The Kennedy assassination records have never been closed to official government investigators. They are only sealed from the public at large. I would open my IRS records for an IRS audit, but I would not post them here on FR for everyone to look at.
I don't believe any of the stories we were fed by the government about the reasons for the records to have been sealed.
The stated reason is to protect the privacy of the Kennedy family.
1. If there is nothing for the government to hide, why did they have to be sealed? This is not a privacy issue, these are historical public records, developed and collected at the public expense. We own them and we have a right to them.
It IS a privacy issue. The 2000 census return forms are "historical public records, developed and collected at the public expense. We own them [as well] and we have a right to them" too you know. Just as with the Kennedy records, they will be released when the people involved are dead. After that they will be available to their descendents and the American people.
2. If we buy into the notion that the records were sealed to protect the family, then why only a period of 75 years?
Because all of the direct relatives of JFK are expected to be dead by then.
Why not forever?
WTF? What point would that serve? You just got finished arguing the opposite.
IMO, 75 years is a convenient period of time for all of the principals involved in the assassination to be dead, as well as most Americans who were alive at the time.
Well, duh. That's the whole point that that is a time period for the immediate family members to no longer be with us. Do you seriously think that the present generation would overthrow the government if they found out LBJ was involved, but your children would not -- that they would simply flip over to watch "Terminator 12" on the other channel after hearing that LBJ was involved way back when on the news? Get real.
Why have they chosen 70 years as the time to keep census records sealed? Why not forever? Same reason here.