John F Kennedy Assassination Warren Commission FBI Files

Description

The Warren Commission Report

Timeline of Main Events

• November 22, 1963: President John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Texas Governor John Connally is also wounded in the attack.
• November 29, 1963: President Lyndon B. Johnson appoints the Warren Commission to investigate the assassination of President Kennedy and the subsequent killing of the alleged assassin.
• December 16, 1963: J. Lee Rankin is sworn in as general counsel for the Warren Commission.
• Following December 16, 1963: The Warren Commission gathers staff, including 14 assistant counsels, lawyers, IRS agents, a historian, an editor, and administrative personnel. The Commission also begins reviewing reports from various federal agencies and state sources, requesting additional information from many sources, and holding hearings.
• Subsequent to investigation: The Warren Commission concludes that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in killing President Kennedy and wounding Governor Connally. They also conclude that Jack Ruby acted alone in killing Oswald.

Cast of Characters

• John F. Kennedy: President of the United States who was assassinated on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas.
• John Connally: Governor of Texas, who was wounded during the assassination of President Kennedy.
• Lyndon B. Johnson: President of the United States who succeeded Kennedy. He appointed the Warren Commission.
• Earl Warren: Chief Justice of the United States. He served as the chairman of the Warren Commission.
• Richard B. Russell: Democratic Senator from Georgia and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. A member of the Warren Commission.
• John Sherman Cooper: Republican Senator from Kentucky. A member of the Warren Commission.
• Hale Boggs: Democratic Representative from Louisiana and majority whip in the House of Representatives. A member of the Warren Commission.
• Gerald R. Ford: Republican Representative from Michigan. A member of the Warren Commission.
• Allen W. Dulles: Lawyer and former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. A member of the Warren Commission.
• John J. McCloy: Lawyer, former President of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and former United States High Commissioner for Germany. A member of the Warren Commission.
• J. Lee Rankin: Former Solicitor General of the United States. He served as general counsel for the Warren Commission.
• Lee Harvey Oswald: Alleged assassin of President Kennedy, who the Warren Commission concluded acted alone.
• Jack Ruby: The man who killed Lee Harvey Oswald; the Warren Commission concluded he acted alone.

John F Kennedy Assassination Warren Commission FBI Files

Here are the FBI files related to the Warren Commission’s investigation into the John F. Kennedy assassination. These 8,155 pages of internal documents detail the FBI’s communication and collaboration with the Warren Commission, and are sourced from FBI headquarters file 62-109060. The records show how the FBI worked to fulfill requests made by the Warren Commission during their investigation.

President Lyndon B. Johnson created the Warren Commission on November 29, 1963, a week after President Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. The commission was tasked with examining the circumstances of the assassination and the subsequent death of the accused assassin, and then reporting their analysis and conclusions to the President.

The Warren Commission members included: Earl Warren, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; Richard B. Russell, a Democratic Senator from Georgia and head of the Senate Armed Services Committee; John Sherman Cooper, a Republican Senator from Kentucky; Hale Boggs, a Democratic Representative from Louisiana and the House majority whip; Gerald R. Ford, a Republican Representative from Michigan; Allen W. Dulles, a lawyer and former Director of the CIA; and John J. McCloy, a lawyer who previously served as President of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and U.S. High Commissioner for Germany.

The Commission quickly assembled a team to fulfill its requirements. J. Lee Rankin, previously the Solicitor General of the United States, became the Commission’s chief lawyer on December 16, 1963. He had the support of 14 assistant lawyers who were organized into groups to focus on different aspects of the investigation. The Commission also received support from various sources, including lawyers, IRS agents, a historian, an editor, and administrative staff, all of whom were provided by Federal agencies. The Commission examined reports from the FBI, Secret Service, State Department, and the Texas Attorney General, and then sought more information from federal bodies, Congressional committees, and experts at the state and local levels.

The Commission conducted hearings and gathered statements from 552 people. The Commission traveled to Dallas multiple times to examine the location of the assassination and other relevant sites. The Commission determined that Lee Harvey Oswald was solely responsible for the killing of President Kennedy and the injury of Governor John Connally, and that Jack Ruby acted independently when he killed Oswald shortly after.