About the Oral History Collection

• About the Project
• Interviews by Name
• Interviews by Topic
• Oral History FAQ
• Rights and Reproductions Request Form

Oral History Project

The ongoing Oral History Project at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza explores the history and culture of Dallas and the 1960s, and preserves personal recollections regarding the life and death of President John F. Kennedy. These candid, informal interviews offer insight into the Kennedy legacy and the local—and global—impact of his assassination. Approximately 50 to 60 new interviews are recorded each year.  

To participate: If you have vivid memories of President Kennedy and the assassination or reflections of significant events and social movements of the 1960s, please consider adding your unique perspective to this remarkable collection of "living history." Oral history interviews may be recorded by appointment at The Sixth Floor Museum or elsewhere in the Dallas-Fort Worth area or by telephone for participants that live outside of north Texas. For more information, e-mail OralHistory@jfk.org.

Oral History Collection

Since the launch of the Oral History Project in 1989, Nearly 800 interviews have been added to the Oral History Collection. This diverse archive of firsthand accounts—from individuals of all ages and from all over the world—includes the recollections of assassination eyewitnesses, law enforcement officials, community leaders, White House officials, social rights activists, filmmakers and researchers, Kennedy family acquaintances, 1960s schoolchildren, Parkland Memorial Hospital personnel, Museum founders and more than 100 members of the local, national and international news media. These unique, conversational recordings preserve valuable information that might otherwise be lost and provide future generations with a tangible link to the past.

To access an oral history for research: Transcripts and audio-video recordings of interviews in the Oral History Collection are available to students, teachers, researchers and historians. Please note that only a portion of the collection has been transcribed to date. To request a digital transcript or a CD/DVD loan by mail, please submit a Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

All oral history materials may also be accessed onsite in the Museum's Reading Room by appointment only.  For scheduling, please submit the Appointment Request Form.