The U.S. government has released a massive collection of documents related to the assassination of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., offering new insight into one of the most pivotal moments in American history.
More than 230,000 pages of records are now public, according to a statement from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. She emphasized the need for full transparency, saying, “The American people deserve to understand the full extent of what happened.”
This release follows an executive order signed by former President Donald Trump aimed at declassifying files tied to the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr., President John F. Kennedy, and Robert F. Kennedy. Earlier this year, records from the JFK and RFK cases were also made public.
King, who was killed in April 1968 in Memphis, is widely believed to have been assassinated by James Earl Ray — who later died in prison. However, King’s family has long questioned that narrative. On Monday, his children, Martin Luther King III and Bernice King, expressed their unease over the newly released files.
While they support truth and transparency, the siblings voiced concern that the documents could reignite efforts to distort their father’s legacy. They pointed to the FBI’s infamous campaign under J. Edgar Hoover, which they described as a calculated attempt to smear and sabotage both King and the civil rights movement.
“We urge the public to approach these files with empathy and care,” they said. “This is not just history — it’s deeply personal.”
As these files spark renewed interest, parallels are once again being drawn to the controversial and heavily scrutinized assassinations of the Kennedy brothers. Despite official conclusions that Lee Harvey Oswald and Sirhan Sirhan acted alone, many remain unconvinced, and conspiracy theories persist.
This latest release promises to fuel discussion, reflection, and, perhaps, a deeper understanding of how these tragic events shaped a generation — and the country.
