</s>104-10427-10099 CIA HISTORICAL REVIEW PROGRAM RELEASE IN FULL JFK ACT RELEASE Information Copy for: Dr. James Rhoads, Archivist of the United States OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE WASHINGTON, D.C. 20301 18 MAY. 1978. Received NA:N MAY 23 1978 the (rration) MEMORANDUM FOR SECRETARIES OF THE MILITARY DEPARTMENTS DIRECTOR, DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY SUBJECT: Preservation of Records Related to Assassinations, of President John F. Kennedy and Reverend Martin Luther King The Chairman of the House Select Committee on Assassinations has requested the Department of Defense to remind its con- presents to take action to preserve all records which have presents of the President Kennedy and Revered King. inations of President Kennedy the Reverend King. 1. Department has assured the Select Committee Staff that department of Defense Records Disposal Authority NCI-330-76-1, is to be of possible historical value, those of whom were attractive Program records to preserve All files deter- aid to be possible Historical value. Those of whom would ifid to be able to be available to the National Archives investigations by offering them to the Federal Archives either 15 or 25 years. because of the pending Select Committee investigating into the source of the following Select Committee investigate all Records disposal personnel to be particularly alert the following statements, referred to above, please instruct files which have any possible relevance or color of relation- all records have possible personnel to participate in the presence tiles which any possible relevances or color or relation- ship to the two assassinations that would be among the assassination of the two assassination evidence would be the these assassinations that would include the cassination are investigative evidence or intelligence files during the time frame 1959-1969. This period of special alert to prevent destruction of files which reasonably are believed to relate to these assassinas- tions shall extend to December 31, 1978. D. O. Cooke Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense

Summary: This document is a memorandum dated May 18, 1978, issued by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense to military department secretaries and the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. It outlines instructions for preserving records related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. The Department of Defense is directed to ensure that all records with potential historical value, particularly those relevant to the assassination investigations of Kennedy and King, are preserved. Records disposal personnel are instructed to prioritize files from 1959-1969 that may have any connection to these assassinations. The alert period for preventing the destruction of such records extends until December 31, 1978. The Chairman of the House Select Committee on Assassinations requested this action to support ongoing investigations.  

Key People: John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. James Rhoads (Archivist of the United States), D.O. Cooke (Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense)  

Key Locations: Washington, D.C.  

Key Events: Preservation of records related to assassinations of JFK and MLK, establishment of a record retention alert period through December 31, 1978, coordination with the House Select Committee on Assassinations.  

Key Organizations: Department of Defense, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, National Archives.

MLK Declassified Files

00480933_memo_preservation_of_reco_104-10427-10099.pdf

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