U.S. Releases 240,000 FBI Files on Martin Luther King Jr.

The U.S. government has released over 240,000 pages of FBI files related to civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The files were kept sealed since 1977 and are now available online through the National Archives. They were released following an order from former President Donald Trump.

The documents include FBI surveillance records, tips, and internal reports gathered before and after King’s assassination in 1968. Some records show how the CIA was concerned about King’s global work against war and poverty.

King’s children, Martin Luther King III and Bernice King, said the release is deeply personal and asked the public to view the documents with care and respect. They also repeated their belief that the man convicted of killing King, James Earl Ray, may not have acted alone.

Tulsi Gabbard, now the Director of National Intelligence, said the release is part of a larger effort to make government records more transparent. Trump also ordered the release of records related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy.

King’s niece, Alveda King, supported the release and thanked Trump. She has different views from King’s children and is known for her conservative stance.

Some people believe the document release is meant to distract from other issues, such as criticism of how Trump handled the Jeffrey Epstein case.

So far, it is unclear if the new files change what we know about King’s life or death. His family hopes people use the information to better understand his legacy — not misrepresent it.