Trump Administration Declassifies Files on Martin Luther King Jr. Assassination
In a historic move aimed at shedding new light on one of the most painful chapters of American history, the Trump administration on Monday released over 230,000 pages of previously classified government documents related to the 1968 assassination of civil rights icon, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The massive declassification effort, overseen by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), was announced by Director Tulsi Gabbard, who described the release as a milestone in promoting transparency, truth, and national healing.
“The American people have waited nearly sixty years to see the full scope of the federal government’s investigation into Dr. King’s assassination,” Gabbard said in a public statement. “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.”
According to Gabbard, the documents—spanning investigative reports, FBI memos, wiretap transcripts, and internal communications—have been published with “minimal redactions for privacy reasons” and are now available on the National Archives website.
The release stems from an executive order signed by President Donald Trump shortly after taking office, mandating the declassification of all files relating to high-profile assassinations of the 1960s, including those of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and Dr. King.
This marks the third such disclosure under the order. Records on John F. Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963 were released in March, followed by those related to Robert F. Kennedy’s June 1968 killing in April.
Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. James Earl Ray, a fugitive from the Missouri State Penitentiary, was arrested two months later in London and pleaded guilty to the murder in 1969. He later recanted, claiming he was coerced into the plea, and spent the rest of his life attempting to withdraw it before dying in prison in 1998.
King’s surviving children, Martin Luther King III and Bernice King, issued a joint statement responding to the release. While expressing support for greater transparency, they warned of the emotional and historical sensitivities involved.
“We support transparency and historical accountability,” they wrote, “but we are concerned these records could be weaponized to attack our father’s legacy. The civil rights leader was the target during his lifetime of an invasive, predatory, and deeply disturbing disinformation and surveillance campaign orchestrated by then-FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.”
They pointed out that these efforts were part of a larger counterintelligence operation—COINTELPRO—that sought to “discredit, dismantle, and destroy Dr. King’s reputation and the broader American Civil Rights Movement.”
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“These actions were not only invasions of privacy, but intentional assaults on the truth,” the family’s statement added. “We ask those who engage with the release of these files to do so with empathy, restraint, and respect for our family’s continuing grief.”
Historians, journalists, and civil rights scholars have already begun combing through the trove of documents in search of new information. Among the early revelations is a 1965 FBI memo suggesting federal authorities were aware of threats to King’s life but failed to act on them adequately. Other files show the extent of the FBI’s wiretapping campaign, including detailed transcriptions of King’s hotel room conversations, many of which had no national security relevance.
Civil liberties advocates have described the surveillance as “an egregious abuse of power,” and say the documents vindicate long-held suspicions about government overreach during the civil rights era.
The National Archives has indicated that more releases are expected in the coming months as they continue processing records under the executive order.
The controversy surrounding King’s assassination has persisted for decades. While the official narrative pins the blame on James Earl Ray, various alternative theories have circulated, including allegations of government complicity, organized crime involvement, and intelligence agency cover-ups.
In 1999, a Memphis civil court jury ruled in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the King family that Dr. King was the victim of a conspiracy involving government agencies. The verdict, while largely symbolic, fueled public demands for full disclosure of federal records.
With Monday’s release, the Trump administration appears to be answering that call.
In a White House statement, former President Trump—who remains influential in conservative political circles—reiterated his commitment to what he described as “the declassification of truth.”
“The American people deserve to know what their government knew, and when they knew it. This is about trust, this is about history, and this is about justice,” the statement read.
Trump’s decision to include the MLK files alongside those of the Kennedy brothers marked a significant departure from previous administrations, many of which delayed such disclosures citing national security concerns.
Though some redactions remain, researchers say the level of transparency is unprecedented.
“The scope of what’s being released here is breathtaking,” said Dr. Karen Louis, a civil rights historian at Howard University. “We’re looking at an unfiltered window into the mindset of the American intelligence and law enforcement communities at a time of extraordinary racial and political tension.”
Louis emphasized the broader implications of the disclosure. “This is not just about who pulled the trigger in Memphis. This is about the institutional framework that enabled the vilification of a nonviolent moral leader, and the implications that framework continues to have today.”
The newly declassified documents may also offer insight into the global impact of King’s activism, with some files reportedly detailing the FBI’s efforts to monitor King’s contacts in Europe, Africa, and Latin America. International reaction to King’s assassination had sparked widespread condemnation and riots in more than 100 U.S. cities, underlining his stature as a global icon.
Reverend Al Sharpton, speaking on MSNBC, called the document release “a long overdue reckoning.”
“The truth is finally catching up with the lies,” Sharpton said. “Let these pages speak. Let them cry out. Let them remind the world who Dr. King really was—and what America tried to do to silence him.”
The King family, while wary of how the information might be interpreted, expressed hope that the process would further educate the public and inspire new generations of activists.
“We have always known our father was a threat—not because he advocated violence, but because he called for a radical transformation of the moral fabric of America,” their statement read. “These files will show just how threatened the system felt by love, justice, and nonviolent resistance.”
As the world reads through the once-secret files, one thing appears certain: the struggle to understand, honor, and preserve the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is far from over.