Washington — The CIA released a new batch of declassified documents surrounding the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, acting on an executive order that President Trump issued soon after taking office.
“The records reveal for the first time that Senator Kennedy shared his experiences traveling to the former Soviet Union with CIA, reflecting his patriotic commitment to serving his country,” the CIA said in a statement accompanying the release.
The disclosure includes 54 newly declassified documents and totals 1,450 pages.
Kennedy was shot and killed by Sirhan Sirhan after the Democratic presidential primary in California in June 1968, four and a half years after President John F. Kennedy, his brother, was slain in Dallas.
The president ordered the intelligence community to review and release documents related to the RFK, JFK and Martin Luther King Jr. assassinations in an executive order in January. A large batch of JFK documents was unveiled in March, with tens of thousands of pages of additional material. The Trump administration previously released two other tranches of documents related to RFK: roughly 10,000 pages in April and 60,000 pages in May.
“Today’s release delivers on President Trump’s commitment to maximum transparency, enabling the CIA to shine light on information that serves the public interest,” CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in a statement about the new documents. “I am proud to share our work on this incredibly important topic with the American people.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., RFK’s son, welcomed the release in a statement.
“Lifting the veil on the RFK papers is a necessary step toward restoring trust in American government,” the younger RFK said. “I commend President Trump for his courage and his commitment to transparency. I’m grateful also to Tulsi Gabbard and John Ratcliffe for their dogged efforts to root out and declassify these documents.”
Stefan Becket is a managing editor of politics for CBSNews.com. Stefan has covered national politics for more than a decade and helps oversee a team covering the White House, Congress, the Supreme Court, immigration and federal law enforcement.
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