National Archives releases first batch of 2017 JFK documents

[Peter Lemkin]

Here is an interesting take on what happened on Thursday. Not sure if I agree, but it certainly is the way Washington works

That piece suggests that Trump intentionally used the files to horse trade unspecified favours from the agencies. That sort of stuff does happen, but this detailed (and uncredited) AP piece argues the opposite - Trump was annoyed at the redaction attempts and not keen to bury the documents as deep as they wanted. I usually don't like it when articles present info from 'people familiar' with the events, but with the inside negotiations on the final day it's possibly appropriate in this case.

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/28/donald-t...files.html

The person, who was not authorized to publicly to discuss the process and spoke only on condition of anonymity, said the goal was to have all the agency's documents ready to be released in full or with national security redactions before the deadline.

Since taking office, Trump has challenged the integrity of intelligence leaders, moved to exert more control over U.S. spying agencies and accused his predecessor of using government spycraft to monitor his campaign. In the JFK files matter, one White House official said, Trump wanted to make clear he wouldn't be bullied by the agencies.

Whatever occurred in the lead-up to deadline day, Trump was irritated Thursday that agencies still were arguing for more redactions. The president earlier in the week had tweeted to tease the release of the documents, heightening the sense of drama on a subject that has sparked the imaginations of conspiracy theorists for decades. Under a 1992 law, all of the records related to the assassination were to be made public unless explicitly withheld by the president.

Just before the release Thursday, Trump wrote in a memorandum that he had "no choice" but to agree to requests from the CIA and FBI to keep thousands of documents secret because of the possibility that releasing the information could still harm national security. Two aides said Trump was upset by what he perceived to be overly broad secrecy requests, adding that the agencies had been explicitly warned about his expectation that redactions be kept to a minimum.

"The president and White House have been very clear with all agencies for weeks: They must be transparent and disclose all information possible," White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah said Friday.

Late last week, Trump received his first official briefing on the release in an Oval Office meeting that included Chief of Staff John Kelly, White House Counsel Don McGahn and National Security Council legal adviser John Eisenberg. Trump made it clear he was unsatisfied with the pace of declassification.

Trump's tweets, an official said, were meant as a signal to the intelligence community to take seriously his threats to release the documents in their entirety.

According to White House officials, Trump accepted that some of the records contained references to sensitive sources and methods used by the intelligence community and law enforcement and that declassification could harm American foreign policy interests. But after having the scope of the redactions presented to him, Trump told aides he did not believe them to be in the spirit of the law.

On Thursday, Trump's top aides presented him with an alternative to simply acquiescing to the agency requests: He could temporarily allow the redactions while ordering the agencies to launch a new comprehensive examination of the records still withheld or redacted in part. Trump accepted the suggestion, ordering that agencies be "extremely circumspect" about keeping the remaining documents secret at the end of the 180-day assessment.

"After strict consultation with General Kelly, the CIA and other agencies, I will be releasing ALL JFK files other than the names and addresses of any mentioned person who is still living," Trump wrote in a Friday tweet. "I am doing this for reasons of full disclosure, transparency and in order to put any and all conspiracy theories to rest."

The caveat that all the documents will be released except for relevant names and addresses of the living should exclude arguments that 30 pages of Angleton testimony, or a career summary of William Harvey's activities can just be blacked out wholesale. I have no idea how NARA negotiates these things and whether they just accept what the CIA tells them uncritically. We have six months to put the word out that (a.) there are something like 30,000 documents withheld and they were meant to be the meat and potatoes of the October 2017 releases, and (b.) the evident agreement covers names and addresses of living personnel, not long dead people who still have a family in Mexico or massive documents that feature some guy's name on page 400. The CIA are liars so I'm not optimistic but it would be nice if the media would wake up and have a clue.

Forget about the 'media', they are fools and controlled - both.
I don't buy the scenario above. Trump knows the NSA, CIA, FBI and their buddies could put him on a very fast track to Impeachment or removal via 25th Amendment anytime they choose. They could also do a Dallas on him anytime. His cards are all three of clubs and similar....he has nothing to bargain with other than to try to bribe them with money and power [which they already have]. I do not think we'll see the 30,000 documents [and they are NOT the totality of the documents on the case by ANY means! - see Kelly's list I posted!] unless there is a legal battle for them, sadly. I'm not even sure a legal battle would do it, as by the JFK Act the President has final say and the CIA et al. have him by the you-know-whats for all of his braggadocio rhetoric. Also the Supreme Court has been packed. It is a very sad scenario. Only a new law by Congress could get these out and that would take another sustained period of Public Outrage as happened after the film JFK. The 'media' fluff and 'conspiracy theory' line was to dampen any public outrage and so far it has worked. Only we few who are imbued in this arcane field even care...for everyone else it is now Monday with nothing special missing. It was the third major Halloween Massacre, IMO.