Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

Conclusion

The Commission acknowledges that no protective procedures can guarantee absolute security for the President, given the varied and complex demands of the office and the deep-seated democratic traditions that limit security restrictions. However, it is confident that its recommended improvements to Secret Service procedures, if adopted, would materially reduce the risk of a future assassination compared to the procedures in place at the time of President Kennedy’s death. The Commission emphasizes that successful implementation will require active cooperation from responsible agencies and public understanding of the demands placed on the presidency, and that its recommendations will advance presidential security without infringing on fundamental American liberties.

Appendix I: Executive Order No. 11130

This appendix reproduces the full text of Executive Order 11130, issued by President Lyndon B. Johnson on November 29, 1963, which formally appoints the Warren Commission (the Commission to report upon the assassination of President John F. Kennedy). The commission membership includes Chief Justice Earl Warren (Chair), Senators Richard B. Russell and John Sherman Cooper, Representatives Hale Boggs and Gerald R. Ford, and Hon. Allen W. Dulles and Hon. John J. McCloy. The order tasks the commission with investigating the facts of President Kennedy’s assassination and the subsequent violent death of the man charged with the assassination, evaluating all related evidence, and reporting findings and conclusions to the President. It authorizes the commission to set its own procedures, hire necessary staff, draw on the Presidential Emergency Fund for operating expenses, and requires all federal departments and agencies to provide requested cooperation and resources.