Payam Javan: In a historic transparency move, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, under a January executive order from President Trump, released over 230,000 pages of previously sealed FBI, CIA, Department of Justice, and National Archives documents relating to the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This trove includes internal memos, investigative leads, CIA intelligence on James Earl Ray’s escape, and testimony from a former Ray cellmate suggesting a broader conspiracy

While the release was praised by King’s niece, Dr. Alveda King, as a “historic step towards truth,” it drew concern from his surviving children, Martin Luther King III and Bernice King. They emphasized the need for empathy and historical context, warning against any misuse of the files that could tarnish their father’s legacy—especially given past FBI efforts to discredit him under J. Edgar Hoover

Historians and civil rights leaders are now expected to scrutinize the documents for new insights or confirmation of long‑standing conspiracy theories, though no definitive revelations have yet emerged.