It was 22 November 1963. The president of the United States, John F Kennedy (known as JFK), was being driven through DallasA major city in the American state of Texas. in an open-topped car, waving to the crowds. Suddenly, shots rang out. The president keeled over. The world seemed to fall apart.

The killing of JFK has left a unique mark. Now Donald Trump, honouring a campaign promise, has released 80,000 new pages of documents relating to the assassination.¹

The Warren Commission, an inquiry ordered by Kennedy's successor, Lyndon B Johnson, concluded that JFK had been shot by Lee Harvey OswaldThe US Marine veteran who assassinated John F Kennedy., acting alone.

But polls show only 29% of Americans believe this version of the story.² Many ask: how could a lone gunman organise the slaying of the world's most powerful person?

Then there is the "magic bullet". The Warren Commission concluded that Oswald had fired three times. The last shot passed through his neck to injure the Governor of Texas, also in the car.

Sceptics claim it is impossible for a single bullet to do so much damage. They say this proves there was a second gunman positioned on the famous "grassy knoll" to the north of the shooting site.³

On the day, some witnesses claimed to have heard gunfire issuing from this spot.⁴

As early as 1966, some sceptics began to argue that the assassination had been arranged by the CIAThe Central Intelligence Agency is a US government organisation that collects secret information about other countries. and a group of right-wing extremists.

The story goes that these conspirators wanted to prevent Kennedy from easing tensions with the Communist BlocAn unofficial group of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were all aligned with the Soviet Union.. He was also on bad terms with the CIA, whose director he had fired and whose budget he was planning to cut.

But not everyone subscribes to this theory. Other proposed culprits include the MafiaAn organised international body of criminals, operating originally in Sicily and now especially in Italy and the US. , on which the Kennedy administration was clamping down, or Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Do the new documents shed any light on the event? It may take weeks to find out. The documents were published online as non-searchable PDFs.

The files suggest that the power of the CIA was growing in this period. But for those who want to pin the killing on the agency, there is no "smoking gun".

On the other hand, much material is still redactedTo obscure or remove (text) from a document prior to publication or release. or unreleased. Sceptics will no doubt believe the truth is still being concealed from them.

Do the new files solve the JFK debate?

Yes: All the tens of thousands of pages of documents on the assassination have revealed no involvement by the CIA, the mafia, or Cuba. We can safely put such claims to bed.

No: The mysteries of the assassination - the "magic bullet", the swift slaying of Oswald - remain unanswered. And no-one doubts that those with the power to kill a president are also capable of covering their tracks.

Or... The JFK debate is a distraction from what really matters in this story: the CIA's willingness to defy an elected president in pursuit of its own goals.

Dallas - A major city in the American state of Texas.

Lee Harvey Oswald - The US Marine veteran who assassinated John F Kennedy.

CIA - The Central Intelligence Agency is a US government organisation that collects secret information about other countries.

Communist Bloc - An unofficial group of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were all aligned with the Soviet Union.

Mafia - An organised international body of criminals, operating originally in Sicily and now especially in Italy and the US.

Redacted - To obscure or remove (text) from a document prior to publication or release.