Private and Local Records--- The Board has identified and secured significant
assassination-related records in the hands of private citizens
and local governments, including copies of the official records
of District Attorney Jim Garrison's investigation of the assassination,
the personal papers of Warren Commission Chief Counsel J. Lee
Rankin, as well as long-lost films taken in Dallas on November
22, 1963 that the public had never seen and that shed new light
on the events of that day.
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:
Unrealistic Time Limit---The authors of the legislation believed that the
task would take three years. That estimate was based on the best
available information at the time, but the legislation established
an unprecedented process. There was no way of knowing the problems
of scale and complexity that the Board has encountered, nor was
there any way to factor in the comprehensive approach taken by
the Board in fulfilling its mandate.
Delay in the appointment of the Board---The Board was not appointed until 18 months after
the legislation was signed into law. Federal agencies had to
define for themselves the universe of records that should be
processed under the Act and to speculate about the kind of evidence
that would be needed to sustain the redaction of assassination-related
information. Once the Board was in place, agencies needed to
revise a considerable amount of work. In fact, many agencies
have yet to complete their review and the Board is still seeking
their compliance.
Protracted Start-up---Congress
imposed several restrictions on the manner in which the Board
could operate. Unlike other temporary agencies, the Board could
not hire or detail experienced federal employees, but rather
had to hire new employees that had to undergo background investigations
and be cleared at Top Secret level. Locating and renovating space
that was suitable for the storage of classified materials was
required. As a result, the Board could not begin an effective
review of records until the third quarter of its first year.
The Job Ahead
An additional year will permit the Review
Board to finish its task by completing the following:
Sequestered Collections---Additional time will permit the Board to complete
its review of the huge and critically important collections of
records at the CIA and FBI that were requested by the HSCA in
the course of their investigation.
The Records of Some Agencies and Congressional
Committees---Additional time will
allow the Board to finish its work with several agencies and
Congressional Committees (NSA, Secret Service, Senate Intelligence
Committee).
Search for Additional Records---Additional time will permit the Board's search
for additional records held by government agencies, private individuals,
and local governments to be concluded with greater confidence.
Some of these records have been identified, but not yet acquired
by the Board.
Foreign Records---The
Board has started the process of collecting the reviewing records
held by a number of foreign countries (Russia, Belarus, Mexico,
England, Germany, France, Japan, Cuba). Contact has been made
with several countries. Additonal time will increase the likelihood
of success.
The Cost
As a result of the Board's necessarily protracted
start-up, it has a budget carry-over 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 risk.
