JFK Assassination Records

Inventory of the Warren Commission's Records

For access to these records, 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.

Proceedings and Minutes

Entry 1: Proceedings and Minutes of Executive Sessions of the Commission
1963-1964, 4 inches

Arranged chronologically by date of session.

  1. Transcripts of proceedings of the Commission for executive sessions of December 5, 6, and 16, 1963 (no volume number given), January 21 (volume 4), January 27 (volume 5), February 24 (volume 16), March 16 (volume 24B), April 30 (volume 40), May 19 (volume 45), June 4 (volume 46), and June 23, 1964 (volume 55).
  2. Minutes of a session on September 18, 1964.

The proceedings and minutes relate to the organization and administration of the Commission and the conduct of its investigation. The volumes are numbered in sequence with those of the transcripts of proceedings of hearings of the Commission (see Entry 37).

Subject-Numeric Files and Related Records

Entry 2: File Classification Manual

May 1964, negligible volume

Gives directions for filing the records of the Commission. The manual and a related memorandum indicate that the following classes and symbols were established:

  1. Key Persons (see Entry 9), including the following listed in the manual
    • John B. Connally
    • John F. Kennedy
    • Mrs. John F. Kennedy
    • Lee Harvey Oswald
    • Marina Oswald
    • Ruth Hyde Paine
    • Michael Paine
    • Jack Ruby
    • J.D. Tippit
  2. Other Individuals and Organizations Involved or Interviewed (see Entry 10)
  3. Subjects including:

Entry 3: Register of Letters Received ("Incoming Mail Log")

December 20, 1963, to November 20, 1964, 2 inches

Entries are chronological by date of receipt of the letter.

Looseleaf register showing the date the letter was received, the name of the writer, the subject of letter, and sometimes the name of the person to whom the letter was referred. Includes entries for letters transmitting reports or giving information to the Commission (see Entry 8), letters containing comments and inquiries from the public (see Entries 23 and 24), and letters relating to the administration of the Commission's affairs (see Entry 11, Entry 13, Entry 17, Entry 20, and Entry 34).

Entry 4: List of Numbered Commission Documents ("List of Basic Source Material")

1964, 2 inch

Numerical list of the investigative reports and other basic documents received by the Commission. Shows the number of documents, source, name of agency and field office for investigative reports, identification of the document, date, and security classification. For the documents and related indexes, see Entries 5 through 8.

Entry 5: Index to Names in Secret Service Reports

1964, 4 feet

Arranged alphabetically by name

Electrostatic copy of Secret Service index, on 3- by 5-inch cards, to names of persons, businesses, radio stations, and miscellaneous subjects. Also included are such items as "Welcome Mr. Kennedy to Dallas," the title of an advertisement appearing in the Dallas Times Herald on November 22, 1963. Entries show the name or subject involved, the control number of Secret Service report (see Entry 8) in which the name or subject is mentioned, and the file number for the investigation (CO-2-34,030).

Entry 6: Index to Addresses and Telephone and other Numbers in Secret Service Reports

1964, 1 foot

National Archives Identifier 605316 - available in the National Archives Catalog, July 2023

Arranged as follows:

  1. Addresses
    • alphabetically by name or numerically by the number of the street and
    • a few alphabetically by name of the street;
  2. Telephone numbers in part alphabetically and thereunder numerically and in part in straight numerical order;
  3. Miscellaneous numbers in part alphabetically and thereunder numerically and in part in straight numerical order.

Electrostatic copy of Secret Service index, on 3- by 5-inch cards, to addresses, telephone numbers, and miscellaneous numbers such as car license and registration numbers, social security numbers, and selective service numbers involved in the investigation. Entries show address or number involved, control number or numbers of Secret Service reports among the Commission documents (see Entry 8) in which the address or number is mentioned, the Secret Service file number for the case (CO-2-34,030), and the name of the person involved.

Entry 7: Name Index to Certain Commission Documents

1964, 1.5 feet

National Archives Identifier 605319 - available in the National Archives Catalog, July 2023

Arranged alphabetically by name of the person.

