first time some of his experiences traveling in the Soviet Union with the agency.
Kennedy’s son, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has come to believe that Sirhan is innocent and should be released from his life imprisonment, a view not shared by most of the rest of his family.
“Lifting the veil on the RFK papers is a necessary step toward restoring trust in American government,” Kennedy Jr. said. “I commend President Trump for his courage and his commitment to transparency.”
A parole board recommended Sirhan be granted parole in 2021, but California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) denied the request, arguing that he hasn’t taken accountability for the killing.
RFK also served as attorney general during his brother’s administration and that of his brother’s successor, Johnson.
