The National Archives has released a staggering 80,000 pages of previously classified documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, following a directive from President Donald Trump. This massive document dump has reignited public interest in one of America’s most scrutinized and debated tragedies, offering new insight into CIA covert operations, Cuban assassination plots, and potential connections between JFK’s death and Cold War-era intelligence activities.
Among the most striking details in these newly revealed records is the testimony of CIA official William Sturbitts, who spoke to the Rockefeller Commission in 1975 about possible U.S. government-backed plots to assassinate Cuban Communist leader Fidel Castro. These revelations add weight to the long-standing theory that the Kennedy administration was actively working to eliminate Castro, a plan that may have played a role in the events surrounding JFK’s assassination on November 22, 1963.
According to Sturbitts’ deposition, conducted at CIA headquarters in 1975, he first heard about plans to kill Castro in late 1963, just weeks before Kennedy’s assassination. He was a part of the CIA’s Directorate of Operations from 1964 to 1973, and his knowledge came from the Miami Station and Task Force W, both heavily involved in anti-Castro operations.
One of the key figures Sturbitts referenced was Desmond Fitzgerald, the head of the CIA’s Special Activities Staff, later known as the Cuban Operations Group. Fitzgerald was deeply involved in covert action against Castro’s regime, and Sturbitts recalled overhearing a conversation in Paris in 1963, where Fitzgerald allegedly suggested that Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy was aware of these assassination plans.
The testimony also describes a CIA-backed assassination attempt involving a Cuban military official willing to kill Castro, with requests made for Belgian rifles equipped with a telescopic sight. Sturbitts claimed that Fitzgerald had direct communication with this Cuban contact and that another CIA official, Nestor Sanchez, was also involved in these discussions.
One of the most explosive claims is that these assassination efforts were coordinated through a high-level government entity called the “Special Group,” a clandestine body of national security officials dedicated to overthrowing Castro’s communist regime. While Sturbitts was uncertain if the CIA received direct orders to carry out an assassination, he was confident that the Special Group was actively involved in formulating these plans.
The release of these documents has revived speculation that JFK’s assassination may have been linked to Cuba—either as retaliation for U.S. assassination attempts against Castro or as part of a broader Cold War power struggle. Previous document releases have suggested that both John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy were personally involved in discussions about eliminating Castro.
Adding to the intrigue, the files include the “President’s Intelligence Checklist” given to President Lyndon B. Johnson on November 23, 1963—the day after JFK’s assassination. This Top Secret document, the equivalent of today’s Presidential Daily Briefing, provides insight into U.S. intelligence concerns immediately following Kennedy’s death.
Key details from the checklist include:
- Heightened Cold War tensions with the Soviet Union.
- A worsening crisis in South Vietnam, with intelligence reporting that Vietnamese Communists were working to destabilize the U.S.-backed government in Saigon.
- Intercepted Cuban military communications, which revealed that Cuban interpreters were stationed at missile sites, raising questions about the extent of Cuba’s military activities.
The documents also contain a bizarre and cryptic letter from a man named “Sergyj Czornonob,” dated 1978. Czornonob claimed that he had inside knowledge of JFK’s assassination before it happened, alleging that a Soviet consul had predicted that Lee Harvey Oswald would kill Kennedy. Czornonob also claimed to have warned the U.S. State Department about Oswald’s intentions and even suggested that he foresaw the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.
The question of who was behind JFK’s assassination has remained a topic of endless debate and controversy. The Warren Commission’s official 1964 report concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone as the sole shooter responsible for Kennedy’s death. However, in 1979, the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) cast doubt on that conclusion.
The HSCA suggested a possible conspiracy, although it failed to identify additional gunmen or clarify the nature of such a plot. However, the committee explicitly ruled out direct involvement by the CIA, FBI, or Secret Service. It also dismissed theories that the Cuban or Soviet governments orchestrated the assassination.
At the same time, the HSCA did not fully eliminate the possibility of individual actors tied to anti-Castro groups or organized crime syndicates playing a role. The Mafia, which had its own longstanding feud with the Kennedy administration, has frequently been suggested as a potential culprit, as have rogue elements within the intelligence community.
The release of these JFK files under President Trump marks one of the most significant declassifications in U.S. history. For decades, the federal government withheld critical information from the public, fueling suspicions of a cover-up regarding the true circumstances of Kennedy’s murder.
These documents provide:
✅ New evidence of CIA-backed assassination plots against Fidel Castro, which could have set the stage for a retaliatory strike against JFK.
✅ Further confirmation that high-ranking officials—possibly including Robert F. Kennedy—were involved in planning Castro’s assassination.
✅ Previously hidden intelligence memos that shed light on the Cold War tensions surrounding the assassination.
✅ Additional documents that reinforce the possibility of a conspiracy, even as the government continues to deny any direct involvement.
Despite these revelations, the full story of what happened in Dallas on November 22, 1963, remains incomplete. The question remains: Was Oswald truly acting alone, or was he a pawn in a larger geopolitical game?
While these files bring new details to light, they also leave many questions unanswered, ensuring that the debate over who really killed John F. Kennedy will continue for generations to come.
