National Archives Opens Additional JFK Assassination Records
Press Release · Monday, July 20, 1998

Washington, DC

On Wednesday, July 22, 1998, at 9 A.M. in the Textual Research Room, the National Archives and Records Administration, at College Park, will make available to the public additional materials relating to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, in accordance with the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992. These records include approximately 50,000 pages of FBI materials; approximately 3,000 pages of materials relating to Operation Mongoose; 20,000 pages of materials from the John F. Kennedy Library; 20,000 pages from the collection of Richard Sprague; and 3,250 of miscellaneous records. The National Archives at College Park, is located at 8601 Adelphi Road. For a listing of the FBI main files, call (301) 837-1700.

Records of the FBI

• a. Main Files on numerous individuals and groups that were of interest to the House Select Committee on Assassination. Included are files on Organized Crime figures, such as Joseph Civello, Sam Giancana, and Anthony Provenzano; files on Cuban exile groups and individuals associated with those groups, such as J.U.R.R., M.I.R.R., Orest Pena, Manuel A. Ray Rivero, and Frank Sturgis; and files on other individuals, such as Lucien Conein and John M. Murret. A list of the Main Files is attached to this release.
  b. In addition to the Main Files, miscellaneous cross reference files, "see" reference files, and other related files are being released.
  c. Sections of transcripts that were made during the FBI’s BRILAB (Bribery of Organized Labor) investigation that are relevant to the JFK assassination are also being released.

Records Relating to Operation Mongoose

• Documents from the records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Defense Intelligence Agency relating to Operation Mongoose are being made available.

Records from the John F. Kennedy Library

• The documents released come from a variety of collections including Roger Hilsman and Tad Szulc (Cuba and US interviews). There are four boxes of schedules and diaries maintained by Evelyn Lincoln, the President’s secretary and two boxes of oral histories, including Burke Marshall. Many of these documents have been available previously at the Kennedy Library. A box list will be available on Wednesday.

Papers of Richard E. Sprague

• Correspondence and printed materials of Mr. Sprague, a long time researcher of the assassination, who served as a photographic consultant to New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison are being released. (The non-textual items will not be available until preservation processing has been completed.) They will then be in the custody of the Special Media Archives Services Division.

Other Records Released

• a. The CIA’s Office of Security file on Lee Harvey Oswald;
  b. Certain documents from the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library relating to Cuba, dated 1960-1961;
  c. Desk diaries (desk calendar) of President Gerald R. Ford for late 1963 and part of 1964.

Research cards are required. Personal property, i.e. notebooks, briefcases, purses or fountain pens are not allowed in the research room. Lockers are available. Debit cards may be purchased for the photocopying machines.

For additional PRESS information, please contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at (301) 837-1700 or by e-mail.

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