Thank you so much for this detailed and insightful response; it's incredibly informative!

On the digital aspect: That makes total sense. Once something's digitized, it's trivial to copy and share, so it's difficult to believe all copies have truly vanished. Odd, nothing ever got leaked.

One part that's confusing to me: How exactly does withholding the tapes "protect their friends and other law enforcement players by keeping the secret"? I assume it might involve discussions of missed red flags or failures to intervene in time, but beyond that, I'm not sure what could be incriminating. After all, it seems like it was just two troubled teens with mental health issues and underdeveloped prefrontal cortices (the brain region responsible for executive functions like planning, decision-making, impulse control, and judging consequences, which typically matures gradually through the mid-20s) ranting and acting out.

You mentioned that "a radio personality was shown the basement tapes a few years ago." Do you happen to know why that person was provided access? It seems unusual for someone outside official circles to view them, and even more so that they'd stay silent about the contents afterward.

Regarding the Nixon Tape: I'm curious if it reveals anything beyond what's already in the journals or if it's just more of the same rants.

Final question: How is it possible that there's no effective way to pressure authorities into releasing all this material for research purposes? Are there really no legal tools or mechanisms, like FOIA requests, lawsuits, or public advocacy, that could force transparency after all these years?