Key Takeaways:
• President Donald Trump has signed an executive order for the declassification of any remaining documents related to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• The move is part of Trump’s efforts to restore transparency and accountability to government by reversing the overclassification of government documents.
• Specifics about the content or timing of the document releases are yet to be defined by White House officials.
• The effect of FBI surveillance efforts on the assassination, given their history of targeting King through COINTELPRO, was explored but found to have been singularly executed by James Earl Ray.
President Donald Trump, in a major administrative decision, has greenlit the declassification of remaining sealed records about the assassination of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The announcement came on Thursday, January 23, shortly after Trump’s inauguration. It’s believed that this move will shed more light on one of the most significant assassinations in American history.
Trump’s Endeavor: Transparency and Accountability in Government
In a rally on his inauguration eve, Trump expressed his commitment to increase governmental transparency and accountability. His administration, he stated, aims to “reverse the overclassification of government documents”. This decision, he hopes, will extend to the ongoing concealment of records on topics of great public interest, including but not limited to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert Kennedy, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
A Glimpse into the MKL Jr. Assassination
The assassination of the civil rights icon took place in Memphis on April 4, 1968, as he stood on the balcony of the old Lorraine Motel. King, aged 39 at the time, succumbed to a neck bullet wound at a local hospital.
James Earl Ray, a career criminal, was indicted for the assassination following an international manhunt. After escaping from the Missouri State Penitentiary while serving a 20-year sentence, Ray hid for 11 months before his arrest at Heathrow Airport, London on June 8, 1968.
The Other Side of the Story: The FBI’s Alleged Complicity
Since the assassination, there have been speculations and allegations regarding FBI’s complicity in King’s murder. It is well known that King had been under FBI surveillance for years as part of the COINTELPRO counterintelligence program. This prompted a select committee to conduct an investigation into the FBI’s involvement.
Although the committee did not find any solid evidence of FBI complicity, serious flaws were found in the bureau’s post-assassination investigation methods. A report, exposing the “full scope of the FBI’s attempts to discredit Dr. King,” was also published by a Senate select committee.
Moving Forward: Uncertainty Regarding the Document Release
Despite Trump’s executive order, the specific files set for release have yet to be defined by White House officials. Furthermore, the timeline of the release or releases remains undisclosed.
FBI documents, especially those concerning wiretaps of King, might be particularly sensitive. These files were sealed for 50 years by a federal judge in 1977, prohibiting their public release until February 2027 without court orders.
The declassification of these historical records is indeed a significant gesture of governmental transparency. However, only the full disclosure of these files will unveil the complete picture of the circumstances surrounding King’s assassination, answering long-standing questions and perhaps raising new ones.