The Recently Released MLK Files: A Comprehensive Look

In July 2025, the Trump administration unsealed over 230,000 pages of previously classified documents related to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., shedding new light on one of the most pivotal figures in American history.

These files, released despite opposition from some members of the King family, include FBI surveillance records, internal memos, and details about the investigation into MLK's assassination on April 4, 1968.

What’s in the MLK Files?

The released files provide an unprecedented look into the FBI’s extensive surveillance of MLK under the Counterintelligence Program (COINTELPRO), a secretive initiative launched in the 1950s to monitor and disrupt perceived threats to national security. The documents reveal that the FBI viewed King as a potential danger due to his growing influence in the civil rights movement, his outspoken criticism of the Vietnam War, and suspected ties to communist figures—allegations that were never substantiated. The agency employed wiretaps, hidden microphones, and informants to track King’s every move, amassing a trove of personal and professional information.

The files also detail the investigation following King’s assassination in Memphis, Tennessee. They include leads received by law enforcement, internal FBI discussions, and reports on the CIA’s interest in King’s anti-war and anti-poverty campaigns. However, despite the volume of material, the documents do not provide conclusive evidence of a broader conspiracy or direct government involvement in his death—a point of contention that has persisted for decades.