Reading Room Document

Withheld Warren Commission Documents

The attorney general asked the OLC to conduct a complete review of each of the Warren Commission exhibits that had not yet been released to the public. The OLC concluded that no unreleased exhibits would contribute to public understanding of the assassination, because most of the pertinent information in those exhibits was already publicly known. The OLC also recommended the continued withholding of “irrelevant material” related to the investigation, primarily because it would only had served to embarrass or possibly harm citizens who made tips that turned to have no connection with the assassination. For another group of documents that were scheduled to be re-reviewed in 1970, the OLC made “no firm recommendation” regarding the documents’ release prior to the 1970 review, and encouraged the attorney general to solicit the views of other agencies on the release of the documents. Lastly, the OLC informed the attorney general that the National Archives agreed to transfer the documents to a section of the stacks that was secured by a locked metal grill door to ensure the physical security of the documents.

January 9, 1969