Never Mind Biden's Order, JFK Secrecy Prevails

For some reason, the CIA cannot kick the habit of resisting transparency on a presidential assassination

In a White House statement issued Thursday, the 46th president, Joe Biden, laid down his administration’s policy about long-secret records related to the assassination of his predecessor, the 35th president, John F. Kennedy.

Biden stated

Pursuant to my direction, agencies have undertaken a comprehensive effort to review the full set of almost 16,000 records that had previously been released in redacted form and determined that more than 70 percent of those records may now be released in full.  This significant disclosure reflects my Administration’s commitment to transparency and will provide the American public with greater insight and understanding of the Government’s investigation into this tragic event in American history. 

By mid-afternoon, the National Archives had posted thousands of PDFs on the National Archive web site. I spent the rest of the day scanning CIA records about the distant tragedy while taking calls from reporters seeking comment on whatever was new and surprising in the files.

“Is there a smoking gun?” one correspondent asked.