On 5-by 8-inch cards, showing names of persons mentioned in early numbered Commission documents (see Entry 8), sometimes identifications and addresses, and numbers of the documents in which the persons are mentioned. Prepared for the use of staff members working on the "Ruby area" of the investigation. Commission Document 54 was the last document indexed. For the documents, see Entry 8.

Entry 8: Numbered Commission Document File

1963 to 1964, with some records of earlier dates. 30 feet

Arranged numerically by Commission document number, 1-1555.

Consists mainly of investigative reports of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and to a lesser extent of reports from the Secret Service and the Central Intelligence Agency. Includes the comprehensive reports submitted to the President in December 1963 by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State Department, and the Secret Service, as well as the investigative reports and other documents on which they were based; other reports and copies of files submitted by these agencies, the Central Intelligence Agency, and other departments and agencies at the request of the Commission; documents relating to the assassination and the lives of Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby submitted by the attorney general of Texas, the Dallas Police Department, and other agencies in Texas and other States; a few letters form private citizens and copies of publication; photographs, tape records, and the Zapruder slides (CD 858); and other records. A few of the documents are missing. Much of the material in entries 9-12 of this inventory consists of copies of documents or parts or documents from this file arranged by name or subject for reference use of the Commission's staff. For a related list and indexes relating to some of the documents, see Entries 4 through 7.

Entry 9: Records Relating to "Key Persons"


1963 to 1964, with some records of earlier dates. 30 feet

Arranged alphabetically by name of the person.

A name file for reference purposes relating to 589 persons. Includes one or more folders for each of the 552 witnesses who testified before the Commission, gave depositions, or made affidavits, and for other persons who were involved in the investigation to a significant extent. Consists chiefly of electrostatic copies, but also includes carbon copies and a few signed original documents. Among the papers are Commission documents (see Entry 8); transcripts of testimony, depositions, and affidavits given by the witnesses; memorandums concerning the background of the persons involved, establishing schedules for hearing witnesses, or suggesting areas of investigation; covering letters transmitting depositions; 33 tape recordings relating to the activities of Mark Lane; and other records. Often the papers consist only of individual pages relating to particular persons, these pages having been taken or copies from the documents to which they belong. The records relating to the alleged assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald (5 feet), are divided into four periods of his life, the pre-Russian period (1939 to 1959), the Russian period (1959 to 1962), the post-Russian period (1962 to 1963), and his murder by Jack Ruby.

The Records of Key Persons are available through the National Archives Catalog, National Archives Identifier 605417.

Entry 10: Records Relating to "Other Individuals and Organizations Involved or Interviewed"

1963 to 1964, 17 feet

Arranged alphabetically by name of person, organization, or establishment.

A name file for reference purposes relating chiefly to persons who were involved in the investigation in a minor way in comparison with those in the "Key Persons" series (see Entry 9, but also including records relating to organizations or establishments such as the John Birch Society, the Carousel Club, the Communist Party, Parkland Memorial Hospital, the Vegas Club, and The Worker. Records relating to Government agencies are in a separate series (see Entry 11). Composed mainly of electrostatic copies of investigative reports or parts of such reports from investigative agencies (see Entry 8), in which the persons or organizations in this series were mentioned or the results of interviews with them were reported.

Entry 11: Records Relating to "Governmental Agencies Involved"

1963 to 1964, with some records of earlier dates. 3 feet

Arranged by federal agencies, state and local agencies, and foreign countries; thereunder alphabetically by federal Agency, state, city, or country; and thereunder chronologically by date of document. There are separate folders for Dallas and New Orleans at the end of the records relating to cities.

Correspondence with federal, state, and local government agencies involving the initial request of the Commission to federal departments and agencies and congressional committees for all information in their files relating to the subject matter of the investigation, and additional requests to federal, state, and local agencies for information as the investigation developed. Included are copies of Commission documents (see Entry 8). Both the records relating to state agencies and two folders relating to foreign countries contain documents received from federal investigative agencies. The files also contain documents received directly from state agencies and from foreign governments.

