Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.wpost From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: JFK: The Files Are Opened= Date: Fri, 30 Oct 92 04:28:31 EST Message-ID: <39.1992Oct30.042831@AmeriCast.com> JFK: The Files Are Opened= A LOT OF PEOPLE have doubts about the accuracy and comprehensive- ness of the official version of the John F. Kennedy assassina- tion. That some of these are fanciful or politically inspired or bizarre does not warrant dismissing them all or simply sneering "conspiracy theory" at any mention of the the great inconsisten- cies and oddities that mark the story. Spurred by the persistence of legitimate doubts, Congress acted this fall to open the assas- sination files to the public. On Monday President Bush signed that legislation, and the countdown to full revelation began. All government offices must immediately begin reviewing, identi- fying and preparing relevant documents. Within 60 days, the Na- tional Archives must establish the President John F. Kennedy As- sassination Records Collection, which will receive those docu- ments, prepare guides and indexes and develop plans for public access. Within 90 days, the president is required to appoint a five-member independent review board whose nominations will be sent, under deadline, to the Senate for confirmation. No one who is an employee of the federal government or who has been involved in any of the many assassination investigations may be appointed to the board, which has the authority to order the release of any document. There are a few exceptions. The release of documents may be post- poned by the review board for certain enumerated reasons such as the need to protect the identity of agents still at risk. The president has the same authority with respect to executive branch papers only. In a message released on Tuesday, President Bush interprets this provision far more broadly than the text of the law justifies, a position that will undoubtedly be contested and, if invoked, appealed. Access to photos and X-rays taken during the autopsy would continue to be controlled by the Kennedy fami- ly. But a troubling larger exemption for "all records and other material that have been donated to the National Archives pursuant to a deed of gift regulating access to the material" was for- tunately removed before the bill was passed. These files were created in a different era, one that did not em- phasize the public's right to see a wide range of government pa- pers and one in which a shocked nation offered little objection to decisions made in the name of protecting the privacy of the murdered president's family and close associates. By now all the information about the assassination belongs to history. The release of these documents should help to answer the many ques- tions that persist. It is good public policy.02:28 10-30C9999--- -- Copyright 1992, The Washington Post. This story is from the Washington Post's Capitol Edition On-Line and is not to be ar- chived or redistributed. For more information, send-email to American Cybercasting Cor- poration (usa@AmeriCast.COM)