One of the last pictures to be taken of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., speaking to a mass rally in Memphis on April 3, 1968. Credit – Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
The Trump Administration on Monday released a trove of FBI documents related to the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., ending a court-ordered seal that had kept the documents out of public view since they were collected by the FBI in 1977.
The release includes more than 230,000 pages of records detailing the FBI’s investigation into King’s assassination, including internal bureau memos, foreign intelligence cables, and previously unpublished material related to James Earl Ray, the man who pleaded guilty to King’s assassination before recanting.
It was not immediately clear if the documents would reveal any new information about King’s murder or his life.
King’s family released a statement on Monday urging the public to view the files “within their full historical context,” noting the personal nature of the matter. They also reiterated their belief that Ray was not solely responsible for King’s death.
“As the children of Dr. King and Mrs. Coretta Scott King, his tragic death has been an intensely personal grief—a devastating loss for his wife, children, and the granddaughter he never met — an absence our family has endured for over 57 years,” they wrote in a statement reviewed by The Associated Press. “We ask those who engage with the release of these files to do so with empathy, restraint, and respect for our family’s continuing grief.”
In a statement, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard described the release as a “historic step” that fulfills President Donald Trump’s Executive Order issued in January that directed agencies to declassify and publish assassination records related to King, President John F. Kennedy, and Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
“The American people have waited nearly sixty years to see the full scope of the federal government’s investigation into Dr. King’s assassination,” Gabbard said. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are ensuring that no stone is left unturned in our mission to deliver complete transparency on this pivotal and tragic event in our nation’s history. I extend my deepest appreciation to the King family for their support.”
The files were originally not scheduled for public release until 2027, 50 years after they were put under court-ordered seal.
King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, while visiting Memphis. In the lead-up to his death, he had increasingly turned his focus toward economic justice and opposition to the Vietnam War, drawing heightened scrutiny from political leaders and law enforcement. Then-FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover authorized an aggressive campaign of wiretaps, hotel room bugs, and disinformation intended to discredit King and undermine the civil rights movement.
Though Ray pleaded guilty to the assassination, he later tried to withdraw the plea and insisted he was not involved. Members of King’s family have long expressed doubts about Ray’s role, with Coretta Scott King and others publicly calling for a broader investigation into possible government involvement. A Justice Department inquiry concluded in 2000 that there was no evidence to support those assertions.
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which King co-founded in 1957, opposed the release, arguing that the FBI illegally surveilled King and other civil rights figures.
The timing of the MLK files’ release has raised questions, as the Trump Administration is currently facing pressure over its refusal to release additional files related to the federal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender who died in custody in 2019. Trump last week ordered the release of limited grand jury testimony but declined to unseal the full case file, prompting frustration among his supporters.
Write to Nik Popli at nik.popli@time.com.
