The CIA has released over 1,400 pages of newly declassified documents concerning the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, reigniting long-standing questions about the assassin’s motives and Kennedy’s own ties to U.S. intelligence agencies.
At a Glance
- The CIA declassified 1,450 pages, including 54 previously classified documents
- The files include psychological evaluations of assassin Sirhan Sirhan
- Sirhan expressed anger over Kennedy’s support for Israel, citing it in his writings
- RFK served briefly as a CIA informant after a trip to the USSR in 1955
- The release follows Trump’s 2025 Executive Order mandating declassification
No Smoking Gun—But Plenty of Smoke
The newly unsealed files provide detailed psychological assessments of Sirhan Sirhan, the man convicted of killing Robert F. Kennedy in 1968. According to internal CIA and FBI evaluations, Sirhan acted alone but may have been an “unwitting tool” in a broader ideological conflict. The documents cite his obsessive writings, including the chilling phrase “Kennedy must fall,” which appeared repeatedly in his notebooks.
Though the intelligence agencies reaffirm conclusions from previous investigations, the release includes new context—namely, that Sirhan’s motive appears linked to Kennedy’s pro-Israel stance, which Sirhan reportedly viewed as a betrayal of Palestinians. His recollections have been inconsistent over the years, and by 1989, he expressed both remorse and memory gaps related to the shooting, further complicating conspiracy theories.
RFK and the CIA: A Surprising Connection
Perhaps the most startling detail is that Robert F. Kennedy had briefly worked with the CIA himself. In 1955, following a trip to the Soviet Union, Kennedy voluntarily submitted diary notes, observations, and photographs to the agency—an act that effectively made him a short-term civilian informant. This detail, revealed in Associated Press coverage, underscores the tangled relationship between Cold War politics and domestic leadership.
The implications are subtle but significant: Kennedy, often positioned as a critic of covert operations, had at times assisted the same agency later criticized for withholding records related to his death. That contradiction has energized conspiracy theorists and historians alike.
A Cascade of Classified Disclosures
The RFK release is the latest in a sweeping transparency campaign initiated by Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14176 in January 2025. The directive compelled intelligence agencies to release documents related to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy by the end of the year.
In the months prior, the Trump administration declassified over 63,000 pages connected to JFK’s assassination, along with 70,000 pages regarding RFK across April and May. Each wave of releases adds granularity to the historical record but stops short of validating longstanding claims of coordinated plots.
Still, the files open new avenues for researchers while reinforcing the prevailing conclusion: Sirhan Sirhan likely acted alone—but in a time and context shaped by deeper geopolitical forces.
