FAS Homepage | Gov't Secrecy | Advisory Panels || Index | Search | Join FAS


Assassination Records Review Board

FY 1996 Report

February 1997

Assassination Records Review Board
600 E Street, N.W. Second Floor
Washington, D.C. 20530
(202) 724-0088 fax: (202) 724-0457


Assassination Records Review Board

The Assassination Records Review Board recommends that the JFK Act be extended for one additional year. Although it has accomplished much in its first two years, the Review Board still has a great deal of important work to do. The additional year will allow the Review Board to review and release the remaining secret assassination records to the public and to complete a final report.

Accomplishments of the Review Board
Through October 1996, the Review Board acted to transfer nearly 10,000 documents to the National Archives and Records Administration for inclusion in the JFK Collection. At the end of 1996, that collection totaled approximately 3.1 million pages and was used extensively by researchers from all over the United States.

The Review Board Needs Additional Time
The Review Board will not be able to complete its work within the original three-year timetable set by Congress for the following reasons:

The Job Ahead
An additional year will permit the Review Board to finish its task by completing the following:

The Cost
As a result of the Board's necessarily protracted start-up, it has a budget carryover of $500,000 in no-year funds from its first year, a sum that would fund a full quarter of continued operation. The Board would consequently require $1.6 million of additional funds to operate for one more year. In considering this cost, it is important to assess the cost of not completing the job.

The Review Board was conceived of as a means of eliminating uncertainty and speculation about the contents of government files relating to the assassination of President Kennedy. A premature termination of the Review Board would surely generate intensified doubts within the general public about the commitment of Congress to release all information that relates to the assassination of President Kennedy, as well as renewed speculation about the conduct of our government and its institutions and personnel. If appropriate closure is not reached now, the identical issues will have to be addressed again in the future-- at even greater cost. The recommended additional year will allow for a confident conclusion of this important task.


Table of Contents

Introduction

I. Activities of the Review Board

II. Agency Compliance With the Requirements of the JFK Act III. The Job Ahead List of Appendices




FAS Homepage | Gov't Secrecy | Advisory Panels || Index | Search | Join FAS