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This file concerns later federal inquiries into claims and physical evidence connected with John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. A 1923 Justice Department letter discusses Finis L. Bates's book 'The Escape and Suicide of John Wilkes Booth' and states that the original case had been handled by military authorities. The released records also include 1948 correspondence from the National Park Service and FBI laboratory worksheets and reports on efforts to photograph and decipher partially legible writing inside Booth's left boot using infrared and ultraviolet light. The laboratory reported that it could not read the writing, although it believed some letters were present.

Documents span: 1923-1948 | Released in 1 part
Names in this file: John Wilkes Booth, Abraham Lincoln, Finis L. Bates, Irving C. Root, J. Edgar Hoover
Subjects: Lincoln assassination, John Wilkes Booth, historical evidence, FBI laboratory, National Park Service