CIA's concern about Oswald and his fascination with Cuba: Initial revelations of declassified JFK files

After weeks of speculation, the National Archives released a wave of documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Given the length of the released files, it is expected to be months before the new findings can be broken down. However, it didn't take long for new details to begin to emerge from the documents, which aim to shed some light on one of the most questionable events in U.S. history.

"According to the president's directive Donald Trump of March 17, 2025, all records previously held for classification that are part of the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection are released," the National Archives noted.

At least preliminarily, the files do not change the prevailing narrative that Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated President Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963. They did, however, offer more information about Oswald's history, specifically with Cuba and the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).

In turn, the files revealed that U.S. intelligence had been following Oswald's movements long before 1963.

CIA had Oswald on its radar since 1959

According to files 104-10004-10143, U.S. intelligence officials closely followed Oswald's movements in Helsinki, Finland, where he visited the Soviet consulate. Regarding the level of tracking, document 104-10023-10087 details that the 201 system was used, used only for high-value targets, suspicious agents, intelligence sources and hostile operatives, among others.

In turn, months before Kennedy's assassination, the CIA asked its European counterparts to seek records on Oswald and any covert operations, investigating whether he might turn out to be a foreign agent.

Oswald was not KGB

According to another file, 201-289248, a KGB deputy director surnamed Nikonov reviewed dozens of files and concluded that Oswald was not a Soviet asset. While he was observed and followed by Soviet intelligence, no connection beyond observation was demonstrated.

Oswald's fascination with Cuba

The documents also show Oswald as an admirer of Cuba and Fidel Castro. Files 177-10002-10092 show that Oswald believed that the United States wanted to destroy the island, arguing that the government was frightened by his eventual political and economic success.

At the same time, he saw the Castro regime as more "honest" compared to the White House and U.S. institutions. Oswald claimed that the Americans had been "brainwashed" about the island and would have offered to do "anything" for Cuba.

'Nervous' and 'agitated': Oswald before Kennedy's assassination

According to file 180-10143-10227, an FBI report indicated that a source told them that Oswald was already talking about doing something "big" weeks before the assassination of the Democratic president in Dallas. The source also described Oswald as "agitated" and "nervous" in the days leading up to it, adding that he intended to send a message.

FBI concerns about the perception of Oswald's assassination

According to files 198-10007-10021, the FBI was concerned at the time that the mob ties of Jack Ruby, who assassinated Oswald, might make it appear that it was all part of a deeper, more complex plot.

Indeed, one memo evidenced the frustration of then-FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, since people did not believe Ruby had acted alone. Hoover believed the same of Oswald, so that was the official narrative.

The Soviets feared that a 'mad general' would drop a bomb after the JFK assassination

According to files 198-10008-10119, the Soviet military feared that the assassination of President Kennedy would trigger paranoia among U.S. generals and that someone would decide to blame the Soviet Union.

Indeed, they acted quickly to dispel all doubts in Washington, D.C., about possible involvement in the JFK assassination.

Did Oswald and Ruby know each other?

Among the files194-10012-10030 is a reference to a memo mentioning a CIA source who said that Ruby and Oswald met at a nightclub weeks before JFK was assassinated, something that intelligence at the time could not corroborate.

A mysterious call to a UK newspaper

Among documents 198-10009-10098, a Cambridge News reporter is said to have received an anonymous call prior to the assassination, indicating to expect "big news" from the British embassy in the next few minutes.

Once the assassination was carried out, British intelligence alerted the FBI about the call, concurring that it was suspicious.