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JFK Database Explorer

Welcome to the JFK Database Explorer! These pages allow you to explore the JFK Collection records which are identified by a Record Identification Form. Each of over 300,000 documents is uniquely identified by a 13-digit RIF number of the form XXX-XXXXX-XXXXX, and other form fields denote each document's title, page count, subjects, agency, and other such metadata.

NOTE: A 3/4/2022 update marks those records released on December 15, 2021, and also adds a "Withheld" status denoting which records are withheld under sections 10 and 11 of the JFK Records Act (due to IRS, court, or donor restrictions). This project's data was updated on July 24, 2021 with new metadata derived from a 6-part spreadsheet created by the National Archives.

Start your exploration of the JFK records:

Look up by Record Number: Find

or:

View all 300,000+ records

or:

Explore the documents released on June 27, 2023 - View metadata and the actual documents which the National Archives released on Jun 27, 2023.

Explore the documents released on June 13, 2023 - View metadata and the actual documents which the National Archives released on Jun 13, 2023.

Explore the documents released on May 11, 2023 - View metadata and the actual documents which the National Archives released on May 11, 2023.

Explore the documents released on April 27, 2023 - View metadata and the actual documents which the National Archives released on April 27, 2023.

Explore the documents released on April 13, 2023 - View metadata and the actual documents which the National Archives released on April 13, 2023.

Explore the documents released in 2022 - View metadata and the actual documents which the National Archives released on December 15, 2022.

Explore the documents released in 2021 - View metadata and the actual documents which the National Archives released on December 15, 2021.

Explore the documents released since 2017 - View metadata and the actual documents which the National Archives released in 7 batches from July 2017 through April 2018.

Explore the withheld-in-full records which were planned for release in 2017 - See the 3,517 records which in 2016 the National Archives said were withheld in full but planned for release in 2017 (not all were actually released).

Use the links below to browse by any of the form fields. This Explorer lets you drill down:

• For each form field, view the list of unique values and the # of matching documents

• For each such value, the RIF form metadata for each matching document

• For matching documents scanned into this website (over 1/3 of the total), click through to read the doc

Click the links below to explore JFK database by:

Record Number - 13-digit unique record number assigned by NARA (XXX-XXXXX-XXXXX)
Record Series - Groupings of documents into series
Agency - Name of agency releasing the document
Agency File No. - Original file number or name assigned to the document
Originator - Organization or person who created the document
From - Person or organization from whom the document was sent
To - Person or organization to whom the document was sent
Date - Date when the document was created
Pages - Number of pages in the document
Subjects - List of subjects discussed in the document, separated by semi-colons
Document Type - Type of document (Letter, Report, etc.)
Classification - Document's security classification
Restrictions - Restriction codes identifying types of redactions applied to this document
Current Status - Current release status (Open, Released with Deletions, Postponed in Full)
Date of Last Review - Date when last reviewed for release or change in redaction
Opening Criteria - Criteria to be applied to decision-making about release
Comments - Comments attached to this document

ABOUT THE JFK DATABASE EXPLORER

The pages you can explore here use a copy of the full RIF database gleaned from the National Archives website. The current version, created in July 2021, is derived from a 6-part spreadsheet provided by the National Archives. The data in the earlier version was provided in 2015 by Ramon Herrera.

Note that there are many typos--these are present in the original National Archives data and no attempt has been made to correct them.

2021 UPDATE

A new interactive table lets you explore the metadata for 1,151 records which were marked as "withheld in full" by the National Archives in 2016 and slated for release in 2017, but then were not subsequently put online. Learn the reasons why in a companion essay: State of the JFK Releases 2021.

Some Stats

Total count of documents: 319,106

Viewable on MFF: 109,947 (~35%)

For More Information

For more information about this Explorer, the database upon which it is based, and tips and tricks for using it effectively, see this help page:
Frequently Asked Questions about the JFK Database Explorer