Wait. You might think we already have the whole story. For decades, the shadow of Dealey Plaza has loomed over American history like a ghost that won't stop rattling its chains. People constantly ask, did they release the JFK files, expecting a "smoking gun" memo that spells out a grand conspiracy in black ink. The truth is way more bureaucratic, frustrating, and surprisingly transparent than the movies suggest.
It’s been over sixty years.
Back in 1992, Congress passed the JFK Records Collection Act. This was a big deal. It basically said that every single scrap of paper related to the assassination of John F. Kennedy had to be made public by October 2017. When that deadline finally hit during the Trump administration, everyone held their breath. But instead of a total dump, we got a trickle. Then came the Biden administration, which oversaw more massive releases in 2021 and 2022.
As of right now, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) says that over 99% of the collection is public. That sounds like a win. But that remaining 1%? That's where the drama lives.
The 99% vs. The Holdouts
So, did they release the JFK files in full? Not quite.
While the vast majority of the 5 million pages are sitting in a Maryland research room or available online, several thousand documents remain partially redacted. "Redacted" is just a fancy way of saying someone took a black Sharpie to the interesting bits. Most of these edits involve names of CIA sources who might still be alive, or specific "intelligence methods" that the government claims are still sensitive.
It's kinda wild when you think about it. We are talking about events from 1963. Does a "method" from the height of the Cold War really need to be top secret in 2026? The CIA and FBI clearly think so. They argue that revealing how they tracked Lee Harvey Oswald in Mexico City could still tip off modern adversaries. Critics, like the Mary Ferrell Foundation, think that’s total nonsense. They actually sued the government to get the rest of it out.
What we learned from the most recent dumps
The documents released over the last few years haven't given us a photo of a second gunman on the Grassy Knoll, but they did flesh out the "vibe" of 1963. We found out a lot more about Oswald’s trip to Mexico City just weeks before the shooting. We know he visited the Soviet and Cuban embassies. We know the CIA was watching him much more closely than they originally admitted to the Warren Commission.
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Honestly, the biggest takeaway from the recent releases isn't a new killer; it's the massive level of incompetence and "CYA" (cover your assets) within the intelligence community. They weren't necessarily hiding a plot to kill the President—they were hiding how badly they'd screwed up by losing track of a guy like Oswald.
Why some files are still hidden in 2026
You've gotta understand the legal loophole. The 1992 law allows the President to postpone the disclosure of records if "identifiable harm to the military defense, intelligence operations, law enforcement, or conduct of foreign relations" outweighs the public interest.
Every time a deadline comes up, the alphabet agencies (CIA, FBI, NSA) go to the Oval Office with a list of reasons why the world isn't ready. And usually, the President listens. In June 2023, President Biden issued an executive order that supposedly "finalized" the process, moving the remaining secret bits into a formal "Transparency Plan."
- Some files are literally missing or "lost" over the decades.
- Certain tax return information is protected by different laws.
- Names of informants who are now 90-year-old men in foreign countries are still blurred.
It’s not one big secret. It’s a thousand tiny ones.
The Mexico City Mystery
If you want to know why people keep asking did they release the JFK files, look at the Mexico City cables. This is the heart of the remaining mystery. We know Oswald was there. We know he was trying to get a visa. What we don't fully have are the raw transcripts of the wiretaps the CIA had on those embassies.
Researchers like Jefferson Morley, a former Washington Post journalist, have spent years digging into these specific files. Morley points to a guy named George Joannides. Joannides was a CIA officer who worked with anti-Castro groups that had contact with Oswald. For years, the CIA didn't tell the HSCA (House Select Committee on Assassinations) about Joannides' role. When we ask if the files are out, we’re often asking about Joannides.
Some of his personnel files were among the "final" releases, but they were still heavily edited. That’s what keeps the fire burning for researchers. If there’s nothing to hide, why the Sharpie?
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The "Oswald was an Asset" Theory
One of the biggest reasons people scan every new release is to see if Oswald was on the payroll. No document has ever explicitly stated "Lee Harvey Oswald, CIA Employee #1234." However, the files do show that the agency was "interested" in him. They had a 201 file (a personality file) on him long before the assassination.
The documents show a high-stakes game of telephone where various offices knew parts of Oswald's history—his defection to the USSR, his pro-Castro activism in New Orleans—but no one put the pieces together. Or if they did, they didn't tell the Secret Service.
How to actually read the files yourself
You don't need a security clearance to see this stuff. The National Archives has a dedicated JFK Assassination Records Collection page. You can download PDFs of the 2021, 2022, and 2023 releases.
It’s a slog.
You’ll find thousands of pages of mundane expenses, internal memos about office furniture, and dry reports on Cuban student groups. But buried in there are the "gems." Like the memo where an FBI agent warns that a "Committee to Civilize the White House" was planning a protest, or the frantic cables sent in the hours after the shots rang out in Dallas.
- Visit the National Archives JFK Database.
- Look for the "Massive Data Download" sections.
- Search for specific names like "David Atlee Phillips" or "E. Howard Hunt."
What’s the bottom line?
So, did they release the JFK files? Yes, mostly. The government has successfully moved the goalposts for years, but we are closer to "full disclosure" than we have ever been. We have roughly 99% of the record. The remaining 1% is unlikely to contain a confession, but it likely contains embarrassing proof of how the CIA and FBI operated in the 1960s.
The reality is that for many, no amount of released paper will ever be enough. If a document says Oswald acted alone, skeptics say it was planted. If a document is redacted, they say the truth is under the black ink.
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Actionable Steps for the Curious
If you’re ready to move past the headlines and see what’s actually happening with the JFK files, here is how you can practically engage with the history as it stands today.
1. Check the Mary Ferrell Foundation website
This is the gold standard for JFK research. They take the raw, messy PDFs from the National Archives and turn them into a searchable, cross-referenced database. If you want to know if a specific person's name appears in the new releases, start here.
2. Ignore the "Clickbait" Revelations
Every few months, a YouTube video or a "documentary" will claim a new file proves a specific conspiracy. Always check the NARA (National Archives) number on the document. Most "new" discoveries are actually documents that have been public since the 1990s but are just now being seen by a wider audience.
3. Focus on the "Postponement" Lists
Instead of looking at what was released, look at the logs of what was withheld. NARA publishes lists of exactly which documents are still redacted and why. This gives you a roadmap of where the government is still feeling defensive.
4. Support Legislative Transparency
There is ongoing pressure for the "JFK Act" to be enforced to its literal letter, meaning zero redactions. Following groups like the "Assassination Archives and Research Center" (AARC) will keep you updated on the legal battles to get that final 1% into the light.
The story isn't over. It’s just buried under sixty years of filing cabinets and red tape. The more we look, the more we realize that the "secret" might not be a single person in a window, but a massive, systemic failure of the institutions meant to protect the country.