New Database on HeinOnline: John F. Kennedy Assassination Collection

This article is republished with permission by W.S. Hein. View the original article here.

We are pleased to announce a brand new database: the John F. Kennedy Assassination Collection. This database includes more than 54,000 documents and nearly 700,000 pages! HeinOnline will continue to add any new documents released by National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Research this critical information in HeinOnline’s user-friendly platform!

About the John F. Kennedy Assassination Collection

The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 directed the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to create a collection consisting of all U.S. government documents relating to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, including any state or local law enforcement materials. Furthermore, the Act required that each assassination record be made public no later than 25 years after the date of enactment unless the President of the United States has reason to withhold the documents. In October of 2017, President Donald Trump directed the NARA to release materials that were previously withheld. These consisted of nearly 50,000 documents, including more than 19,000 additional documents with the latest release in April 2018. The newly available information contained FBI, CIA, and other agency documents, while some other documents will remain classified until 2021. HeinOnline has organized and indexed this material to make it easy to navigate and use. Also included in this collection are books, hearings, and other related works, along with scholarly articles on this topic.

Data Visualization Charts

The Data Visualization charts on the collection homepage allow the user a quick and easy way to locate NARA documents by Agency, Document Type, Originator and Date. For example, starting with the first chart on the left, simply hover over each segment of the chart to learn how many documents from each Agency are included. The chart also displays this result as a percentage.

The gray portion is defined as “Other.” The agencies making up this slice are further defined and broken down in the “Agency – Other” visualization chart on the right-hand side of the page. The legend to the right of this chart lists out by name eight “Other” agencies at a time through four pages of results–use the blue arrows beneath the list to navigate them all. These instructions apply to the other Data Visualization charts as well, and using them provides a unique way to research and browse the documents.

Content and Future Releases

Content currently available since our July release includes more than 54,000 documents and nearly 700,000 pages.

According to NARA, there are a total of 5 million pages which make up the JFK Assassination Records Collection. The President has determined that all documents which remain classified under section 5 will be reviewed again before October 26, 2021. HeinOnline will continue to add any new documents released.