US Declassifies Over 2.4 Lakh Pages on Martin Luther King Jr’s Assassination

Trump Administration Declassifies 2.4 Lakh Pages of Files on Martin Luther King Jr’s Assassination.

The Trump administration has released over 240,000 pages of documents related to the 1968 assassination of civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., sparking reactions from both government officials and King’s family. The files, which include records from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), were made public on the website of the National Archives and are expected to be followed by additional disclosures in the coming days.

Among the newly declassified documents are files detailing the FBI’s surveillance of King, who was subjected to a sustained and controversial campaign to undermine his influence and the broader civil rights movement.

The move stems from an executive order signed by former President Donald Trump early in his tenure, directing the declassification of materials related to high-profile assassinations in the 1960s, including those of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr.

Commenting on the release, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said in a statement, “The American people have waited nearly sixty years to see the full scope of the federal government’s investigation into Dr King’s assassination. We are ensuring that no stone is left unturned in our mission to deliver complete transparency on this pivotal and tragic event in our nation’s history.” She added that the documents are being published “with minimal redactions for privacy reasons.”

Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, at a time when he was expanding his work from civil rights to include economic justice and anti-war advocacy. James Earl Ray was convicted of the killing and died in prison in 1998, but doubts about his guilt have long persisted, especially among King’s family members.

In a joint statement issued Monday, King’s surviving children, Martin Luther King III and Bernice King, expressed mixed feelings about the release. While supporting transparency and historical accountability, they also warned about the potential misuse of the files.

“We are concerned that the records could be used for attacks on our father’s legacy,” they said. “During his lifetime, Dr King was the target of an invasive, predatory, and deeply disturbing disinformation and surveillance campaign orchestrated by then-FBI director J. Edgar Hoover.”

They further described the FBI’s actions as part of an effort to “discredit, dismantle, and destroy” King and the American Civil Rights Movement. “These actions were not only invasions of privacy, but intentional assaults on the truth,” they added.

Concluding their statement, the King family urged the public and media to engage with the files “with empathy, restraint, and respect for our family’s continuing grief.”