Newly released documents indicate that Robert F. Kennedy Sr. acted as a “voluntary informant” for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) before his assassination in 1968.
On Thursday, the CIA made public 1,450 pages of “historical material” related to the shootings of the former senator and presidential candidate RFK, increasing the total of declassified documents to nearly 5,000. This was part of a statement from director John Ratcliffe.
Some of the newly disclosed pages provide details about RFK’s activities in the Soviet Union in 1955, alongside Supreme Court Justice William O. Durglass, revealing for the first time that he volunteered for the CIA to gain field experience while visiting adversarial nations.
“Mr. Kennedy served the institution as a voluntary informant,” he was briefed before and after trips to places like Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, according to the files.
Ratcliffe mentioned that this finding highlights the senator’s “patriotic commitment to serving his country.”
In one briefing to the CIA, RFK recounted, “On August 29th, I visited a machine shop in Novosibirsk, USSR. A friend took me there; the factory has 3,500 employees.”
“The engineers were quite friendly, but as I recall, the factory directors were not very warm,” the former Democratic presidential hopeful informed the agency, as per the documents.
The latest release also brought to light the CIA’s investigation of Sirhan Sirhan, the man currently serving a life sentence for RFK’s assassination. While looking into his potential international connections and ties to terrorist groups, the agency reportedly could not establish that he was part of any such organization.
This declassification aligns with President Donald Trump’s executive order to make all records related to RFK’s assassination public. Ratcliffe noted that the president is committed to “maximum transparency” and allowing the CIA to reveal information pertinent to the public interest.
“We are proud to share our work with Americans on this incredibly important topic,” the director added.
Trump’s executive order was signed shortly after he took office in January. It also sought the declassification of documents related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., according to Breitbart News.
Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard has collaborated closely with Trump and the CIA on the latest RFK document declassification.
“Today’s release is another significant step in fulfilling President Trump’s promise of maximum transparency. We appreciate the CIA, ODNI, and NARA for their efforts in finding, reviewing, and digitizing these documents. We will continue to collaborate with our partners across the intelligence community to honor President Trump’s commitment to transparency,” she said.
Health and Human Services (HHS) Deputy Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. praised the recent release, suggesting that “lifting the veil on RFK’s files is a crucial step toward restoring public trust in the U.S. government.”
He commended President Trump for his commitment to transparency, and thanked Tulsi Gabbard and John Ratcliffe for their work in declassifying the documents.
The CIA has denied allegations of involvement in Kennedy’s assassination, labeling them as conspiracy theories. Nonetheless, RFK Jr. stated in 2023 that there exists “overwhelming evidence” supporting the idea that the CIA played a role in his uncle’s murder.
“I think it’s certainly beyond a reasonable doubt at this point,” young Kennedy remarked during an interview with New York radio station WABC 770.
The HHS secretary has also expressed skepticism regarding whether Sirhan was the sole shooter responsible for his father’s death. They noted that a parole request from Sirhan was denied in 2022 by California Governor Gavin Newsom at the request of other families, as reported by Breitbart News.
You can access the declassified RFK documents here.
