The Trump administration has declassified more than 230,000 pages of FBI records detailing surveillance activities targeting civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., the Office of the Director of National Intelligence confirmed.
The documents, sealed since 1977, shed light on years of government monitoring during King’s leadership of the civil rights movement. Intelligence officials said the release aims to ensure full transparency surrounding one of the nation’s most significant and tragic historical episodes.
However, King’s family and the civil rights organization he once led have opposed the decision, expressing concern the records could tarnish his legacy.
King was assassinated in 1968. Though James Earl Ray was convicted of the murder and died in prison, King’s children have publicly questioned whether he was truly responsible.