Certifications Regarding Disclosure of Information in Certain Records Related to the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

Impact dates

1. Jun 30, 2023

   Expiration of temporary certification; release of information not proposed for continued postponement beyond this date

2. May 15, 2023

   Agency withdrawal of redaction or presidential recommendation for continued postponement

3. May 1, 2023

   Completion of joint review; NARA agreement and Archivist recommendation on continued postponement

Key directives

• Certify continued postponement of records under section 2(c) with strongest reasons standard
• Temporarily certify continued postponement of section 2(d) records until June 30, 2023
• Release non-postponed information by December 15, 2022
• Conduct joint review of remaining redactions from signing date until May 1, 2023
• Limit continued postponement beyond June 30, 2023 to absolute minimum
• Direct NDC to use agency Transparency Plans for future reviews
• Authorize Acting Archivist to publish in Federal Register

Who is ordered

• Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies · Various
• Acting Archivist of the United States · NARA
• Archivist of the United States · NARA
• Counsel to the President · White House
• National Declassification Center · NARA

Timeline

Risks & tensions

• Tension between transparency mandate and national security claims for continued secrecy
• COVID-19 pandemic delayed prior review timeline, creating backlog pressure
• Subjective statutory standard ('such gravity that it outweighs public interest') leaves room for agency interpretation
• May 1, 2023 deadline for review completion is tight given complexity of intelligence/law enforcement records
• Document does not specify consequences if agencies fail to meet deadlines