House task force presses agencies for remaining JFK files, requests Joannides material

The Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform held a public hearing March 18, 2025, in Washington, pressing federal agencies to finish releasing records related to the Nov. 22, 1963, assassination of President John F. Kennedy and to locate at least one CIA personnel file the task force identified as missing.

Chairwoman Luna, Chair of the Task Force on Declassification of Federal Secrets, told witnesses the panel’s work is meant "to root out the hidden pockets of federal government that has for too long remained in the shadows of our reach." She said the task force’s objective is “not to indulge in conspiracy theories, but to push forward the release of information so these theories can be put to bed and so the American people can finally have truth.”

The hearing brought former investigators, historians and medical personnel who took part in earlier reviews. Ranking Member Garcia argued the March 18 releases of more than 77,000 pages added “color” and accessibility to records and urged continued bipartisan work on declassification. Judge John Tunheim, who chaired the independent Assassination Records Review Board (ARRB) in the 1990s, reminded the panel that the 1992 Assassination Records Collection Act created a presumption of immediate disclosure and that the ARRB issued more than 27,000 rulings during its mandate.

Witnesses and members identified several categories of documents and materials they said remain missing or inadequately disclosed. Chairwoman Luna and others specifically requested the CIA search for and produce the personnel file associated with George Joannides, the CIA case officer discussed during the ARRB era. Tunheim testified to the ARRB’s experience requesting Joannides-related material and said the board was given only a small file that later proved incomplete. "We were deliberately misled by the CIA as to the nature of the Joannides files that were there," Tunheim said in his testimony to the task force.

Multiple witnesses and members also asked the National Archives and media organizations to review and provide additional archival material. Chairwoman Luna said the task force had requested footage from NBC and asked the network to reassess its archives after provided material did not include the specific footage the task force sought. Committee staff announced they would follow up on locating records housed overseas, including files in Belarus and Russia that witnesses said could shed further light on Lee Harvey Oswald’s activities.

Procedurally, the task force agreed without objection to enter into the record letters related to witness participation, and members were granted five legislative days to submit additional materials and written questions for the witnesses. Chairwoman Luna also said staff and agency contacts are pursuing leads on the Joannides file and other outstanding records, and she asked the National Archives for continued cooperation.

The hearing produced no formal adjudicative decisions; it was a fact-finding proceeding that combined public oral testimony with the pledge of follow-up document searches and written submissions. Witnesses emphasized the scale of previously released material—Tunheim noted nearly 5 million pages collected in the Archives under the 1992 act and argued that remaining redactions and missing records merit continued review.

Members on both sides of the dais framed the issue as one of public trust and transparency. Ranking Member Garcia said the task force should “follow the facts and provide transparency for the American people,” and several witnesses asked the task force to press agencies to comply with existing law and any applicable executive orders directing declassification.

The task force adjourned after notifying members and witnesses that it would accept further submissions for the record and pursue follow-up requests with agency partners and archivists.