President John F Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas on 22 November 1963. An autopsy was performed at Bethesda Naval Hospital that evening. His brain was removed, examined and placed in a stainless steel container in the National Archives. In 1966 an inventory of Kennedy’s autopsy materials found the brain was missing. It has never been recovered. The official explanation offered by the Archives was that Robert Kennedy likely removed it to prevent it being used in evidence or displayed publicly. Robert Kennedy never confirmed or denied this. The brain of an assassinated American president remains unaccounted for to this day.
INTERESTING FACT The JFK autopsy records were sealed by the government until 2029. Some documents were released in 2022 but thousands remain classified. The brain is not the only missing item — several autopsy photographs and X-rays were also reported missing or altered. No official explanation has ever been given for the discrepancies.
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