JFK Assassination Records

Finding JFK Collection Documents in ARC

The NARA Archival Research Catalog (ARC) is a database of selected holdings from the National Archives and Records Administration. ARC is a searchable database that contains information about a wide variety of NARA's holdings across the country. You can use ARC to search descriptions for key words or topics, and then to retrieve digital copies of selected textual documents, photographs, maps, and sound recordings.

Selected Kennedy Records in ARC

  • Selected Documents from the 1960 Presidential Campaign of John F.Kennedy
    92 multi-page documents relating to this campaign have been digitized. The digitized documents include transcripts of Eleanor Roosevelt's appearances on behalf of John F. Kennedy during the 1960 presidential campaign. Also included are the religious issue files of James Wine, 1960; documents relating to promises and quotes of Richard Nixon; and correspondence between Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy upon the publication of PROFILES IN COURAGE. These materials are held by the John F. Kennedy Library (Boston, MA).

    Search Hint: To retrieve the 92 multi-page digitized documents:

    1. Go to http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/.
    2. Press the Yellow search button to go to the Basic search screen.
    3. Select the Advanced search.
    4. Scroll down to the Collection Identifier lookup filter. Press the lookup button.
    5. Enter the exact phrases {JFK-SCHWA} OR {JFK-VFILE} OR {JFK-RRF} OR {JFK-KPREP} in the Keywords box.
    6. Press the Go button. The title of the Collections will display.
    7. Paste the collections into the advanced screen by pressing the All button. ARC will take you back to the Advanced Search Screen, with "JFK-SCHWA, FK-VFILE, JFK-RRF, JFK-KPREP" now pasted in the Collection Identifier(s) box.
    8. Select the box marked Descriptions of Archival Materials linked to digital copies.
    9. Select the limit results radio button for 100.
    10. Press the Go button. The result page will tell you 92 hit(s) were retrieved with filters applied.
    11. Press the Display all Hits button.
    12. When hits are returned for your search, view the full result of your hit by selecting the Title link.

    From the Collection:

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    ARC Identifier: 194067, Title: "John F. Kennedy Bumper Sticker, 01/02/1960 - 11/08/1960"

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  • White House Photographs, 1960 - 1964
    More than 100 photographs have been digitized from the Kennedy White House era. These materials are held by the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library (Boston, MA).

    Search Hint: To retrieve the 102 digitized photographs:

    1. Go to http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/.
    2. Press the Yellow search button to go to the Basic search screen.
    3. Select the Advanced search.
    4. Scroll down to the Collection Identifier lookup filter. Press the lookup button.
    5. Enter the exact phrase {JFK-WHP} in the Keywords box.
    6. Press the Go button. The title of the Collections will display.
    7. Paste the collections into the advanced screen by pressing the All button. ARC will take you back to the Advanced Search Screen, with "JFK-WHP" now pasted in the Collection Identifier(s) box.
    8. Select the box marked Descriptions of Archival Materials linked to digital copies.
    9. Select the limit results radio button for 1000.
    10. Press the Go button. The result page will tell you 102 hit(s) were retrieved with filters applied.
    11. Press the Display all Hits button.
    12. When hits are returned for your search, view the full result of your hit by selecting the Title link.

    From the Collection:

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    ARC Identifier: 194260, Title: "Halloween Visitors to the Oval Office. Caroline Kennedy, President Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, Jr. White House, Oval Office., 10/31/1963"

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  • Papers of President Kennedy: White House Central Files, January 20, 1961 - November 22, 1963
    35 multi-page documents have been digitized from this collection. The White House Central Files for the administration of President John F. Kennedy were designed as a reference service for the President and his staff to document White House activities. The files consist of 4 major bodies of material: The White House Central Subject File; The White House Central Name File; The Security Classified File; and The White House Chronological File. These materials are held by the John F. Kennedy Library (Boston, MA).

