Tag: National Archives

CIA Director Bill Burns will advise Biden on secret JFK files

William Burns, nominee for CIA director (Credit: CBS News)

On Wednesday, the Senate Intelligence Committee will hold hearings on the nomination of longtime diplomat William Burns to be the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

If confirmed as expected, Burns will have to advise President Biden on a symbolically potent decision: whether or not to release the last of the CIA’s files related to the assassination of President Kennedy in October.

Comments to go dark

I like the fact that people come to JFK Facts to talk and learn about the assassination. Nonetheless, I plan to temporarily turn off the comments feature on the site on Wednesday, Feb 21.

Why?

New JFK documents show CIA had ‘very intensive’ interest in Oswald before JFK assassination: 

I’m re-upping this post from two years ago, because the point needs emphasizing and praise is due.

The Canadian Broadcasting Company–more than any U.S. media organization–recognized the single most important finding to come out in the very incomplete JFK document release  in  2017-18.

The Fifth Estate show on CBC News understood a fact that leading  historians resist: Accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald was not a “lone nut.” He was the target of CIA surveillance for four years before Kennedy was killed.

Documents released recently by the U.S. National Archives on President John F. Kennedy’s assassination suggest the CIA was watching Lee Harvey Oswald much more closely than previously thought before the fatal shot was fired in Dallas, an author tells The Fifth Estate.Former Washington Post reporter and author Jefferson Morley told The Fifth Estate the official story was that Oswald came out of nowhere and shot the president on Nov. 22, 1963.  “What the files show is that’s a cover story. It’s not true. High level CIA officials were paying attention to Oswald from 1959 to November 1963,” said Morley, author of several books on the assassination, the CIA and a JFK website.

The highest of those officials was counterintelligence chief James Angleton.

For the full story on the legendary Angleton, go here.

Source: New JFK documents suggest CIA had ‘very intensive’ interest in Oswald before assassination: Fifth Estate | CBC News 

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Martin Luther King

Coming Soon: A Big MLK/JFK Development

Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King

Check in with me here next Monday, January 21, Martin Luther King Day. I’m proud to be joining with lots of other people in the unveiling a major petition effort signed by more than 50 prominent American citizens. The joint statement is aimed at moving Congress to investigate deeply troubling, long-buried chapters in American history. After reading the statement, you’ll be able to join this important campaign by adding your name to the petition.

A promise broken on JFK files release 

President Trump broke his tweeted promise to release “ALL JFK files,” notes James Kelleher.

While an additional 19,000 documents were released, some 15,834 documents contained redactions, and another five hundred or more were withheld from the release. The president bought into the national security argument and again extended the time for the removal of all the redactions and final document release to October 2021.

Source: A promise broken on JFK files release | News & Views | Irish Echo

JFK Files Watch: Will the White House enforce the law?

The JFK Records Act mandates disclosure of virtually all of this material. The view of Judge John Tunheim is that this material can and should be released in full; we concur and share his disappointment that it did not happen by the statutory deadline. President Trump has expressed the view that only the names of living informants should be withheld from released JFK files after April 28, 2018. Our view is that the names of living informants should be disclosed as well, and in any case current withholding is far beyond that limited scope.

Source: Mary Ferrell Foundation Letter to U.S. Archivist March2018

JFK Files Watch: White House is reviewing Archivist’s secrecy recommendations

National ArchivesIn his Oct. 26, 2017 order concerning JFK files, President Trump set a specific time table for the CIA and other agencies that want to keep JFK secrets past April 26, 2018.

Any agency seeking to postpone release of any files must report to U.S. Archivist David Ferriero “on the specific information within particular records that meets the standard for continued postponement” under JFK Records Act, Trump said.

“Thereafter,” Trump went on, “the Archivist shall recommend to me, no later than March 26, 2018, whether the specific information within particular records identified by agencies warrants continued withholding from public disclosure after April 26, 2018.”

So I recently put two questions to Ferriero’s offiice.

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