Archivists try to save JFK assassination recording

DALLAS, Texas (AP) -- Archivists are trying to preserve and copy the only known sound recording of the gunshots that killed President John F. Kennedy -- a recording that has fueled conspiracy theories.

The recording, made by a police motorcycle radio, is now too fragile to be played and has never been authentically copied, officials said. Researchers at the National Archives in Washington hope optical scanning will help.
CNN

It has never been authentically copied? Why would such an important piece of history be allowed to vanish? Is it too damning to survive?