Honor MLK by Releasing the Records on his Assassination

Honor MLK by Releasing the Government Records on his Assassination - By Bill Kelly 

We honor MLK on Martin Luther King Day - Monday January 16 by taking a day off from work and making it a day of public service - volunteering to do an unpleasant task that will make for a better world. 

But this year 2017 is special because of the expected release of the remaining sealed government records on the assassination of President Kennedy. Among those records are the files of the House Select Committee on Assassinations that also investigated the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., documents that remain sealed.

The Congressional Black Caucus was instrumental in getting the HACA established by including the murder of MLK in its investigation.

When we began to lobby Congress to release the assassination records we started with the HSCA files, but after Oliver Stone's film "JFK" sparked such public outrage, the JFK Act was written so it included all government records on the JFK assassination, but didn't include the HSCA records on the King assassination. That prompted Oliver Stone at a public hearing to ask the Congressmen, "What do I have to do to get you to release these records, make a movie about the King assassination too?" 

Bills to release the HSCA MLK records have been introduced in past sessions of Congress but never got out of committee and now must be reintroduced in this new Congress.

A separate bill to release the investigation records of civil rights murders of the 1950s and 60s considered under the Emmett Till Bill is being prepared at the instigation of some New Jersey high school students and is being given serious consideration. 

But what can we individual citizens do to at least try to make this great unjustice right?

Getting JFK Act oversight hearings and obtaining the release of the MLK HSCA files will take as much public support and outrage as was expressed in 1992 - but now we have to generate that momentum without an Oliver Stone film.

While each person does his own day of service in the name of MLK you can do yours this year by spending a few hours writing letters to your representatives in Congress asking them to oversee and hold hearings on the JFK Act and release the MLK HSCA records, as well as open the investigative files on 50 year old civil rights murders considered under the Emmett Till Bill.

If you do write or contact your representatives please be polite and respectful, inquisitive and not demanding. Keep your letter short, sweet and to the point - please see to the oversight and enforcement of the JFK Act of 1992 as it reaches its sunset provision on October 26, 2017 and release the MLK HSCA records.

Here are the names and addresses of the Congressional oversight committee members - 

Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Ut3) 

2236 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington DC 20515 

(202) 225-7751  Jonathan Skladany - Staff Director 

Home office

Rep. Jason Chaffetz 

51 S. University Ave.,

Provo, Utah, 84601 

(801) 851-2500

Minority chair 

Elijah Cummings (D. Md7)

Committee on Oversight and Reform House of Representatives

2157 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington 20515-6143