NATION IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Senate Vote Seeks Release of J.F.K. Files

The Senate voted Monday to require the government to publicly release its files on the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. On a voice vote, lawmakers approved a measure compelling officials to release the documents after reviewing them. They would be available to the public through the National Archives. Papers that officials declined to release would be delivered to a five-member independent panel, appointed by the President with the Senate’s consent, for a final decision on whether to withhold the materials. Papers could be kept secret if they endangered national security or violated a person’s privacy, but all documents would have to be released no more than 25 years after the measure’s enactment.