FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUNE 21, 1995

"The unanimous votes to release these CIA documents represent a critical step for the Review Board and an important chapter in the history of the Kennedy assassination," said John R. Tunheim, Chair of the Review Board. "We are demonstrating to the "American public that five private citizens are playing the key role in determining what information from the files of the federal government they will be allowed to see regarding this tragic historical event."

The CIA documents which the Review board voted to release in full principally relate to the opening of Lee Harvey Oswald's "201 file" and to certain issues connected with his visit to Mexico City in the fall of 1963, only weeks before President Kennedy was assassinated. These documents have been publicly available, but contain many redactions. The redactions are based upon one of two provisions in the JFK Act which permit the postponement of information that the Agency things: (a) would reveal "an intelligence agent whose identity currently requires protection," or (b) would reveal "an intelligence source or method which is currently utilized" and the disclosure of which "would interfere with the conduct of intelligence activities." After careful review of the documents and the evidence supplied by the CIA, the Review Board voted unanimously to release the records in their entirety without redaction.

The Review Board's decisions were based on several factors, including (a) the significant historical interest in the documents in questions [sic], as they involve core issues surrounding the CIA's records relating to Lee Harvey Oswald; (b) the absence of evidence that the release of information would cause harm to the United States; and (c) the lack of evidence that the release of information would cause harm to persons whose names (or pseudonyms) are being revealed.

The Assassination Records Review Board was established by the JFK Act, which was signed into law by President George Bush. The five members of the Board were appointed by President Clinton, confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and sworn in on April 11, 1994. THe law gives the Review Board the mandate and the authority to identify, secure, and make available all records related to the assassination of President Kennedy. It is the responsibility of the Board to determine which records are to be made public immediately and which ones will have postponed release dates.

The Review Board consists of the following members:

John R. Tunheim, Chair; Minnesota Chief Deputy Attorney General.

Dr. Henry F. Graff; Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University.

Dr. Kermit L. Hall; Dean, College of Humanities, and professor of History and Law at The Ohio State University.

Dr. William L. Joyce; Associate University Librarian.

Dr. Anna K. Nelson; Adjunst Professor of History at The American University.

The Review Board has until October 1, 1996, to fulfill its mandate, plus an additional year at the Board's discretion to complete its responsibilities.

The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

In accordance with the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, I am writing to inform you that the Assassination Records Review Board has made its first formal determinations concerning the public disclosure of executive branch records.

Enclosed is a list of the determinations that the REview Board has made and a summary of the reasons for those determinations.

You are invited to send your representative to the Review Board to examine our copies of the documents for which determinations have been made to discuss the determinations with my staff.

Sincerely Yours,

David G. Maxwell
Executive Director

On June 7, 1995, the JFK Assassination Records Review Board made its first formal determinations to release records under the President John f. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992. The Review Board's initial decisions were made on sixteen documents that had been created by the Central Intelligence Agency. A summary of the Board's determinations appears on page two of this notice [see below]. In all instances, the majority of the information in the records previously had been released by CIA, although certain information continued to be redacted. These documents principally relate to the opening of Lee Harvey Oswald's 201 file and to certain issues related to Oswald's visit to Mexico City.

All of the CIA's proposed redactions were based upon one of two provisions in the JFK Act that permit the postponement of information that (a) would reveal (a) would reveal "an intelligence agent whose identity currently requires protection," or (b) would reveal "an intelligence source or method which is currently utilized" and the disclosure of which "would interfere with the conduct of intelligence activities." After careful review of the documents and the evidence supplied by the CIA, the Review Board voted unanimously to release the records in their entirety without redaction.

The Review Board's decisions were premised on several factors including (a) the significant historical interest in the documents in question inasmuch as they relate to core issues surrounding the CIA's records relating to Lee Harvey Oswald; (b) the absence of evidence that the release of information would cause harm to the United States; and (c) the lack of evidence that the release of information would cause harm to persons whose names (or pseudonyms) are being revealed.

The Review Board made no other formal determinations.

Agency: CIA

Determinations:

Record Number      Status         Releases      Next Review Date

104-10007-10037    Open in Full      18             n/a
104-10007-10040    Open in Full       7             n/a
104-10007-10043    Open in Full       3             n/a
104-10007-10046    Open in Full       6             n/a
104-10007-10195    Open in Full       1             n/a
104-10008-10109    Open in Full      10             n/a
104-10015-10052    Open in Full       4             n/a
104-10015-10093    Open in Full      12             n/a
104-10015-10153    Open in Full       5             n/a
104-10015-10154    Open in Full       8             n/a
104-10015-10165    Open in Full       6             n/a
104-10015-10181    Open in Full       7             n/a
104-10050-10002    Open in Full       3             n/a
104-10050-10077    Open in Full       1             n/a
104-10054-10023    Open in Full      12             n/a
104-10054-10204    Open in Full       2             n/a

* * *