The Epstein files archive contains thousands of documents released by the House Oversight Committee. This guide will help you navigate and understand these documents.
1. Understanding Bates Numbers
Bates numbers are unique identifiers assigned to each document in legal proceedings. In the Epstein files, they follow the format HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_XXXXXX.
- Each document has a unique Bates number
- Multi-page documents may have a range (e.g., HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_010486 - HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_010559)
- You can search for documents directly by Bates number
- Bates numbers help you reference specific documents
2. Searching for Documents
The archive offers multiple ways to find documents:
Keyword Search
Enter any keyword in the search bar. The search looks through email subjects, sender/recipient names, document titles, and text content.
Name Search
Use the name selector to find all documents mentioning a specific person. Each person has a dedicated page at /name/[person-name].
Date Filtering
Filter documents by date range to find documents from specific time periods.
Document Type Filtering
Filter by document type (emails, PDFs, Excel files, etc.) or browse by category at /category/[type].
3. Understanding Document Metadata
Each document page shows important metadata:
- Email Subject/Title: The subject line or document title
- From/To: Sender and recipient information
- Date Sent: When the document was sent or created
- Pages: Number of pages in the document
- Document Type: File extension (pdf, xls, doc, etc.)
- People Mentioned: Links to pages for all people mentioned in the document
- Related Documents: Documents that are attachments or related
4. Navigating Document Relationships
Documents in the archive are connected in several ways:
Parent-Child Relationships
Some documents are attachments to others. The parent document contains the attachment, and you can navigate between related documents.
People Connections
Documents mentioning the same people are connected. Click on any name in the "People Mentioned" section to see all documents for that person.
5. Downloading and Viewing Documents
You can view documents in several ways:
- Image View: View scanned images of the documents
- Text View: Read the OCR'd text content
- Native Files: Download the original files (PDFs, Excel files, etc.) if available
6. Tips for Effective Research
- Start with a specific person or topic you're interested in
- Use date filters to narrow down to specific time periods
- Check the "People Mentioned" section to discover related individuals
- Follow document relationships to understand context
- Use Bates numbers to reference specific documents
- Download native files when you need the original document format
Need More Help?
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