The United States government under former President Donald Trump has released thousands of documents related to the assassination of civil rights icon, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., nearly 60 years after his death.
The release comes despite objections from King’s family, who had expressed concerns about making the files public.
The documents were published on Monday, with U.S. Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, confirming the move in a statement. She said, “The American people have waited nearly sixty years to see the full scope of the federal government’s investigation into Dr. King’s assassination.”
According to Gabbard, about 230,000 pages of documents have now been made available, with only minor edits made to protect personal privacy.
The release follows an executive order signed by Trump earlier this year directing that all records related to key political assassinations of the 1960s be made public. These include the killings of U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1963, his brother Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was shot dead in April 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee.
The National Archives began the process in March with JFK’s files, followed by Robert Kennedy’s in April. The publication of the King files is the latest in the series.
The documents are expected to shed more light on the investigations and possibly answer long-standing questions about the killings, which shaped the course of American history and civil rights struggles around the world.