Entry 12: Records Relating to "Investigation and Evidence"

1963 to 1964, 5 feet

Arranged according to the "Investigative and Evidence" section of the file classification scheme and chronologically thereunder.

A subject file for reference purposes relating to the assassination consisting of copies of all or parts of Commission documents (see Entry 8) and other Commission records relating to specific subjects involved, such as the assassination site, the arrest, and interrogation of Lee Harvey Oswald, evidence tending to show the guilt of Oswald, information concerning other suspects, witnesses, and other matters.

Entry 13: Correspondence Relating to Photographs and Press Clippings

From 1963 to 1964, negligible volume

National Archives Identifier 605551 - available in the National Archives Catalog, July 2023

Arranged chronologically by date of the letter.

Concerns the acquisition and use of photographs and press clippings by the Commission.

Entry 14: Investigative Reports Relating to Photographs and Films

1964, 2 inches

National Archives Identifier 605553 - available in the National Archives Catalog, July 2023

Arranged chronologically by the date of the report.

Copies of investigative reports by the FBI relating to such subjects as:

  • the identification of photographers and the time, place, and type of camera involved in taking certain photographs and motion picture films; and
  • the identification by Marina Oswald of certain photographs found among Lee Harvey Oswald's possessions. Some are identified as Commission documents or parts of these documents (see Entry 8).

Included are a few items involving maps.

Entry 15: Photographs

1963, 4 inches

National Archives Identifier 605563 - available in the National Archives Catalog, July 2023

Arranged by source.

Included are negatives and glossy prints. The prints show scenes at the Texas School Book Depository building, in the Dallas Police Department building the night after the assassination of President Kennedy, in the basement of the Police Department building at the time of the murder of Oswald, and at other places in Dallas. Other photographs are filed in other series of the Commission records, including the Commission documents and reference files (see Entries 8 through 12 and exhibits (see Entry 42).

Entry 16: Press Clippings and Newspapers

1961 to 1964, 10 feet

The clippings are partly arranged by subject according to the Commission's file classification scheme; the remaining clippings and the newspapers are arranged chronologically.

Original press clippings, electrostatic copies of press clippings, and whole copies of certain newspapers. Other press clippings and copies of clippings are filed in other series of the Commission's records, including the Commission documents and reference files (see Entries 8 through 12 and exhibits (see Entry 42), and the letters received by the Commission (see Entries 23 and 24).

Entry 17: Correspondence Relating to Films and Tape Recordings

1963 to 1964, 5 inches

National Archives Identifier 605587 - available in the National Archives Catalog, July 2023

Arranged chronologically by the date of the letter.

Concerns the acquisition and use of motion picture films, radio tapes, and television tapes and films by the Commission.

Entry 18: Films

1963, 6 inches

Arranged as follows:

  1. one 16-mm, reel consisting of a silent WDSU-TV (New Orleans) film taken on August 16, 1963, of Lee Harvey Oswald distributing leaflets on behalf of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee and on August 12, 1963, outside the Municipal Court at New Orleans on the day of Oswald's court appearance, and a sound film interview on August 21, 1963, at the WDSU studios shortly after a radio program in which Oswald participated;
  2. an 8-mm. film entitled "President Kennedy's Final Hour," produced by Dallas Cinema Associates, Inc., from films taken by photographers along the route of the President's motorcade;
  3. a 16-mm. film of the President's motorcade taken by an unidentified amateur photographer, furnished to the Commission by Wolper Productions, Inc.;
  4. a 16-mm. film which includes scenes of District Attorney Wade of Dallas speaking in the Dallas Police Department building and some silent film;
  5. a 16-mm. film of Lee Harvey Oswald speaking in the assembly room of the Dallas Police Department;
  6. a 16-m. film of unidentified origin, accompanied by an explanatory Secret Service memorandum, showing an aerial view of the site of the assassination and an interview with a gunsmith concerning Oswald's rifle and the mounting of telescopic sights;
  7. reels 65 and 66 of 16-mm. National Broadcasting Co. film relating to the shooting of Oswald; and
  8. an 8-mm. United Press International film showing only a title relating to the assassination.


