What Information Did the New JFK Files Reveal?

The National Archives released 64,000 pages related to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Tuesday. 

The Details: The files haven't overturned the finding that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in his assassination of the president, but have revealed new circumstantial evidence supporting other theories, though there's no "smoking gun". It's unclear how many of the files were new and which were previously released; the New York Times (Lean Left bias) said it could take weeks to sift through them all. 

Oswald's Foreign Ties: One report from Russia, included in the release, noted Oswald was “a lousy shot” and confirmed he was not a KGB agent, but Russia did watch him closely. The documents shed light on the CIA's covert operations in the 1960s, including how it tapped telephones in Mexico City to monitor Soviet and Cuban communications. The files confirm Oswald's visits to Soviet and Cuban embassies before the assassination.

CIA Involvement: A memo dated June 1967 details how a former US Army intelligence officer, Gary Underhill, accused “a small clique within the CIA” of being behind the assassination. Less than six months later, Underhill was shot dead in his apartment in what the coroner ruled a suicide. 

How The Media Covered It: The Daily Mail (Right) led with a sensational headline, saying the “bombshells” left Trump's national security team “stunned.” The New York Times, in contrast, downplayed the documents, saying they offered “few revelations so far.” CBS News (Lean Left) and ABC News (Lean Left) focused on Oswald's foreign ties, while the New York Post (Lean Right) emphasized Underhill's accusation. 

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