New JFK assassination documents released for public review

Q: What new information is available to the public about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy?

A: Over 80,000 pages of documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy have now been released to the public. This gives people the opportunity to examine and perhaps get answers about the tragic events of Nov. 22, 1963.

Q: Are the documents easy to read?

A: The newly released documents are often difficult to read because many of them are handwritten and date back more than 60 years.

Q: How does Judy Eason McIntyre feel about the assassination and the new documents?

A: Judy Eason McIntyre, who was 18 when the assassination occurred, shared an emotional connection to the event. She recalled, "I could still cry about it. I still see John John when he did that to his father. I still get emotional about it all these years." She also remembered how that tragic day changed her life forever as she was at the University of Oklahoma when she heard the news.

Q: What impact did JFK's assassination have on Judy Eason McIntyre?

A: McIntyre mentioned the loss was significant because JFK had proposed a civil rights law, which would have helped poor people, Black people, and minorities in America—groups that had not been part of the national discussion before. This loss also influenced her own political career. She later served in the Oklahoma Senate and House of Representatives, motivated by JFK’s ideals. "I wanted to be a Democrat like him. I wanted to save the world," she said.

Q: Why were the documents released now, and what did former President Trump say about it?

A: The Trump administration released the documents as part of a campaign promise. Former President Trump stated, "I have never had more people ask me please sir release the documents on the Kennedy assassination."

Q: What do experts believe the release of these documents could accomplish?

A: SMU History Professor Mathew Wilson believes the documents could help end decades of conspiracy theories surrounding JFK's assassination. He explained, "A lot of Americans rightly or wrongly believe that the government has hidden things or that the government has not been forthcoming. The intent here is to put some of those rumors to bed."

Q: What does McIntyre hope will come from the release of the documents?

A: McIntyre hopes the documents will put an end to the conspiracy theories that have surrounded the assassination for decades. She said, "I hope that in the end, when all the files are read, that we’ll know something one way or another, and it will abolish some of the conspiracy, and it will kind of settle with people about what really happened."

Q: What is a key takeaway from the documents so far?

A: An early review of the documents suggests there is evidence that Lee Harvey Oswald had been planning the assassination.

Q: Where can people access these documents?

A: The full collection of documents is available for public review on the National Archives website.