For the Zapruder film (CE 904), Nix (CE 905), and Muchmore (CE 906) films, see Entry 42. For the Zapruder slides (CD 858), see Entry 8.

Entry 19: Radio Tape Recordings

1963, 12 feet

The Dallas and Voice of America tapes are arranged alphabetically by the station that made the original broadcast and thereunder numerically by the number of the tape.

Included are:

  1. a recording of Lee Harvey Oswald's radio interview in New Orleans after his arrest in connection with his activities for the Fair Play for Cuba Committee;
  2. a recording of an interview with Father Huber, who administered the last rites to President Kennedy; and
  3. tapes of broadcasts by Dallas radio stations and the Voice of America for the period of the assassination and its aftermath, November 22-27, 1963, accompanied by outlines of the contents of the Dallas tapes. Other tape recordings are in other series of the Commission records (see Entry 8, Entry 9, and Entry 44).

Entry 20: Presidential Commission Administrative Records

1963 to 1964, 5 feet

National Archives Identifier 605588 - available in the National Archives Catalog, July 2023


Arranged according to the "Presidential Commission" section of the file classification scheme and chronologically thereunder.

Records relating to the administration, organization, and functions of the Commission, including:

  1. correspondence and office memorandums of General Counsel J. Lee Rankin relating to such general administrative matters as payment of Commission expenses, arrangements for hearings of the Commission, publication of the Report of the Commission, organization of the Commission's records, and transfer of its records and certain exhibits to the National Archives;
  2. a notebook listing long-distance telephone calls of the Commission and its staff;
  3. time and attendance reports of employees;
  4. accounting records relating to the payment of salaries and expenses;
  5. memorandums and form letters relating to the handling of correspondence;
  6. receipts for classified documents marked "Top Secret," "Secret," or "Confidential;"
  7. receipts for physical exhibits, for published volumes of exhibits, for registered mail, and for transcripts of testimony;
  8. correspondence of the General Counsel and the staff relating to the use of the facilities of the Library of Congress and the Library of the Supreme Court of the United States;
  9. agenda of Commission meetings, with attached documents for consideration, including investigative reports of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Secret Service;
  10. press releases;
  11. records relating to personnel, such as applications for employment, personnel actions, appointment affidavits, biographical sketches of staff members, and correspondence;
  12. records relating to security clearances of consultants and employees; and
  13. records relating to supplies and equipment, telephone service, and travel.

Entry 21: Memorandums and Minutes Concerning Conferences and Staff Meetings

1964, negligible volume

National Archives Identifier 605593 - available in the National Archives Catalog, September 2023

Arranged chronologically by the date of the document.

Two memorandums summarizing conferences between representatives of the Commission and of other agencies concerning matters involved in the investigation of the assassination and minutes and memorandums in the nature of minutes of staff meetings at which:

  • the Chief Justice states the reasons for his undertaking his duties as Chairman of the Commission;
  • a deadline was set for submitting comprehensive memorandums reviewing the investigative materials available and outlining a future course of action;
  • the question of the proper handling of the allegations that Oswald was an undercover agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation or other investigative agencies was discussed;
  • a target date was set for the preparation of indexes and preliminary memorandums on the areas for which members of the staff were responsible;
  • General Counsel Rankin discussed the staff's functions;
  • a "leak" of the testimony of Robert Oswald was discussed:
  • similar matters relating to the investigation were discussed.

Entry 22: Records Relating to the "Protection of the President"

1954, and 1963 to 1964, 1 foot

National Archives Identifier 605601 - available in the National Archives Catalog, July 2023

Arranged in the following categories and chronologically thereunder:

  1. Secret Service documents consisting of the following:
    • "Principles of Protections of the President and Other Dignitaries," a manual of the Secret Service School dated January 4, 1954;
    • a report on "Parade Routes," dated July 10, 1964, by the Dallas Office of the Service concerning the most commonly used parade routes in Dallas (CD 1499 in Entry 8); and
    • "Report of the U.S. Secret Service on the Assassination of President Kennedy," dated December 18, 1963, in two volumes (CD 3);
  2. other records consisting of a memorandum entitled "Appendix 18/A Brief History of Presidential Protection," other memorandums concerning Presidential protection, and correspondence of the Commission with the Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency, and other agencies, including investigative reports concerning:
    • measures for the protection of the President before and during the trip to Texas;
    • criticism of Secret Service agents for alleged misconduct in Fort Worth;
    • damage to the windshield of the President's car;
    • the "bubble top" of the car;
    • reported threats against President Kennedy;
    • evaluation of current measures for the President's protection;
    • other assassinations or attempted assassinations; and
    • additional measures required.

