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Order Declassifying JFK and MLK Assassination Records [pdf]

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131–140 of 256 posts

Re: Order Declassifying JFK and MLK Assassination Records [pdf]

#131

And once it is released you'll know and the mystery will be gone. I (Australian) was very enthused when the "Somerton man" was resolved. But it took away mystery and wonder from me which actually gave me joy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somerton_Man

Sorry if I missed something, but was it really resolved? AFAICT they likely ID'd the man, but not really anything else about the bizarre case. The note, the clothes labels, the cipher, etc.

Strictly speaking there is a strong suggestion backed by forensic geneology as to who it is, but the Police haven't confirmed it. But for most people it's Carl Webb and not a spy or something more exotic and the ID is enough.

Re: Order Declassifying JFK and MLK Assassination Records [pdf]

#132

It's just a symbolic order, won't actually lead to anything important being released because the agencies have the authority to reject whatever they want. Many of the files have already been destroyed anyways. See: Sec. 3. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or (ii) t…

I also suspect some arrangements never left paper trails.

Re: Order Declassifying JFK and MLK Assassination Records [pdf]

#133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I think the idea was to wait for people mentioned in those documents to die, so as to not affect their privacy I also remember that story, but it's no justification for keeping something with this much public interest secret.

So you would like people to feel comfortable telling the whole truth, unless it’s something really important?

Secret witnesses aren't allowed to testify in the US. Not that these were court trials.

Re: Order Declassifying JFK and MLK Assassination Records [pdf]

#134
The dinner menu and guest list for royal functions over 100 years ago was (and may still be) redacted by the state in the UK. Sometimes, secrets are not really about very much.

I am personally more interested in the MLK data than the JFK data because flawed though they were, the many eyes on that prize didn't find even the scent of a smoking gun worth much. If it had been the other side of the Iron curtain, by now they'd have capitalised on proving it. The ability to tie that era's democrat party to the mob was too delicious to keep secret if provable. (yes, even being killed by the mob taints you with the mob) so either political, foreign, or crime related I can't see how successive governments could have resisted showing-and-telling all.

MLK, I felt was swept under the carpet the way decent "folk like us" wanted. The moment of political advantage in the facts faded much faster, the underlying unease of what agencies of the state might be complicit remains. I think we all deserve a bit of clarity here. We know he had feet of clay, thats not the point. The point is how poorly the state defended a man trying to build a better america.

Neither are anything like as important as current events. The release is not just a mechanistic "I am a man of my word" moment, its a distraction from the everyday events. Any hour news online dedicates to these stories, is time not spent worrying about what dismantling the US state means in practice in 2025.

Re: Order Declassifying JFK and MLK Assassination Records [pdf]

#135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the transcript involves evidence against a random psychopath who committed murder against beloved public figures (with no connection whatsoever to the government), I don't understand why anyone involved with such an investigation would be upset about the release of such transcripts immediately, much less 15 years or 65 years in the future.

And if those transcripts don’t have incriminating evidence, should they still be released? If they interviewed everyone at that parade, what they were doing etc, and some of those people were completely uninvolved but maybe having affairs, or doing something immoral (whatever that is), then shouldn’t they be afforded privacy? Eg Imagine one would be mortified to have what sex toy was in their pocket at the time docum…

I think a simple redacted name would address that concern

Re: Order Declassifying JFK and MLK Assassination Records [pdf]

#136

It's just a symbolic order, won't actually lead to anything important being released because the agencies have the authority to reject whatever they want. Many of the files have already been destroyed anyways. See: Sec. 3. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or (ii) t…

I also suspect some arrangements never left paper trails.

If there is any truth to the events pictured in the JFK movie with Kevin Costner that is certainly very true.

Re: Order Declassifying JFK and MLK Assassination Records [pdf]

#137
post #134

The dinner menu and guest list for royal functions over 100 years ago was (and may still be) redacted by the state in the UK. Sometimes, secrets are not really about very much. I am personally more interested in the MLK data than the JFK data because flawed though they were, the many eyes on that prize didn't find even the scent of a smoking gun worth much. If it had been the other side of the Iron curtain, by now th…

> The release is not just a mechanistic "I am a man of my word" moment, its a distraction from the everyday events.

Excellent point that I hadn't considered. We're already flooded with executive orders and news of Musk's capricious wrecking ball. Ultimately who killed JFK or MLK doesn't matter all that much today, except as a matter of historical accuracy. But it's something that people will certainly talk about, distracting us from the real dangers going on in this administration.

Ultimately I don't think we'll learn much from this anyway. I expect any juicy documents (if any existed) were destroyed long ago, and the departments in custody of any related files are still free to redact whatever they want, or simply decide not to release the parts they don't want to release.

Another possibility is that the remaining files contain something incredibly damaging to a group or agency he hates. Like say the MLK files implicate the FBI somehow. Trump hates the FBI now (which was not the case during his first term), and files pointing the finger at the FBI would be more ammunition for purging and remaking the FBI.

Re: Order Declassifying JFK and MLK Assassination Records [pdf]

#139
post #137
post #134

The dinner menu and guest list for royal functions over 100 years ago was (and may still be) redacted by the state in the UK. Sometimes, secrets are not really about very much. I am personally more interested in the MLK data than the JFK data because flawed though they were, the many eyes on that prize didn't find even the scent of a smoking gun worth much. If it had been the other side of the Iron curtain, by now th…

> The release is not just a mechanistic "I am a man of my word" moment, its a distraction from the everyday events. Excellent point that I hadn't considered. We're already flooded with executive orders and news of Musk's capricious wrecking ball. Ultimately who killed JFK or MLK doesn't matter all that much today, except as a matter of historical accuracy. But it's something that people will certainly talk about, dis…

There might be some news in some details. You have to be pretty dedicated to think the news outweighs other stories of the moment. Qualified historians of the 1960s will be lining up to re-strike positions on what the minutia say about the Warren Commission, washington insider politics, previously misunderstood relationships between agencies, great stuff for PhDs.

Oliver Stone cares, of that I am sure.

Re: Order Declassifying JFK and MLK Assassination Records [pdf]

#140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I think the idea was to wait for people mentioned in those documents to die, so as to not affect their privacy I also remember that story, but it's no justification for keeping something with this much public interest secret.

Is public interest the only thing we need to drum up if we want to strip away somebody's right to privacy?

They can still redact parts of the documents, including names or other identifying information.
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