    Search Hint: To retrieve the 35 multi-page digitized documents:

    1. Go to http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/.
    2. Press the Yellow search button to go to the Basic search screen.
    3. Select the Advanced search.
    4. Scroll down to the Collection Identifier lookup filter. Press the lookup button.
    5. Enter the exact phrase {JFK-WHCF} in the Keywords box.
    6. Press the Go button. The title of the Collections will display.
    7. Paste the collections into the advanced screen by pressing the All button. ARC will take you back to the Advanced Search Screen, with "JFK-WHCF" now pasted in the Collection Identifier(s) box.
    8. Select the box marked Descriptions of Archival Materials linked to digital copies.
    9. Select the limit results radio button for 100.
    10. Press the Go button. The result page will tell you 35 hit(s) were retrieved with filters applied.
    11. Press the Display all Hits button.
    12. When hits are returned for your search, view the full result of your hit by selecting the Title link.

    From the Collection:

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    ARC Identifier: 194161, Title: "John F. Kennedy and New England Fish Chowder, 03/10/1961 - 03/18/1961"

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  • Selected Documents from the President's Office Files, 1961 - 1963
    197 documents, many multi-page, have been digitized from this collection. The digitized documents were selected from State Department cables, reports and memoranda, and similar documents from the White House staff and from other agencies concerning U.S. relations with foreign countries. Also included are selections from "Special Events through the Years", an eclectic collection of materials about significant events in the life and career of John F. Kennedy, and documents relating to his June 1961 trip to Vienna, Austria. These materials are held by the John F. Kennedy Library (Boston, MA).

    Search Hint: To retrieve the 197 digitized documents:

    1. Go to http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/.
    2. Press the Yellow search button to go to the Basic search screen.
    3. Select the Advanced search.
    4. Scroll down to the Collection Identifier lookup filter. Press the lookup button.
    5. Enter the exact phrase {JFK-POF} in the Keywords box.
    6. Press the Go button. The title of the Collections will display.
    7. Paste the collections into the advanced screen by pressing the All button. ARC will take you back to the Advanced Search Screen, with "JFK-POF" now pasted in the Collection Identifier(s) box.
    8. Select the box marked Descriptions of Archival Materials linked to digital copies.
    9. Select the limit results radio button for 1000.
    10. Press the Go button. The result page will tell you 197 hit(s) were retrieved with filters applied.
    11. Press the Display all Hits button.
    12. When hits are returned for your search, view the full result of your hit by selecting the Title link.

    From the Collection:

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    ARC Identifier: 193677, Title: "Department of State Telegram for the Secretary May 6, 1961, 05/06/1961"

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  • The Personal Papers of Burke Marshall: Mississippi File, May 1961 - 1963
    18 multi-page documents from this series have been digitized. The digitized documents contain a chronology of civil rights events and issues in the state of Mississippi, letters and memoranda on James Meredith's attempts to enroll at the University of Mississippi, and a copy of the motion filed on behalf of James Meredith. These materials are held by the John F. Kennedy Library (Boston, MA).

    Search Hint: To retrieve the 18 multi-page digitized documents:

    1. Go to http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/.
    2. Press the Yellow search button to go to the Basic search screen.
    3. Enter James Meredith in the Keywords box.
    4. Select the limit hits radio button for 100.
    5. Select the box marked Descriptions of Archival Materials linked to digital copies.
    6. Press the Go button.
    7. When hits are returned for your search, view the full result of your hit by selecting the Title link.

    From the Collection:

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    ARC Identifier: 193216, Title: "James Meredith's Letter to the Justice Department February 7, 1961, 02/07/1961"

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  • Selected Documents from the White House Staff Files: Papers of Pierre E. G. Salinger: Press Releases: JFK Final Copies
    10 multi-page documents from this collection have been digitized. The digitized documents are selections from a file of drafts and final copies of Kennedy Administration press releases. Among the digitized documents are press releases relating to the State of the Union Messages of January 11, 1962, and January 14, 1963; the Civil Rights Speech of June 11, 1963; a summary of the March 4, 1961, report to the President on the Peace Corps; and President Kennedy's memorandum and executive order outlawing discrimination in housing. These materials are held by the John F. Kennedy Library (Boston, MA).