Entry 23: Correspondence Relating to "Public Comments and Inquiries"

1963 to 1964, 4 feet

National Archives Identifier 606364 - partially available in the National Archives Catalog, December 2023

Arranged in the following sections:

  1. excerpts and comments in U.S. publications;
  2. excerpts and comments in foreign publications;
  3. excerpts and comments in Russian publications;
  4. the "hate atmosphere" in Dallas;
  5. anonymous communications;
  6. individual citizens; and
  7. Congress, which consists of only one letter.

Sections 1-5 are arranged chronologically by date under each section; section 6 is arranged alphabetically by the name of correspondent.

Entry 24: Letters Received by the Chief Justice

1963, 1 foot

Arranged alphabetically by name of writer.

Letters to the Chief Justice dated before the Commission began its hearings, with a few addressed to the President, expressing opinions about the assassination and the investigation, giving advice, or encouraging the Commission in its work. Newspaper clippings are enclosed in many.

Entry 25: Alphabetical Files of Outgoing Letters and Internal Memorandums

1963 to 1964, 2 feet

Green copies are arranged alphabetically by name of addressee within the following sections:

  1. general, consisting of letters to the general public concerning such matters as the conduct of the investigation, employment by the Commission, and views on the work of the Commission;
  2. internal, consisting of copies of memorandums and letters among members of the Commission and its staff; and
  3. government, consisting of copies of letters to persons in government agencies.

Entry 26: Reading File of Outgoing Letters and Internal Memorandums

1963 to 1964, 1 foot

White copies of the material described in Entry 25 are arranged chronologically by the date of the letter.

Records Relating to the Publication of the Report of the Commission

Entry 27: Records Relating to the Preparation of the Report of the Commission

1964, 2 feet

  1. Correspondence and memorandums, arranged chronologically, among Commission and staff members, other agencies, and the public concerning corrections, revisions, printing, and distribution of the Report and correspondence between the Commission and other agencies concerning permission to publish certain documents;
  2. various sections of the Report dated from June to September 1964, some of which are labeled "Draft," "Third Draft," "Proposed Final Draft," or "Final Draft," arranged chronologically; and
  3. preliminary summaries of evidence available in February 1964, drafts of sections of the Report, and memorandums concerning revisions and corrections, filed alphabetically by name of staff member preparing the section of the Report involved. See also Entry 34.

Entry 28: Manuscript of the Report and Hearings of the Commission

1964, 30 feet

Original typewritten manuscript of the final Report of the Commission to the President, with printer's marks and editorial corrections; transcripts of proceedings of hearings of the Commission used as manuscript, with printer's marks, for the Hearings of the Commission; and copies of exhibits used by the Government Printing Office in volumes XVI-XXVI of the Hearings. For the original transcripts of proceedings of hearings, see Entry 37, Entry 38, and Entry 40; for the originals and other copies of exhibits, see Entry 42.

Entry 29: Index to Names of Persons Involved in the Hearings of the Commission

1964, 2 feet

Arranged alphabetically by name of person.

Original copy of index on 3- by 5-inch cards, with printer's marks and editorial revisions, to names of witnesses testifying and persons referred to in the testimony of the Commission, at the end of which the index is published (Hearings, volume XV, p. 253-801).

Entry 30: Index to Exhibits Relating to Depositions

1964, 3 inches

National Archives Identifier 606375 - available in the National Archives Catalog, July 2023

Arranged alphabetically by name of the witness and thereunder numerically by exhibit number or alphabetically by designating letter of the exhibit.

