Warren Commission

Warren Commission
The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
Seal of the President of the United States
Cover of final report
History
Established byLyndon B. Johnson on November 29, 1963
Disbanded1964
Related Executive Order number(s)11130
Membership
ChairpersonEarl Warren
Other committee membersRichard Russell Jr., John Sherman Cooper, Hale Boggs, Gerald Ford, Allen Dulles, John J. McCloy
The Warren Commission on 14 August 1964.

The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known unofficially as the Warren Commission, was established by President Lyndon B. Johnson through Executive Order 11130 on November 29, 1963,[1] to investigate the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy that had taken place on November 22, 1963.[2]

The U.S. Congress passed Senate Joint Resolution 137 authorizing the Presidential appointed Commission to report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, mandating the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of evidence.[3] Its 888-page final report was presented to President Johnson on September 24, 1964,[4] and made public three days later.[5]

It concluded that President Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald and that Oswald acted entirely alone.[6] It also concluded that Jack Ruby acted alone when he killed Oswald two days later.[7] The Commission's findings have proven controversial and have been both challenged and supported by later studies.

The Commission took its unofficial name—the Warren Commission—from its chairman, Chief Justice Earl Warren.[8] According to published transcripts of Johnson's presidential phone conversations, some major officials were opposed to forming such a commission and several commission members took part only reluctantly. One of their chief reservations was that a commission would ultimately create more controversy than consensus.[9]

  1. ^ Peters, Gerhard; Woolley, John T. "Lyndon B. Johnson: "Executive Order 11130 – Appointing a Commission To Report Upon the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy," November 29, 1963". The American Presidency Project. University of California – Santa Barbara.
  2. ^ Baluch, Jerry T. (November 30, 1963). "Warren Heads into Assassination". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. p. 1.
  3. ^ 77 Stat. 362"Joint resolution authorizing the Commission established to report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy to compel the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of evidence – P.L. 88-202" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. December 13, 1963. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  4. ^ Mohr, Charles (September 25, 1964). "Johnson Gets Assassination Report". The New York Times. p. 1.
  5. ^ Roberts, Chalmers M. (September 28, 1964). "Warren Report Says Oswald Acted Alone; Raps FBI, Secret Service". The Washington Post. p. A1.
  6. ^ Lewis, Anthony (September 28, 1964). "Warren Commission Finds Oswald Guilty and Says Assassin and Ruby Acted Alone". The New York Times. p. 1.
  7. ^ Pomfret, John D. (September 28, 1964). "Commission Says Ruby Acted Alone in Slaying". The New York Times. p. 17.
  8. ^ Morris, John D. (November 30, 1963). "Johnson Names a 7-Man Panel to Investigate Assassination; Chief Warren Heads It". The New York Times. p. 1.
  9. ^ Beschloss, Michael R. (1997). "Taking charge: the Johnson White House tapes, 1963-1964". New York: Simon & Schuster.