    Search Hint: To retrieve the 10 multi-page digitized documents:

    1. Go to http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/.
    2. Press the Yellow search button to go to the Basic search screen.
    3. Enter the exact phrase {White House Staff Files: Papers of Pierre E. G. Salinger: Press Releases} in the Keywords box.
    4. Select the limit hits radio button for 100.
    5. Press the Go button.
    6. When hits are returned for your search, view the full result of your hit by selecting the Title link for White House Staff Files: Papers of Pierre E. G. Salinger: Press Releases 01/1958 - 11/22/1963.
    7. Scroll down to the part of the description that says Includes 5 file units. Click that link to view all the file units. Within the file units, click on the Includes link to view the digitized items for each file unit.
      Please Note: to search the all 196 JFK Collection items in ARC, enter the exact phrase {JFKCO} in the Collection Identifier Keywords box.

    From the Collection:

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    ARC Identifier: 194106, Title: "Trade Mart Speech November 22, 1963, 11/22/1963"

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  • Selected Records of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Relating to Cuba, 1961 - 1964
    89 multi-page documents have been digitized from four series within the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection: 1) Joint Chiefs of Staff Freedom of Information Act Files, 2) Joint Chiefs of Staff records received from the President John F. Kennedy Library, 3) Joint Chiefs of Staff records in the National Archives and Records Administration, and 4) Joint Chiefs of Staff Records of General Maxwell Taylor. The Assassination Records Review Board (ARRB) located JCS records relating to Cuba and Vietnam policy during the Kennedy administration in the custody of the Joint Staff Secretariat and the John F. Kennedy Library, and determined most of these records were appropriate for inclusion in the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection at the National Archives. Among the digitized documents are papers of General Maxwell Taylor, who served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Kennedy Administration. The digitized documents are a selection from the larger body of JCS records in the JFK Collection. These documents are held by NARA's Special Access/ FOIA Unit (College Park, MD).

    Search Hint: To retrieve the 89 multi-page digitized documents:

    1. Go to http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/.
    2. Press the Yellow search button to go to the Basic search screen.
    3. Enter Cuba in the Keywords box.
    4. Select the limit hits radio button for 100.
    5. Select the box marked Descriptions of Archival Materials linked to digital copies.
    6. Select the Location filter for Special Access/ FOIA (College Park) .
    7. Press the Go button.
    8. When hits are returned for your search, view the full result of your hit by selecting the Title link. Please Note: to search all 196 JFK Collection items in ARC, enter the exact phrase JFKCO in curly braces in the Collection Identifier Keywords box.

    From the Collection:

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    ARC Identifier: 305127, Title: "Covert Actions against Cuba, 10/21/1963"

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  • Office of the Secretary of the Army - Califano Papers, 1963
    63 multi-page documents have been digitized from these papers. In 1963, Joseph Califano served both as the General Counsel to Secretary of the Army Cyrus Vance and as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. At that time, Secretary Vance was the "DOD Executive Agent" for all meetings of the governmental task force, the "Interdepartmental Coordinating Committee on Cuban Affairs," (ICCCA). As Vance's special assistant, Califano often represented him at meetings of the ICCCA, and was part of all ICCCA policy deliberations. These materials are held by NARA's Special Access/FOIA (College Park, MD).

