Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Jul 22: In a landmark move, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced the public release of more than 230,000 pages of previously classified documents tied to the assassination of civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The files, held under lock and key for nearly six decades, were made available as part of a broader declassification initiative ordered by President Donald Trump, just three days after taking office in January.

“The documents include internal FBI memos, updates on the investigation, and testimony from individuals linked to James Earl Ray — the man convicted of killing Dr. King,” Gabbard wrote in a post on social media platform X.

Some of the newly released material also contains claims from Ray’s former prison cellmate, who allegedly discussed an assassination plot with him, adding another layer to long-standing conspiracy theories.

The release follows a 1977 court order that sealed over 240,000 pages of records, keeping them stored in the National Archives for decades, beyond the reach of public scrutiny.

President Trump’s executive order covers not just the MLK case but also remaining records related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

The King family was notified ahead of the document release. While Martin Luther King III and Bernice King have begun reviewing the material through their legal teams, some family members have voiced concerns, opposing the move.

Dr. King, who was assassinated in 1968, remains a towering figure in American history — renowned for his nonviolent resistance against racial injustice and his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech that helped define the civil rights movement.

The release of these documents is expected to reignite debate and investigation into one of America’s most painful and persistent historical mysteries.