What did the declassified documents reveal?

Document: FBI Files: Presidential Assassins Agency: Federal Bureau of Investigation Date: August 28, 2014 Notable: This document is a response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for information on Richard Paul Pavlick, a presidential assassin. Provenance: The document was released on February 18, 2018, as part of a collection of FBI files on presidential assassins, obtained by The Black Vault through a FOIA request. The file number is 1270941-000. The Document: Dear Mr. Greenewald, The enclosed documents were reviewed under the Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts (FOIPA), Title 5, United States Code, Section 552/552a. Deletions have been made to protect information which is exempt from disclosure, with the appropriate exemptions noted on the page next to the excision. In addition, a deleted page information sheet was inserted in the file to indicate where pages were withheld entirely. The exemptions used to withhold information are marked below and explained on the enclosed Explanation of Exemptions: r (b)(1) r (b)(2) r (b)(3) r (b)(4) r (b)(5) P" (b)(6) Section 552 r (b)(7)(A) r (b)(7)(B) p (b)(7)(C) p (b)(7)(D) r (b)(7)(E) r (b)(7)(F) r (b)(8) r (b)(9) 322 pages were reviewed and 284 pages are being released. Section 552a r (d)(5) r (k)(1) r (k)(2) r (k)(3) r (k)(4) r (k)(5) r (k)(6) r (k)(7) P" Documents were located which originated with, or contained information concerning, another Government agency) [OGA]. This information has been referred to the OGA for review and direct response to you. In accordance with standard FBI practice and pursuant to FOIA exemption (b)(7)(E) and Privacy Act exemption (k)(2), this response neither confirms nor denies the existence of your subject's name on any watch lists. For your information, Congress excluded three discrete categories of law enforcement and national security records from the requirements of the FOIA. Enclosed for your information is a copy of the Explanation of Exemptions. You have the right to appeal any denials in this release. Appeals should be directed in writing to the Director, Office of Information Policy (OIP), U.S. Department of Justice, 1425 New York Ave., NW, Suite 11050, Washington, D.C. 20530-0001, or you may submit an appeal through OIP's eFOIA portal at http://www.justice.gov/oip/efoia-portal.html. Context: The FBI's response to the FOIA request includes a processed copy of FBI Headquarters file 157-HQ-324, which contains information on Richard Paul Pavlick. However, a search of the FBI's electronic surveillance indices did not locate any responsive records indicating that Pavlick was the target of electronic surveillance. Records that may be responsive to the FOIA request were destroyed on August 13, 2007, and it is not known if they were responsive to the request. Outro: This is what the public record looks like at its most ordinary. For more information, visit storyflo.com. The document can be found at…

Why was this case declassified?

This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process.

Case · DAILY-040

FBI Files: Presidential Assassins

JUL 5 · 2026Narrated by daily-declassified-fbi-files-presidential-assassins4 minLast updated July 5, 2026

The short version

Document: FBI Files: Presidential Assassins Agency: Federal Bureau of Investigation Date: August 28, 2014 Notable: This document is a response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for information on Richard Paul Pavlick, a presidential assassin.

Date: JUL 5 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)

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What was FBI Files: Presidential Assassins about?: Document: FBI Files: Presidential Assassins Agency: Federal Bureau of Investigation Date: August 28, 2014 Notable: This document is a response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for information on Richard Paul Pavlick, a presidential assassin.
Why was this case declassified?: This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. Storyflo narrates it directly from the public release.

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