</s>104-1030-10133 2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992 SECRET 13 December 1996 MEMORANDUM FOR: Executive Director Assassination Records Review Board SUBJECT: Response to Questions Posed by the Assassination Records Review Boards 1. The attached memorandum and attachments are in response to questions raised by ARRB members during the 16 October 1996 briefing. They are provided to the Review Board for background purposes only. We request that the memorandum and the information they provided to me once the review Board has completed its deliberations on these issues. 2. Please note that the author of the memorandum is under cover and her name is classified. John F. Pereira Chief, Historical Review Group This memorandum is unclassified when separated from attachments SECRET

Summary  
The documents consist of memoranda and secrecy agreements related to the U.S. government’s commercial cover program, which involved companies associated with publications and classified information handling. A 1996 memorandum from Linda A. Jasper (Deputy Chief, Office of Central Cover) responds to questions from the John F. Kennedy Assassination Review Board (ARRB) regarding the program. It states that approximately 500 companies participated in the 1960s and around 1,800 currently participate. The memorandum also references secrecy agreements used from 1955–1988 and 1988–present, noting a modification in 1991 under the Treasury Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Act of 1991. A separate document includes a secrecy agreement template, emphasizing confidentiality obligations for participants, restrictions on disclosure, and exceptions for normal business practices. An addendum from 1991 integrates legal language about non-discrimination and compliance with statutes governing disclosures to Congress and national security protections.  

Key People  
- Linda A. Jasper (Deputy Chief, Office of Central Cover)  
- John F. Pereira (Chief, Historical Review Group)  
- Members of the Assassination Records Review Board (ARRB)  

Key Locations  
- Not specified in the documents.  

Key Events  
- 16 October 1996 briefing by the ARRB on the commercial cover program.  
- 1991 modification to secrecy agreements under the Treasury Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Act.  
- Distribution of memoranda and secrecy agreements to agencies and the ARRB for review.  

Key Organizations  
- Assassination Records Review Board (ARRB)  
- Office of Central Cover (OCC)  
- U.S. Department of the Treasury  
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)  
- Historical Review Group

JFK Declassified Files

104-10330-10133.pdf

Document Summary

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