Area 51. Extra-terrestrial life on the moon. The NSA’s violation of privacy. These concepts are all common in the average American’s mind regarding the secrets that the government tries to keep from the public, but what else is the American government hiding from its citizens? On October 26, 2017, the Trump administration released 2,800 pages regarding the assassination of John F. Kennedy and other affairs in complying with a 1992 law mandating the documents’ release. Though roughly three hundred of the files remain classified to maintain U.S. national security, the highly-anticipated release of the files was a dream come true for conspiracy theorists all over. The question pertaining to the topic, though, is if these articles are credible enough to change the way one views American history.

On the infamous day of November 22, 1963, the beloved 35th President Kennedy was riding in an open convertible by Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, when he was shot twice and later pronounced dead in Parkland Hospital. Though many conspiracies arose following the assassination, both Ridge classrooms and schools around the entire world have all taught the same idea regarding the incident: Lee Harvey Oswald, an ex-Marine, was the lone killer in Kennedy’s death. Unfortunately, Oswald was shot to death by Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby before he could go on trial.

The articles released contain bits and pieces of gossip and rumors that the FBI and CIA have gathered over the course of the fifty-four years since the assassination. While some believe the documents to be truthful, others have fully denounced the articles, claiming them to be tales and fantasies. Even JFK’s own grandson, Jack Schlossberg, called the release of the articles a “newsworthy story without much newsworthy information… a recounting of the most popular conspiracy theories…”. Many others agree with Schlossberg, arguing that the articles are indeed a heavily-edited press release rather than the absolute truth. But to understand the issue over what is true versus what is false, one must explore the details surrounding certain events in these newly released articles to come to a complete conclusion.

The most popular conspiracy surrounding the assassination was whether Lee Harvey Oswald was JFK’s murderer; if so, did he act alone? Many of the released papers have stated that the Soviets accused Kennedy’s vice president, Lyndon B. Johnson, to be the assassination’s mastermind. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover said he was aware of a U.S. intelligence mole in Moscow’s claim that the KGB was “in possession of data purporting to indicate Johnson was responsible for the assassination” in a note from December 1, 1966.  To compound this, according to a separate memo regarding the Surgeon General’s report stated the first bullet “entered the President’s throat below the adam’s apple”. This evidence proves there was more than one shooter, as Oswald would not have been able to shoot Kennedy in the throat; he was situated in a building behind the moving convertible.

Though there are many conspiracy theories highlighted in the JFK articles, another interesting facet to the articles’ release is the idea that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler faked his suicide in the bunker and escaped to South America, living the rest of his days out in Colombia in the 1950s. The documents reveal that an ex-SS agent named Philip Citroen “saw a man who strongly resembled Hitler while working in ‘Residencias Coloniales,’ a neighborhood populated by former Nazis”. Though the CIA found this account dubious, many people have questioned Hitler’s death, since his body was never recovered. In fact, certain shows such as the History Channel’s Hunting Hitler have explored the idea that the leader was still alive long after the war’s end. As for what the general public believes, Sydney Collins ’21 stated that “it’s possible that Hitler faked his death. I didn’t think it would be in his character to commit suicide.” Similar to learning about JFK’s assassination, students at Ridge and all over are taught that Hitler committed suicide by cyanide in his Berlin bunker in April of 1945. U.S. History teacher Mrs. Lamberti stated that in her classes, students “don’t explore [conspiracy theories] specifically in class, but I encourage interested students to research various perspectives on a given event because there is a lot of misinformation that circulates, especially on the internet.” However, many challenge this concept written in the history books, as shown in the released JFK articles.

Some view the documents as complete hoaxes and dramatized conspiracy theories, while others claim that they’re the undeniable truth. Perhaps Oswald acted alone in assassinating Kennedy, and Johnson had no role. It may have been a coincidence that Oswald was killed before going to trial. Perhaps Adolf Hitler died in that bunker. Whether the documents’ information is credible or not, the release of the JFK articles is a realization of the truth in the sense that people know that the government is hiding information regarding American history from them. After over half a decade, these articles are only being released now, with plenty more documents promised to come by the end of April.

Many have discredited the president’s decision to release the JFK articles, including The Atlantic, as it has stated that Trump only released the articles because it would serve him well to have the “American people talk about anything other than his false claims about comforting grieving military families—and subsequent scramble to prove them”.  But many disagree with this idea such as Brian Pescatore ’20, who asserted that “President Trump truly believes in transparency. As someone who was on the outside for 70 years, he knows how it feels to be in the dark on issues like the JFK assassination.” It is not a matter of the current political climate rather than an issue of enlightening the American people on the truth behind history. The American people deserve to know the certitude about their history, whether it be about the assassination of JFK or the death of Adolf Hitler. The release of the JFK articles brings the American people much closer to the truth and towards the clarity of our history as a whole.