Original copy with printer's marks and editorial revisions, on 3- by 5-inch cards, of the index to Commission exhibits introduced in connection with depositions of witnesses. Published in Hearings of the Commission (volume XV, p. 813-826). Page numbers given in the index are those on which the specified exhibit is mentioned in the Hearings.

Entry 31: Galley Proof of the Report of the Commission

1964, 2 feet

National Archives Identifier 606377 - available in the National Archives Catalog, September 2023

Printer's galley proof of the Report of the Commission. Contains editorial revisions, sometimes of paragraph or sentence length.

Entry 32: Page Proof of the Report and Hearings of the Commission

1964, 10 feet

Printer's page proof of the Report and Hearings, including certain exhibits, of the Commission. Contains some revisions as well as stylistic changes of words or phrases. Approved for printing by General Counsel J. Lee Rankin.

Entry 33: Records of the Government Printing Office relating to the Report of the Commission

April 8 to December 4, 1964, 8 feet

Correspondence and memorandums are arranged chronologically by date of document and negatives are arranged in accordance with the Report and Hearings of the Commission.

A duplicate of the presentation copy of the Report of the Commission that was presented to the President by the Commission on September 24, 1964, at the White House; a photograph of this copy; a file of correspondence, memorandums, dummy pages, proofs, and other working papers relating to the production and sale of the Report and Hearings of the Commission; and photographic negatives used in the production of the Report and Hearings. The file includes a copy of a letter of December 1, 1964, from the Public Printer to the Archivist of the United States transmitting the presentation copy to the National Archives and explaining the circumstances of its production.

Entry 34: Correspondence on Publication of the Report and Hearings of the Commission

1964, 4 inches

National Archives Identifier 607506 - available in the National Archives Catalog, September 2023

Arranged chronologically. See also Entry 27.

Staff memorandums and correspondence of the Commission with government agencies and with the public concerning requests relating to the printing and distribution of the Report and Hearings of the Commission.

Records Relating to Testimony

Entry 35: Notebook Relating to Witnesses and Their Testimony

1964, 1 inch

National Archives Identifier 607507 - available in the National Archives Catalog, July 2023

Arranged in sections tabbed "Witnesses," "Depositions," and "Depositions Received."

A looseleaf notebook containing rough notes; lists of depositions charged out to a staff member; lists of witnesses who testified before the Commission or from who depositions were taken, including a list arranged numerically by volume of depositions in which the witness's testimony appeals (see Entry 40); copies of memorandums and correspondence; a summary dated May 7, 1964, of the testimony of witnesses from whom depositions had been taken up to that time, with an attached index by name of witness; and records relating to a court reporter's bill for his services in taking depositions.

Entry 36: Subject Index to Proceedings of Hearings of the Commission

1964, 5 inches

National Archives Identifier 607508 - available in the National Archives Catalog, July 2023

Arranged according to the file classification scheme and thereunder alphabetically by name of the witness.

Entry 37: Proceedings of Hearings

1964, Vols. 6-60, 4 feet

Arranged numerically by volume number.

Transcripts of proceedings of the Commission during which testimony of witnesses was heard. The volumes are numbered in sequence with those of the transcripts of proceedings of executive sessions of the Commission (see Entry 1). For Volume 57, see Entry 46. For a copy of these transcripts used in the Hearings of the Commission, see Entry 28.

Entry 38: Proceedings of Sessions at which Testimony of Mark Lane was Heard

March 4, 1964, and July 2, 1964, Volumes 1 and 2, negligible volume

National Archives Identifier 607509 - available in the National Archives Catalog, July 2023

Transcripts of proceedings of the Commission during which testimony of Mark Lane, attorney for Lee Harvey Oswald's mother, was heard. The volumes are numbered separately from those in the preceding series. For a copy of these transcripts used in the Hearings of the Commission, see Entry 28.

Entry 39: Stenotype Notes of Proceedings

January 21 to September 15, 1964, 6 feet

Arranged chronologically by date of notes.

These notes were turned over to the Commission for destruction by Ward and Paul, Official Reporters. The notes are still in their original form in sealed packages. Filed at the end of the series are a reporter's notebook, six sound recordings, and six photographic negatives relating to depositions.

