Kennedy library puts archives online

The John F. Kennedy library has put thousands of papers, photographs and recordings of the former US president online to mark the 50th anniversary of his inauguration.

The digital collection at jfklibrary.org is the largest online digitized archive of any former US president, the Boston-based John F. Kennedy Library Foundation said.

It was unveiled on Thursday by Kennedy's daughter, Caroline Kennedy, the president of the foundation.

"My parents believed that history is one of our greatest teachers," Caroline Kennedy said in a statement.

"As young people increasingly rely on the Internet as their primary source for information, it is our hope that the library's online archive will allow a new generation to learn about this important chapter in American history," she said.

Historical documents and images put online include records of the US civil rights movement, Cold War conflict with the Soviet Union, Cuban missile crisis and efforts to send a man to the moon.

The digital archive includes Kennedy's personal papers, letters and the White House photo, audio and film collections.

It features 200,000 pages of documents, 300 reels of audio tape with 1,245 individual recordings of telephone calls, speeches and meetings, 72 reels of film and 1,500 photos.

The library said more material will be added as it is scanned and catalogued.

The library houses more than 8.4 million pages of Kennedy's personal, congressional and presidential papers, more than 400,000 photographs, 9,000 hours of audio recordings and 7.5 million feet of motion picture film.