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Order Declassifying JFK and MLK Assassination Records [pdf]

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

#161
post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Someone previously decided that the remaining 1%, 1700 files, shouldn't be viewed by the public. Why? 1700 files is plenty to hold some interesting truths.

I think the idea was to wait for people mentioned in those documents to die, so as to not affect their privacy. You want people to tell the truth to government investigations in the future, and not hold something back because they think in 15 years the government might just release a transcript of everything you told them.

> I think the idea was to wait for people mentioned in those documents to die, so as to not affect their privacy.

you probably also think that mk ultra is a conspiracy theory.

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

#162
post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you assuming that the decisions of which pages were declassified was a random sample? Why would they have selected any pages to remain hidden?

Because they have assets who are still in the field that they don't want to expose or similar. Classified status is somewhat contagious, in that many of those documents aren't from the time period in question, they could be from yesterday if some government agent had a discussion about it.

You mean like details about who killed him and why?

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

#164

Most of the documents were declassified already, I think 99% of 170,000 files or some large number. This was through the The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992. I don't know what's to gain in this release other than closure?

> I don't know what's to gain in this release other than closure?

Classic Trump PR move. Claim he's doing something that's already done and then take credit loudly.

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

#165

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…

Honest question: why weren't they declassified earlier?

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

#166

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…

Honest question: why weren't they declassified earlier?

[dead]

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

#167
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…

>Ultimately who killed JFK or MLK doesn't matter all that much today, except as a matter of historical accuracy.

Come on those would be the most high profile murders in the US in the 20th century?

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

#169

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…

Honest question: why weren't they declassified earlier?

The simplest explanation is that the juiciest records were destroyed a long time ago, and released the remaining ones would only lead to speculation and a decrease in trust of the agencies involved.

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

#170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Put me on record as being in the "nothing ever happens" camp: Oswald done it, the grassy knoll is just a particularly grassy knoll, and the remaining 1% or whatever unreleased files contain a fat nothingburger.

I'm personally on the "JFK shot himself" bandwagon now.

We've had it all wrong, JFK clearly must've shot Oswald and assumed his identity
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