Entry 40: Depositions

1964, Volumes 1 to 203, 9 feet

Arranged numerically by volume number.

Both typewritten copies and processed copies of depositions of witnesses. There are also summaries of depositions. This is a numerical list of the volumes showing the names of witnesses whose depositions appear in the notebook relating to witnesses and their testimony (see Entry 35). For copies of these depositions used in the Hearings of the Commission, see Entry 28.

Entry 41: List of Exhibits

1964, 1 inch

National Archives Identifier 607513 - available in the National Archives Catalog, July 2023

Shows number and identification of Commission Exhibits 760-3137.

Entry 42: Exhibits and Other Evidence

1964, 70 feet

Arranged in part numerically by Commission exhibit number and in part alphabetically by name of the person giving deposition and numerically or alphabetically thereunder, or numerically by FBI number.

  1. Originals and copies of exhibits, including artifacts, textual records, films, and photographs, received by the Commission in connection with testimony or relied upon by the Commission in its Report. For copies of exhibits used in the Hearings of the Commission, see Entry 28.
  2. Other evidence not assigned an exhibit number by the Commission.

Photographs of many of the most frequently requested items are reproduced in the National Archives Catalog.

Miscellaneous Records

Entry 43: Large Visual Aids

1964, Two large-scale models and 6 inches of maps and photographs

The maps and photographs are arranged numerically by the number by which they are listed in Commission Document 298 (see Entry 8).

  1. Scale models of the Dealey Plaza area in Dallas, the site of the assassination (scale 1/4 inch to 1 foot), and the area in the basement of the Dallas Police Department building in which Lee Harvey Oswald was killed (scale « inch to 1 foot).
  2. large mounted maps of the city of Dallas marked to show places related to the assassination and the routes of the President's motorcade from Love Field to the site of the assassination and from there to Parkland Memorial Hospital; and
  3. large mounted aerial and ground-level photographs of downtown Dallas, the Dealey Plaza area, and other areas and places related to the assassination. These visual aids, prepared by the FBI, were displayed in the conference room of the Commission. Commission Document 298, composed of colored photographs of these visual aids and information concerning them, describes the origin and purpose of the scale models as follows: "Scale models were developed showing in minute detail pertinent physical features of each site, including reproductions of vehicles. These three-dimensional exhibits will assist eyewitnesses in clearly demonstrating their recollections of the events occurring at the time of the shootings, thus making it possible for those who have not visited these sites to gain a full and clear understanding of the happenings surrounding each event."

Entry 44: Office Files of Staff Members

1964, 18 feet

Arranged alphabetically by name of the staff member with the working papers, 27 Dictaphone belts, and three NBC audio tapes of a "special project" for the use of video and audio tapes filed at the end.
Consists of duplicate copies of Commission documents (see Entry 8), testimony, correspondence, memorandums, and other material of the Commission relating to areas of the investigation for which the staff members were responsible; newspaper clippings; and drafts of sections of the Report of the Commission with revisions and marginal suggestions for revisions.

Entry 45: Oswald-Ruby Chronology and Summary of Chronology

May 1964, 8 volumes, 5 inches

Chronology of events in the lives of Oswald, Ruby, and other principals investigated by the Commission for the period from September 1959 to November 24, 1963. Citations to sources of information among the records of the Commission are given. The seven-volume chronology is condensed in a one-volume summary.

Entry 46: "Report of Meeting of Members of Staff"

July 9, 1964, 1 volume, 1 inch

National Archives Identifier 607521 - available in the National Archives Catalog, July 2023

Transcript of a meeting at which General Counsel J. Lee Rankin, other members of the staff, and John J. McCloy and Allen W. Dulles, members of the Commission, were present. The purpose of the meeting was "an informal colloquy, interrogation, and explanation by [Drs. Dale C. Cameron, Howard P. Rome, and David A. Rothstein] in regard to their observations from material furnished to them" relating to a psychiatric interpretation of Lee Harvey Oswald. Includes a general discussion with personal points of view set forth. The volume is not numbered, but the numbering of the pages (7821 to 8071) indicates that it was volume 57 of the transcripts of the Commission (see Entry 37).

