Niamh Shackleton
The CIA has released a series of new documents on the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy (RFK).
For 'maximum transparency' purposes, President Trump signed an order that would see the declassification of files regarding the killings of RFK, whose son RFK Jr. is the current US Secretary of Health and Human Services for the Trump administration, President John F. Kennedy (JFK), and Martin Luther King Jr.
Part of the legislation, which was signed in January, read: "The Executive Order establishes the policy that, more than 50 years after these assassinations, the victims’ families and the American people deserve the truth."
Sticking to his word, the CIA have now released a whopping 1,450 pages on RFK's assassination, almost 57 years to the day of his death on June 6, 1968.
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The CIA said of the pages it has now released: "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."
Some of the documents reveal a chilling note that was penned by RFK's killer Sirhan Sirhan. He was convicted of killing JFK's brother in April 1968 and is currently serving life in prison.
The convicted criminal, now 81, had initially received the death penalty but this was changed in 1972 for a life sentence after a temporary execution ban in California.
On a piece of paper, Sirhan repeatedly scrawled 'R.F.K. must die, RFK must be killed, Robert F. Kennedy must be assassinated'.
On a separate note, he penned that 'Kennedy must fall', The National reports.
Speaking about the release of these documents, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said that doing so enables to CIA to 'shine light on information that serves the public interest'.
"I am proud to share our work on this incredibly important topic with the American people," he added.
Echoing similar sentiments, US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard added: "Today’s release is another important step in fulfilling President Trump’s commitment to maximum transparency. Thank you to those at the CIA, ODNI, and NARA who worked hard to locate, review, and digitize these documents, many of which have never been released publicly before.
"We will continue coordinating with our partners across the Intelligence Community to fulfill President Trump’s promise of maximum transparency."
The newly released materials bring the total number of CIA documents declassified and published on this matter to more than 200, amounting to nearly 5,000 pages.