Editing Operation Northwoods (section)

==Aftermath and Declassification==
Operation Northwoods was never implemented, and its existence remained classified for decades. The documents were declassified in 1997 as part of the National Archives’ release of records related to the Kennedy assassination, prompted by the 1992 JFK Records Act. The release was largely due to public interest in conspiracy theories surrounding Kennedy’s death, though no direct link between Northwoods and the assassination has been substantiated.

The declassification shocked historians and the public, revealing the extent to which U.S. military planners were willing to consider deceptive and violent tactics against their own citizens to achieve foreign policy goals. The operation has since been cited in discussions about government transparency, false flag operations, and the ethics of covert warfare.