    Search Hint: To retrieve the 63 multi-page digitized documents:

    1. Go to http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/.
    2. Press the Yellow search button to go to the Basic search screen.
    3. Enter Califano papers as an exact phrase in curly braces in the Keywords box.
    4. Select the limit hits radio button for 100.
    5. Press the Go button.
    6. When hits are returned for your search, view the full result of your hit by selecting the Title link.
    7. Scroll down to the part of the description that says Includes 63 items. Click on that link to view the hit list for all items.
      Please Note: to search the all 196 JFK Collection items in ARC, enter the exact phrase JFKCO in curly braces in the Collection Identifier Keywords box.

    From the Collection:

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    ARC Identifier: 304980, Title:" U.S. Capability to Detect Aircraft Over Cuba, 09/10/1963"

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  • Exhibits and Other Evidence from the President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy (Warren Commission), 1959 - 1964
    42 exhibits relating to the investigation of the assassination of President Kennedy have been digitized. Included are images of originals and copies of exhibits received from individuals and the Federal Bureau of Investigation by the Warren Commission in connection with testimony or relied upon by the Commission in its Report. These materials are held by NARA's Special Access/FOIA Unit  (College Park, MD).

    Search Hint: To retrieve the 42 digitized artifacts:

    1. Go to http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/.
    2. Press the Yellow search button to go to the Basic search screen.
    3. Select the Advanced search.
    4. Leave the Keywords box empty.
    5. Select the limit hits radio button for 100.
    6. Select the Location filter for Special Access/ FOIA (College Park).
    7. Select the Type of Archival Materials filter for Artifacts.
    8. Select the Level of Description of Archival Materials filter for Items.
    9. Press the Go button. The result page will tell you 42 hit(s) were retrieved with filters applied.
    10. Press the Display all Hits button.
    11. When hits are returned for your search, view the full result of your hit by selecting the Title link.
    12. When hits are returned for your search, view the full result of your hit by selecting the Title link.

    From the Collection:

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    ARC Identifier: 305171, Title: "Abraham Zapruder Camera, 1963 - 1964"

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  • John F. Kennedy Library Oral History Program: John F. Kennedy Oral Histories, 1964 - 1992
    4 multi-page documents from this series have been digitized. The digitized documents are transcripts of interviews with family, friends, and associates of President Kennedy done specifically for the John F. Kennedy Library Oral History Program. These materials are held by the John F. Kennedy Library (Boston, MA).

    Search Hint: To retrieve the 4 multi-page digitized documents:

    1. Go to http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/.
    2. Press the Yellow search button to go to the Basic search screen.
    3. Select the Advanced search.
    4. Scroll down to the Collection Identifier lookup filter. Press the lookup button.
    5. Enter the exact phrase {JFK-OH} in the Keywords box.
    6. Press the Go button. The title of the Collection will display.
    7. Paste the selected collection into the advanced screen by pressing the All button. ARC will take you back to the Advanced Search Screen, with "JFK-OH" now pasted in the Collection Identifier(s) box.
    8. Select the limit hits radio button for 100.
    9. Select the box marked Descriptions of Archival Materials linked to digital copies.
    10. Press the Go button. The result page will tell you 4 hit(s) were retrieved with filters applied.
    11. Press the Display all Hits button.
    12. When hits are returned for your search, view the full result of your hit by selecting the Title link.

    From the Collection:

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    ARC Identifier: 193653, Title: "Cuban Prisoners Release Project Joseph Dolan Interview July 8, 1964, 07/08/1964"

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  • Selected Documents from the John F. Kennedy Personal Papers Collection
    210 documents, some multi-page, have been digitized from this collection. The John F. Kennedy Personal Papers include materials dating from Kennedy's childhood through November, 1963.  For the most part these materials are of a diverse and fragmentary nature and do not represent a complete documentation of personal activities during this time span. These materials are held by the John F. Kennedy Library (Boston, MA).

