Trump authorizes release of classified JFK assassination files

President Donald Trump tweeted Saturday morning that he will allow the release of classified files related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

The thousands of documents detail the long-running investigation into the president’s 1963 assassination.

Some of the unanswered questions surrounding the assassination include Lee Harvey Oswald's relationship with foreign governments, and if he was carrying out orders to kill the leader of the free world when he shot Kennedy in Dallas.

WATCH: Former Deputy Director of JFK Assassination Records Review Board discusses release of files

Author and Boston University presidential historian Tom Whalen tells us he believes that is certainly not the case.

"That was a major concern of Lyndon Johnson, if there was proof of a tie into the Cuban government he would have had to respond to Cuba, (and) that would've brought in the Soviet Union, World War III," Whalen says. "You have nothing really to lose here unless there's some sort of huge smoking gun and I just don't think there is."

The thousands of documents, kept under seal for the last 50 years, may paint a cleared picture of what happened on November 22, 1963. People in Kennedy's home state say it's in the nation's best interest to have those questions answered.

Due to a mandate under a 1992 law which aimed to quash conspiracy theories about the assassination, these documents were set to be released 50 years after JFK was fatally shot.

There are more 3,000 documents that have never been seen by the public and more than 30,000 that have been previously released, but with redactions.

"A lot of the stuff seems to be repeated in the history that's happening now, the Cuban missile crisis closely resembles our problems with North Korea right now, we were just saying Trump could take a lesson from Kennedy," Whalen said.

Whalen also believes that President Trump's announcement ahead of the October 26 deadline required by law may also be politically motivated.

"For example, he got into a big rift with a soldier's widow and he didn't look very good there, so this will kind of change the political narrative," Whalen says.

The Office of Congressman Joe Kennedy, the great-nephew of President John F. Kennedy, issued a statement regarding the release of the classified files:

"Congressman Kennedy understands the public interest in this information and is generally supportive of efforts to increase disclosure. At the same time, this is a deeply personal issue for his family and he is disappointed the Trump Administration did not think to engage them in the process."

Under law, the documents were set to be made public next week, unless the president blocked the release. The National Archives has until next Thursday to release the remaining files.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cox Media Group