JFK files release live updates: Trump orders declassification of documents uncovering assassination attempts on foreign leaders

Ever since the president's assassination in 1963 there has been intense speculation

Andrew Buncombe
New York
,Clark Mindock,Jeremy B. White
Thursday 26 October 2017 16:58 BST
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What are the JFK files?

The JFK files have been released by US President Donald Trump. It is hoped the declassification of the documents will reveal the full details of what the official investigation into the assassination of John F Kennedy found. It is the final batch of documents related to the 1963 tragedy that shook American life and politics to its core.

Ever since JFK's murder, myriad conspiracy theories have abounded over his death. While many are unfounded, what the files could could shed light on is the activities of Lee Harvey Oswald in the months before he shot the US president during a Dallas, Texas parade.

Trump has already called the files "so interesting", although what this means is unclear.

For the latest updates, follow our liveblog below :

What might be in these documents?​

First off, the final batch contains more than 3,000 files, and each of those files could contain hundreds of individual documents. Those documents are said to include a handwritten note from Jackie Kennedy after the killing about funeral plans, and other potentially interesting records like that. In total, the remaining files represent just 1 per cent of the total documents.

Reports indicate that the last batch of JFK assassination documents may also contain several references to Oswald’s travels to Mexico City in September 1963, just two months before Kennedy was killed in his motorcade.

The documents could detail the actions of prominent Mexican officials who at the time may have provided information to the CIA and other American agencies just before the assassination.

Others note that the JFK documents could contain information on CIA agents involved in monitoring phone calls in Mexico City, or involved in larger spy operations in Central and Latin America.

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