    Search Hint: To retrieve the 210 digitized documents:

    1. Go to http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/.
    2. Press the Yellow search button to go to the Basic search screen.
    3. Select the Advanced search.
    4. Scroll down to the collection Identifier lookup filter. Press the lookup button.
    5. Enter the exact phrase {JFK-JFKPP} in the Keywords box.
    6. Press the Go button. The title of the Collections will display.
    7. Paste the collections into the advanced screen by pressing the All button. ARC will take you back to the Advanced Search Screen, with "JFK-JFKPP" now pasted in the Collection Identifier(s) box.
    8. Select the box marked Descriptions of Archival Materials linked to digital copies.
    9. Select the limit results radio button for 1000.
    10. Press the Go button. The result page will tell you 210 hit(s) were retrieved with filters applied.
    11. Press the Display all Hits button.
    12. When hits are returned for your search, view the full result of your hit by selecting the Title link.

    From the Collection:

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    ARC Identifier: 192952, Title: "John Adams Letter to President James Madison March 23, 1818, 03/23/1813"

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  • Selected Documents from the Robert F. Kennedy Papers, 1937 - 1968
    71 multi-page documents from this collection have been digitized. The digitized documents include selections from four series of the collection: Pre-Administration Papers, 1937-60; Attorney General Papers, 1961-64; Senate Papers, 1964-68; and Presidential Campaign Papers, 1968. Also included is the tribute to Senator Robert F. Kennedy by Senator Edward M. Kennedy June 8, 1968. These materials are held by the John F. Kennedy Library (Boston, MA). 

    Search Hint: To retrieve the 71 multi-page digitized documents:

    1. Go to http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/.
    2. Press the Yellow search button to go to the Basic search screen.
    3. Select the Advanced search.
    4. Scroll down to the Collection Identifier lookup filter. Press the lookup button.
    5. Enter the exact phrase {JFK-RFK} in the Keywords box.
    6. Press the Go button. The title of the Collections will display.
    7. Paste the collections into the advanced screen by pressing the All button. ARC will take you back to the Advanced Search Screen, with "JFK-RFK" now pasted in the Collection Identifier(s) box.
    8. Select the box marked Descriptions of Archival Materials linked to digital copies.
    9. Select the limit results radio button for 100.
    10. Press the Go button. The result page will tell you 71 hit(s) were retrieved with filters applied.
    11. Press the Display all Hits button.
    12. When hits are returned for your search, view the full result of your hit by selecting the Title link.

    From the Collection:

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    ARC Identifier: 193994, Title: "University of Georgia Law School Speech May 6, 1961, 05/06/1961"

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  • Genealogy File: Fitzgerald Genealogy
    7 documents, some multi-page, have been digitized from these files. The files contain records of the Fitzgerald family, including a genealogy chart, marriage records, and other material. Also included are copies of the birth and death certificates for the Kennedy and Fitzgerald families. These materials are held by the John F. Kennedy Library (Boston, MA).

    Search Hint: To retrieve the 7 digitized documents:

    1. Go to http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/.
    2. Press the Yellow search button to go to the Basic search screen.
    3. Select the Advanced search.
    4. Scroll down to the collection Identifier lookup filter. Press the lookup button.
    5. Enter the exact phrase {JFK-GENFL} in the Keywords box.
    6. Press the Go button. The title of the Collections will display.
    7. Paste the collections into the advanced screen by pressing the All button. ARC will take you back to the Advanced Search Screen, with "JFK-GENFL" now pasted in the Collection Identifier(s) box.
    8. Select the box marked Descriptions of Archival Materials linked to digital copies.
    9. Select the limit results radio button for 100.
    10. Press the Go button. The result page will tell you 7 hit(s) were retrieved with filters applied.
    11. Press the Display all Hits button.
    12. When hits are returned for your search, view the full result of your hit by selecting the Title link.

    From the Collection:

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    ARC Identifier: 192701, Title: "Kennedy Family Tree, 1889 - 1998"

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For access to the records of the JFK Assassination Records Collection, contact the Special Access and FOIA Staff, National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740, (301)837-3190.
E-mail: specialaccess_foia@nara.gov

The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001
Telephone: 1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272