New JFK Files Reveal More About Oswald and Ruby—Here's What We Know!

Hello, history nerds—Breaking news just dropped! On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, more than 1,123 pages of spicy documents relating to President John F. Kennedy's assassination landed on the public, contributing to the humongous pile of more than 5 million pages already available out there. These files, straight from the press of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration website, are thanks to an order from President Donald Trump. And trust me, they’re stirring up the pot again about Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby. Let’s dive into what’s new and why it’s got everyone talking!

First off, Trump wasn’t kidding when he said, “We have a tremendous amount of paper. You’ve got a lot of reading! " He dropped that bomb while walking past the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and boy, was he correct. These new pages add to a treasure chest of records—more than 6 million in all—about that fateful day in Dallas, November 22, 1963. And here's the clincher: roughly 3,000 files remained partially secreted, and the FBI just discovered 2,400 more they didn't even realize they had.".

Discuss a plot twist! So, what's in these 1,123 pages? Much of it focuses on Lee Harvey Oswald, the man accused of killing Kennedy. One neat factoid? They follow his travels—such as a cryptic trip to Finland prior to the assassination. Oswald, a 24-year-old former Marine, was arrested just hours after Kennedy was shot while riding in his motorcade through Dallas. These documents create an image of this agitated guy going around the world, and they're providing us with more pieces to put together on where he went and whom he might have seen. Was he merely a solo operator, or was something larger in the works?

That's the question of the century! And then there's Jack Ruby, the nightclub entrepreneur who assassinated Oswald himself two days later—on television, for goodness' sake! One of the highlight documents is an FBI memo written by Director J. Edgar Hoover, scrawled mere hours after Ruby fired on November 24, 1963. Hoover was panicked, pleading with the government to make everyone believe Oswald was the shooter of Kennedy. Why the hurry? Ruby's swift action to kill Oswald triggered rumors of a cover-up, and Hoover was eager to snuff them out.

This memo's like a panic time capsule—it illustrates how desperate the feds were to maintain the official line. The files don't contain any of those earth-shattering bombshells (so far!), but they're keeping the Oswald-Ruby story going. Ruby's still a mystery—some people view him as the key to unlocking some elaborate conspiracy, possibly with the mob or even the CIA. Others? They believe he was merely a hothead who was enamored with Kennedy and hated to see Oswald walk.

Stephen Fagin of the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas nailed it: "Ruby's the Rosetta Stone for some, but for others, he's just a guy who snapped." These pages do not resolve that argument, but they're fodder for the flames—particularly with things like Oswald's Finland escapade suggesting grander connections. Trump's drive to release these files is part of a long game. Way back in his first term, he vowed to let it all out, although some of it remained locked up for "national security." Now, in 2025, he's following through, and the National Archives is releasing more than 80,000 pages in total this year. It's a treasure trove for anyone fixated on JFK's assassination—and let's face it, who isn't? Even with all this paper, though, some corners stay dark.

The FBI’s fresh 2,400-record find proves there’s still more to dig up. Meanwhile, life goes on elsewhere—like in Albuquerque, where a wild, unrelated story popped up the same week. A 13-year-old boy's been sentenced to be locked away for a fatal hit-and-run back in May 2024 that killed a 63-year-old cyclist. He was only 12 years old at the time, operating a vehicle with two friends, ages 11 and 15, in the wreck that killed Scott Dwight Habermehl, a physicist on his daily bicycle commute to work. Older boys are being charged with murder as well.

It's not about JFK, but it's a reminder: the world's always got its share of wild turns. Back to the files—what do they actually say? They fill out Oswald's actions and Ruby's moment of madness, but the big "aha! " may still be waiting. Hoover's memo indicates the feds panicking, and Oswald's travels hint at a broader web. Ruby? He's still the wild card. So go grab a snack, visit the Archives website, and begin reading—there's a lot to untangle, and the truth's still out there somewhere!