US Martin Luther King Files Released After Half a Century, Will Assassination Conspiracy Theories Be Resolved?

[Financial News] Since taking office, US President Donald Trump, who has been releasing classified files related to various 'conspiracy theories' that have shaken modern US history, released investigation files related to black civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. on the 21st (local time). The families reacted negatively to this release, and some media suspected that Trump declassified the files to divert attention from allegations of sexual misconduct.

The US Department of Justice released investigation files written by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) regarding King on its website that day. The files, consisting of about 230,000 pages, include content written while the FBI monitored and wiretapped King's activities. These files had been sealed by court order since 1977, making public viewing impossible.

According to AP News, Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence (DNI), stated in a statement, "The American people have been waiting for almost 60 years for the federal government's comprehensive investigation records on the assassination of this civil rights leader." She continued, "In our mission to ensure full transparency on this significant and tragic event in our nation's history, we will leave no stone unturned." Gabbard explained that only "minimal editing for privacy reasons" was done on the materials to be released.

King, who set the record as the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner at the age of 35 in 1964, was shot dead in April 1968 at the age of 39. The person who killed King at the time was a 40-year-old right-wing man named James Earl Ray. During the trial, he claimed that there was another real culprit and that a large force was behind the incident. King's family also suspected that the incident was not Ray's sole crime. The assassination of King has become a famous conspiracy theory in American political history, with various forces such as the US government and the mafia being mentioned as the background.





On January 23, Trump issued an executive order instructing the release of government classified documents on not only the King assassination case but also the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (JFK) in 1963 and the assassination of his brother, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, in 1968. He emphasized that "the American people and families deserve transparency and truth" regarding the three major assassination cases, which are called representative conspiracy theory cases. The classified documents of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy were released in March and April, respectively.

AP reported that it is unclear whether the newly released materials will immediately reveal new facts about King's life and death. Rather, King's family is skeptical about the release of FBI surveillance records. King was known for his complicated relationships with women during his lifetime.

King's children, Martin Luther King III (67) and Bernice King (62), stated in a statement, "These files should be evaluated in their historical context," and while they "support transparency and historical accountability," they are concerned that it could become a source of attack on their father's public achievements. They requested "empathy and restraint from those involved in this file release, and respect for our family's continued grief."

Meanwhile, AP pointed out that this record release could be a political 'distraction.' Currently, Trump is facing allegations of being involved in a sex trafficking case related to billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019. AP speculated that Trump might be trying to appease supporters by delaying the release of related documents despite their demands.



pjw@fnnews.com Park Jong-won Reporter