In an effort to deliver on President Donald Trump’s promise of maximum transparency, the CIA released more than 1,000 documents on the RFK assassination on Thursday.
The files could shed new light on the motivations of Sirhan Sirhan, the Palestinian-born Jordanian citizen convicted of Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination on June 5, 1968. They include a psychological profile of Sirhan and several of his handwritten notes—one of which reads, “Kennedy must fall” and “tonight, tonight.”
Other documents reveal details of a 1955 trip RFK took to the Soviet Union with then–Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, during which Kennedy reportedly “served the Agency as a voluntary informant.”
“Today’s release delivers on President Trump’s commitment to maximum transparency, enabling the CIA to shine light on information that serves the public interest,” said CIA Director John Ratcliffe in a statement.
Ratcliffe shared more details in a post on X.
“Per my press release, these declassified CIA records include fascinating details of Senator Robert F. Kennedy’s deep patriotism and love of country through his work as a voluntary CIA informant during a 1955 visit to the Soviet Union, then America’s top adversary,” the CIA Director posted.
Per my press release, these declassified CIA records include fascinating details of Senator Robert F. Kennedy’s deep patriotism and love of country through his work as a voluntary CIA informant during a 1955 visit to the Soviet Union, then America’s top adversary. https://t.co/NBQHSA1l2p pic.twitter.com/SNwNFILJLi
— CIA Director John Ratcliffe (@CIADirector) June 12, 2025
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard also released a statement on X:
“Today’s release is another important step in fulfilling President Trump’s maximum transparency pledge to rebuild trust in the Intelligence Community.
Thank you to those at the CIA, ODNI, and NARA who worked hard to locate, review, and digitize these documents, many of which have never been released publicly before.”
Today’s release is another important step in fulfilling President Trump’s maximum transparency pledge to rebuild trust in the Intelligence Community.
Thank you to those at the CIA, ODNI, and NARA who worked hard to locate, review, and digitize these documents, many of which have… https://t.co/iqVzfuKSHC
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) June 12, 2025
