The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) and the National
Archives’ Office of the Federal Register (OFR) digitally release historic
issues of the Federal Register from 1960-1969. The complete collection of
issues of the Federal Register from 1960 to the present is now available
digitally on GPO’s govinfo.
This project is digitizing a total of 14,587 individual
issues, dating back to the first Federal Register in 1936. Nearly two million
pages are being digitized. The 1960s era of the Federal Register covers the
Administrations of Presidents John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon,
and includes such highlights as:
- The first executive order of the Kennedy administration expanded food aid to needy families: January 24, 1961
- Proclamation by President Johnson of a national day of mourning for President Kennedy: November 27, 1963
- Notice of an establishment of a quarantine period for extraterrestrial exposure for the astronauts on the Apollo 11 space mission: July 25, 1969
“Access to the Federal Register on smartphones, tablets,
laptops, and personal computers from 1960 to present is another example of how
GPO is meeting the technological needs of the public,” said Acting GPO Director
Jim Bradley. “I look forward to GPO and the Office of the Federal Register
digitizing all issues dating back to the Administration of President Franklin
D. Roosevelt.”
The first issue of the Federal Register came off GPO presses
on March 16, 1936. President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued the first document,
an executive order, to be published. The Federal Register is the official daily
publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and
organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents. It
is updated daily by 6 a.m. and is published Monday through Friday, except
Federal holidays, in both digital and print editions.
