The Vault
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The Vault is our FOIA Librarycontaining 6,700 documents and other media that have been scanned from paper into digital copies so you can read them in the comfort of your home or office.
Included here are many FBI files that have been released to the public but never added to this website; dozens of records previously posted on our site but removed as requests diminished; files from our previous FOIA Libraryandpreviously unreleased files.
The Vault includes several tools and resources for your convenience:
- Searching for Topics: You can browse or search for specific topics or persons (like Al Capone or Marilyn Monroe) by viewing our alphabetical listingby using the search tool in the upper right of this siteor by checking the different category lists that can be found in the menu on the right side of this page. In the search resultsclick on the folder to see all of the files for that particular topic.
- Searching for Key Words: Thanks to technology we have developedyou can now search for key words or phrases within some individual files. You can search across all of our electronic files by using the search tool in the upper right of this siteor you can search for key words within a specific document by typing in terms in the search box in the upper right hand of the file after it has been opened and loaded. Note: since many of the files include handwritten notes or are not always in optimal condition due to agethis search feature does not always work perfectly.
- Viewing the Files: We are now using an open source web document viewerso you no longer need your own file software to view our records. When you click on a fileit loads in a reader that enables you to view one or two pages at a timesearch for key wordsshrink or enlarge the size of the textuse different scroll featuresand more. In many casesthe quality and clarity of the individual files has also been improved.
- Requesting a Status Update: Use our Check the Status of Your FOI/PA Request tool to determine where your request stands in our process. Status information is updated weekly. Note: You need your FOI/PA request number to use this feature.
Please note: the content of the files in the Vault encompasses all time periods of Bureau history and do not always reflect the current viewspoliciesand priorities of the FBI.
New files will be added on a regular basisso please check back often.