The administration of US President Donald Trump has declassified and released more than 230,000 pages of documents related to the 1968 assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
In a statement issued on Monday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard described the release as “unprecedented” and highlighted the president’s commitment to “complete transparency.”
Trump signed an executive order shortly after taking office, which declassified documents connected to the assassinations of King, former President John F. Kennedy, and former Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
King’s records had been under seal since 1977, when the FBI first collected them and transferred them to the National Archives and Records Administration.
The National Archives recently released records pertaining to John F. Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963 and related documents about Robert F. Kennedy’s murder in June 1968.
Martin Luther King, a clergyman and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement, was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights in the 1950s and 60s.
James Earl Ray, a convicted robber and prison escapee, was identified as King's killer after his fingerprint was found on the rifle used in the assassination, which was discarded near the murder scene.
In March 1969, Ray pleaded guilty to King’s murder to avoid the death penalty and received a 99-year prison sentence, where he died in 1998.
Following Monday's announcement, King’s family urged that the released documents be “viewed within their full historical context.”
“During our father’s lifetime, he was relentlessly targeted by an invasive, predatory, and deeply disturbing disinformation and surveillance campaign orchestrated by J. Edgar Hoover through the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),” the family said in a statement.
“The intent of the government’s COINTELPRO campaign was not only to monitor but also to discredit, dismantle, and destroy Dr. King’s reputation and the broader American civil rights movement,” it added.
The family indicated that, as they review the newly released files, they will assess whether they provide any new insights beyond what they have already accepted. They also strongly condemned any attempts to misuse these documents in ways that would undermine their father’s legacy and the movement's significant achievements.
Why was Martin Luther King murdered?
King’s family, including his two surviving children, Martin III, 67, and Bernice, 62, received advance notice of the release and mobilized their teams to review the records before public disclosure. Their efforts continued alongside the government’s unveiling of the digital trove.
In a detailed statement released on Monday, the King children described their father’s assassination as a source of “captivating public curiosity for decades.”
However, they emphasized the personal nature of the matter and urged that “these files must be viewed within their full historical context.”
Source:Websites