Entry 47: Indexes to Subjects Relating to the Assassination and to Lee Harvey Oswald

1964, 4 inches

Two incomplete indexes on 5- by 8-inch cards to various subjects relating to

  1. the assassination, such as the blanket in which Oswald kept his rifle wrapped, clothing he wore on the day of the assassination, fingerprints, and Oswald's movements in the Texas School Book Depository building; and
  2. Oswald's life in general, such as a reported interest in buying a car, his contacts with the FBI, his use of the name "Hidell," and job applications he made.

Citations to sources are given.


Entry 48: Outline of Evidence Relating to the Assassination

1964, 9 inches

Outline typed on 5- by 8-inch cards arranged by the following subjects and thereunder by related subdivisions, summarizing evidence relating to

  1. the site of the assassination;
  2. the weapon used;
  3. its ownership;
  4. activities of Lee Harvey Oswald, owner of the gun, before the assassination;
  5. activities of Oswald in the Texas School Book Depository building after the assassination;
  6. activities of Oswald after leaving the building;
  7. the murder of Officer J.D. Tippit;
  8. flight and apprehension of Oswald in Texas Theater;
  9. interrogation of Oswald at Dallas Police Station;
  10. miscellaneous evidence and inconsistencies;
  11. tentative conclusions, and
  12. limitation of analysis of the area of inquiry of Joseph A. Ball and David W. Belin.

Citations to sources are given.

Entry 49: Records Relating to the Interrogation and Trial of Jack Ruby

1964, 1 foot

National Archives Identifier 607525 - available in the National Archives Catalog, September 2023

Arranged chronologically by the date of the document.

Depositions relating to Jack Ruby, transcripts of his trial in Dallas for the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald, and his testimony before the Commission.

Entry 50: "The Oswald Case: Mark Lane's Testimony to the Warren Commission"

1964, 2 phonographic records

Produced by Broadside Records with the cooperation of Folkways Records.

Entry 51: Photograph of the Commission

No date, two items

Glossy and matte finish prints of a photograph of the Commission taken by Ackad Studio of Washington, by which it is copyrighted.

Entry 52: Related Material Received from the Secret Service

1963 and 1965, negligible volume

  1. Electrostatic copies of the following papers relating to the assassination and autopsy of President Kennedy:
    • Certificate of Death filed in Texas;
    • letter dated November 26, 1963, from the Commanding Officer, U.S. Naval Medical School, concerning laws and regulations regarding the confidential nature of the events relating to the autopsy;
    • receipt from the FBI for a missile recovered during the examination of the body;
    • letter dated November 22, 1963, from Dr. M.T. Jenkins, Department of Anesthesiology of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, to the Administrator, Parkland Memorial Hospital, concerning resuscitative efforts for President Kennedy, together with a letter of November 23, 1963, from Dr. Kemp Clark to Dr. George G. Burkley and the summary of his findings of treatment and examination of the President; and
    • two National Naval Medical Center documents together with certified copies, relating to X-rays and photographic films prepared during the autopsy of President Kennedy.
  2. The original and six pink copies of the Certificate of Death (NAVMED N), consisting of the ribbon copy, five carbon copies, and a pencil draft of the Navy Certificate of Death, all on the pink "NAVMED N" form;
  3. Station WDSU-TV (New Orleans) film of Lee Harvey Oswald distributing leaflets;
  4. Memorandum of transfer of material relating to the autopsy of President Kennedy from Vice Adm. George G. Burkley to the Kennedy family on April 26, 1965.

Entry 53: "Wound Ballistics of 6.5-MM. Mannlicher-Carcano Ammunition"

March 1965, 1 item

National Archives Identifier 607542 - available in the National Archives Catalog, July 2023

A technical report (CRDLR 3264) of the Chemical Research and Development Laboratories of Edgewood Arsenal prepared by Dr. Alfred G. Olivier and Dr. Arthur J. Dziemian in connection with their work for the Commission.

 

 

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