New JFK Files Reveal CIA Watched Oswald for Years

President Kennedy and motorcade minutes before his assassination in Dallas in 1963. Photo courtesy of Walt Cisco, Dallas Morning News. Public domain.

After 60 years of speculation, secrecy, and government stonewalling, the American people are finally getting what they asked for — the JFK assassination files. Or so we thought.

And after all this time, what did the U.S. government finally give us?

A whole lot of redacted pages, CIA gossip, and Cold War déjà vu.

The National Archives just dropped more than 63,000 pages tied to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, as reported by the Associated Press. This massive release, pushed forward by President Donald Trump's second-term executive order, signed January 23, 2025, had the internet frothing for a revelation — a hidden name, a foreign plot, a spy slip-up, something of substance. But when historians and researchers actually got their hands on the files?

What was revealed paints a fascinating portrait of a CIA running wild, a president who didn't trust them, and a killer they tracked years before he ever pulled the trigger. And yes — there's enough redaction and secrecy left to keep the conspiracy crowd very, very busy.

What's Actually New in the JFK Files?

Let's get one thing straight: a lot of this material has been released before — but with black bars covering names, dates, and juicy operational details. This time, those redactions are gone.

Among the biggest takeaways:

• The CIA was watching Lee Harvey Oswald long before JFK was killed. They tracked his 1959 defection to the Soviet Union, his return to the U.S. in 1962, and his odd visits to Cuban and Soviet embassies in Mexico City just two months before the assassination.

• A KGB officer named Nikonov reviewed Oswald's Soviet file to determine if he had ever worked for Soviet intelligence. The answer? No evidence he did.

• A 1961 memo by White House aide Arthur Schlesinger Jr., revealed the CIA exerted control over a significant portion of U.S. embassy political officers — estimated at 47% in some diplomatic posts — raising concern about essentially turning American diplomats into global spies.

That's not nothing. But it's not proof of a cover-up either.

Is There Anything in These Files That Changes the Story?

Short answer? No. According to multiple scholars and JFK experts, the documents reinforce the official narrative — that Oswald, acting alone, assassinated the president.

The CIA monitored Oswald. They didn't control him. The FBI had eyes on him, too. But no new evidence suggests anyone gave Oswald orders or that there was a second shooter on the grassy knoll.

Even the more explosive memos, like the CIA's involvement in foreign assassination plots — including efforts to remove Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Trujillo and destabilize Cuba via "Operation Mongoose" — were known to historians. These newly unredacted files just add names and detail.

What's Still Hidden?

Despite promises of full transparency, about 3,700 documents remain classified in whole or in part — many at the request of the CIA and FBI, as reported by the Associated Press.

Even Trump's claim that he told his team "not to redact anything" appears to be more slogan than reality, as reported by the BBC.

A Government Still Guarding Secrets?

The 1992 JFK Records Act required all documents to be released by 2017. That deadline came and went. Trump postponed the release of some records during his first term, and Biden followed suit, pointing to the COVID-19 pandemic as the cause of further delay. Only under legal pressure from the Mary Ferrell Foundation did the process gain momentum again.

This latest drop is being hailed as a win for transparency — but for many researchers, it's too little, too late.

The Conspiracy Theories Aren't Dead — They're Just Reloaded

The internet didn't waste a second. TikTok, Twitter, Reddit — all buzzing with new claims and half-read documents.

One old theory that resurfaced involved Gary Underhill, a former intelligence agent who died by suicide in 1964. A seven-page CIA memo mentioning his claims went viral — even though most of it was released back in 2017. Only a few sentences were newly unredacted this time.

Also buzzing: claims that the CIA knew Oswald would try to kill JFK in Mexico City. In reality, while there's evidence he spoke about violence during his embassy visits, there's no confirmation of any specific plot — or that anyone believed him.

A 2023 Gallup poll showed 65% of Americans still believe JFK's assassination involved a conspiracy. This new document dump didn't change that — but it gave keyboard sleuths a lot of fuel to keep hunting.

What Does Oliver Stone Think?

While Stone hasn't officially responded to the new files, those familiar with his work — including the 1991 film "JFK" — say he's likely to see this release as validation of his core theme: that something was hidden, even if we still don't know what.

His longtime associate, journalist Jefferson Morley, believes the documents raise real questions about CIA incompetence — or possible covert activity — surrounding Oswald. But even Morley concedes that even though "this is a great first start," they still don't prove a conspiracy, as reported by NBC News.

Final Word: Still No Smoking Gun

The headlines promised secrets. The files delivered surveillance, spy tactics, and CIA power plays. But they didn't blow the lid off the biggest mystery in American history.

If anything, they reminded us that when governments keep secrets — even about what they don't know — they create the perfect conditions for conspiracies to thrive.

So, is it over?

Not even close.

References: 'A Dump of JFK-Related Records Reveals Past CIA Secrets but Also Some Personal Data' – AP News | 'New JFK Assassination Files: What Was Revealed About Oswald and CIA Plots?' – Al Jazeera | 'Latest Batch of JFK Assassination Documents Show Kennedy's Distrust of the CIA' – NBC News | 'Four Key Takeaways From Release of JFK Files' – BBC