Why Is the Government Withholding Documents About JFK's Assassination?

[Octafish]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by ellisonz (a host of the General Discussion forum).

Russ baker of WhoWhatWhy.com wants to know:



Why Is the Government Withholding Documents About JFK's Assassination?

JFK assassination documents offer surprising lessons about government secrecy -- and Obama's presidency.

Russ Baker
WhoWhatWhy.com June 1, 2012

EXCERPT...

Believe it or not, more than 50,000 pages of JFK assassination–related documents are being withheld in full. And an untold number of documents have been partially withheld or released with everything interesting blacked out. But why?

SNIP...

We Want to Hear from You (But That’s It — We Just Want to Hear from You)

Earlier this year, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) asked, on its online Open Government Forum, for suggestions from the public about what it could do to create greater transparency. The #1 most popular idea? Get those Kennedy records out — before Nov. 22, 2013, the fiftieth anniversary of the Dallas tragedy.

But instead of dealing honestly with this matter, the feds have resorted to disinformation. In an interview with the Boston Globe, the Archivist of the United States claimed that at two public forums held on open records, the most public comments came from people interested either in the JFK assassination or … in UFOs.

Except for one thing: James Lesar, an attorney and co-founder of the Assassination Archives and Research Center (AARC), a D.C.-based nonprofit that has fought a long and valiant fight on behalf of the public interest in disclosure, attended both of those forums and says that, as he recalls, there were no people there asking about UFOs, or that at most it was of negligible interest. In fact, a look at NARA’s online idea forum (now closed) showed no UFO proposals or comments.

CONTINUED...

http://www.alternet.org/rights/155693/why_is_the_government_withholding_documents_about_jfk%27s_assassination_/

Yeah. I'd like to know why, too.

[the other one]

1. I would like to know.

I'm not holding my breath.

[zeemike]

2. They sealed the records for 75 years

so that those that participated and all that remember it are dead and gone and then the official story can made to be real.
And to question it now is to be compared to UFOs and other conspiracy theories that can be used to ridicule you...
And I am sure you will get some of that now..

[stopbush]

3. Conspiracy idiots.

From the easily accessed Wikipedia:

The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, or the JFK Records Act, is a public law passed by the United States Congress, effective October 26, 1992. It directed the National Archives and Records Administration to establish a collection of records to be known as the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection. It stated that the collection shall consist of copies of all U.S. government records relating to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, which shall be transmitted to the National Archives. Assassination records also included those created or made available for use by, obtained by, or otherwise came into the possession of any state or local law enforcement office that provided support or assistance or performed work in connection with a federal inquiry into the assassination.

The Act requires that each assassination record be publicly disclosed in full, and be available in the collection no later than the date that is 25 years after the date of enactment of the Act (i.e., October 26, 2017), unless the President of the United States certifies that: (1) continued postponement is made necessary by an identifiable harm to the military defense, intelligence operations, law enforcement, or conduct of foreign relations; and (2) the identifiable harm is of such gravity that it outweighs the public interest in disclosure.

The Act established, as an independent agency, the Assassination Records Review Board to consider and render decisions when a U.S. government office sought to postpone the disclosure of assassination records. The Board met for four years, from October 1, 1994 to September 30, 1998. When the Act was passed in 1992, 98 percent of all Warren Commission documents had been released to the public. By the time the Board disbanded, all Warren Commission documents, except income tax returns, had been released to the public, with only minor redactions.[1]

As of 2012 there are 50,000 pages of government documents relating to the assassination that have not been released. Those will be released in 5 years.

[Slit Skirt]

8. Wikipedia ...Really?

do some homework

Best Evidence
David S Lifton

Documented information gathered because of the FOI, but prior to the archives being locked
it will be a paradigm shift

[Bolo Boffin]

4. As a host of Creative Speculation, I invite you

to post this thread where it belongs -- not in General Discussion, but Creative Speculation.

[MrMickeysMom]

5. Never should have withheld any of them...

This is the frustrating thing, Octafish, but I'm preaching to the choir.

[Archae]

6. There was one big coverup that is documented.

Namely the FBI files on Oswald, you see, because Oswald was a far-left loony, the FBI was spying on him.

So him being the JFK shooter showed what a total botch the FBI made of this.

Don't forget J. Edgar loved to cultivate that "The FBI can do no wrong" meme, and this botch would have made J. Edgar look like the publicity hound and ditwit he was.

[Ruby the Liberal]

7. Hoover died in 1972

40 years ago.

[Slit Skirt]

9. a great book on this is Best Evidence

by David S. Lifton

included are actual documents gathered with FOI, but before things were locked up in archives. One document is the autopsy report. The first statement out of the autopsy doctor's mouth prior to any work is "there is apparant surgery to the head"

again...this is BEFORE the autopsy took place.

no conspiracy..just facts

[Kablooie]

10. I remember hearing back in the 60's that some of the documents wouldn't be released until 2063

They were to be withheld until everyone living at the time of the assassination was gone.

[Go Vols]

11. and

the only reason being,is that the govt. is hiding something.
Why else would you not be allowed to see why the prez of your country was killed?

[sabrina 1]

12. Do the people in this country have no say in anything?

The #1 most popular idea? Get those Kennedy records out — before Nov. 22, 2013, the fiftieth anniversary of the Dallas tragedy.

But instead of dealing honestly with this matter, the feds have resorted to disinformation

So they ask the public for ideas on instituting more transparency, the public responds, and the government says 'no'. They treat the people of this country like children.

[ellisonz]

13. Locking

"No conspiracy theories"

I suggest taking up the Creative Speculation Host's suggestion above to re-post in that arena.

Thank you for understanding.

Sincerely,

-ellisonz
GD Host