FAQs About the National Archives Records: Additional Documents: President John F. Kennedy’s Assassination Records

The Kennedy family departs a private chapel at the residence of Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., in Palm Beach, Florida, following Easter Sunday service. President John F. Kennedy holds Caroline Kennedy’s hand; First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy carries John F. Kennedy, Jr.; White House Secret Service agent, Bill Greer, stands at right (behind. White House Photographs, JFK Library car) National Archives and Records Administration. 22 April 1962

JFK Assassination Records – 2017 Additional Documents Release: October 26, 2017:  2,891 documents

The National Archives is releasing documents previously withheld in accordance with the JFK Assassination Records Collection Act.  The vast majority of the Collection (88%) has been open in full and released to the public since the late 1990s. The records at issue are documents previously identified as assassination records, but withheld in full or withheld in part. Learn more

These releases include FBI, CIA, and other agency documents (both formerly withheld in part and formerly withheld in full) identified by the Assassination Records Review Board as assassination records. The releases to date are as follows:

• July 24, 2017: 3,810 documents (read press release)
• October 26, 2017: 2,891 documents (read press release)

Accessing the Release Files

To view or download a released file, follow the link in the “File Number” column. You can also download the full spreadsheet with metadata about all the documents. The files are sorted by NARA Release Date, with the most recent files appearing first. The previous withholding status (i.e., formerly withheld in part or formerly withheld in full) is identified in the “Formerly Withheld Status” column.

The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection

John F. Kennedy was killed on November 22, 1963. Almost 30 years later, Congress enacted the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992. The Act mandated that all assassination-related material be housed in a single collection in the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).   The resulting Collection consists of more than 5 million pages of assassination-related records, photographs, motion pictures, sound recordings and artifacts (approximately 2,000 cubic feet of records). Most of the records are open for research.

Frequently Asked Questions

En Español 

• I’ve heard that some of the records are sealed? Why? When will they be opened to the public for examination for my research?
• How can I get a copy of the Warren Commission Report?
• What do you know about the “backyard photographs”?
• Can I see the rifle or other artifacts?
• Can I see Warren Commission records that are designated as commission exhibits (CE’s) or FBI exhibits but are not artifacts?
• I have seen the autopsy photographs and x-rays in books. Did NARA make them available?
• Can I access the Autopsy Report?
• What happened to the Presidential Limousine that carried President Kennedy on the day he was assassinated?
• What is an “assassination-related” document?
• The JFK Assassination Collection Database: What is it?
• What’s in the JFK Assassination Collection database…What’s not in it?
• What is the significance of the Record Number in the JFK Assassination Collection Database?
• Where is the Zapruder Film? Can I get a copy of it?
• I am interested in acquiring some of the archives of the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection. What is the process to do so?
• Are the photographs digitized?
• I have a school/work/personal project pertaining to the JFK Assassination Collection. How do I begin?
• Do I have to submit a Freedom of Information Act request to access any records within the collection?
• Can I view Mrs. Kennedy’s Pink Suit?
• Can I have copies of the entire collection?
• Can I view President Kennedy’s clothing?
• Are the images in the collection public domain or under copyright?

I’ve heard that some of the records are sealed? Why? When will they be opened to the public for examination for my research?

It is a common misconception that the records relating to the assassination of President Kennedy are in some way sealed. In fact, the records are largely open and available to the research community here at the National Archives at College Park in the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Record Collection.

Congress created the Kennedy Collection when it passed the Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992. This statute directed all Federal agencies to transmit to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) all records relating to the assassination in their custody. The Kennedy Act also created a temporary agency, the Assassination Records Review Board (ARRB), to ensure that the agencies complied with the Act.