Release of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Assassination Files Stirs Controversy

A trove of files regarding Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, including FBI surveillance records, has been made public by the Trump administration. King's family denounced the release, highlighting concerns over misuse and privacy violations.

In a landmark decision, the Trump administration has made available a significant collection of files related to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This extensive archive includes nearly 230,000 pages of FBI surveillance documents that had been kept from public view due to a court order since 1977. The release has faced backlash from members of King’s family, particularly his two surviving children, who have publicly opposed the documentation's dissemination. They issued a poignant statement emphasizing the importance of approaching this sensitive material with empathy and respect for the family's ongoing grief.

Dr. King, a pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement and a Baptist minister, was assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968, at the age of 39. James Earl Ray, a known criminal, confessed to the murder but subsequently recanted his admission. The release of these files, as noted in the family’s statement, must be interpreted within the historical context of King’s life, characterized by a relentless and invasive surveillance campaign led by then-FBI director J. Edgar Hoover.

The King's family criticized the government's actions as intrusively violating their father’s privacy and labeled the surveillance practices as deliberate attempts to distort the truth surrounding Dr. King's legacy. President Trump had previously committed to releasing these documents during his campaign, asserting a willingness to bring to light the files associated with both King's assassination and those of former Presidents John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. In January, he signed an executive order mandating the declassification of records related to these high-profile assassinations.