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made history Thursday by

on 1,247 volunteers expelled from Scouting because they were suspected of abusing children.

Though the files are decades old, never before has the public been able to read through more than 14,000 pages documenting what the Boy Scouts of America knew about child molesters from 1965 to 1985. The lawyers posted the so-called "perversion files" on the Internet at 11 a.m. The files are listed by the suspected molester's name, city and state.

The release of the files instantly made national news. Within minutes, the website was jammed.

Files

The files document 24 men banned from Scouting in Oregon, and another 24 to 26 men banned in Washington.

Child abuse experts say the files are potentially meaningful to thousands of former Scouts nationwide who were molested as boys. Many never reported the abuse and have been haunted by questions about their attackers.

"(The files) represent the pain and anguish of thousands," said Paul Mones, a Portland attorney who fought to have the files made public. Mones said the files offer timeless and valuable information into the tactics of child predators.

"Because we still know Scouts are being abuse," Mones said Thursday. "It's a lesson that can't be learned well enough."

The files offer a disturbing view into the psychology of the youth organization's leaders and -- to some degree -- society as a whole in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s: Often, Scouting executives covered up suspected child abuse, figuring they had addressed the problem by simply pressuring the suspected pedophiles to quit.

The list of banned volunteers shows most were single, but some were married and had children of their own. They came from all walks of life: a psychiatrist, an IRS agent, a Laundromat owner, a prison guard, a college student, a pilot, a milkman, mail carriers, teachers and even former Boy Scout employees.

They were often in their mid-20s, 30s and early 40s -- but included men as young as 18 or old enough to have grandchildren.

They were suspected of horrific acts: They brought boys fishing, hiking and camping, then they raped them at night. Or pulled down their pajama pants and fondled them. They molested Scouts in cars, in backyards, in their homes.

Some tried to volunteer with the organization again and again. In some cases, Scouting executives didn't call police, and that meant former volunteers went on to molest other children outside of Scouts, court records indicate.

A small number of attorneys and media organizations have had access to files spanning a slightly different time frame, 1971 to 1991. The Oregonian and the Los Angeles Times have

, but the files haven't been accessible on the Internet for all to see. Thursday's release includes hundred of new files -- those from 1965 to 1970.

The Boy Scouts started compiling the files in the 1920s and have kept them under lock and key at the organization's Texas headquarters. A 20-year portion of them are only being released now under a court order after they were used as

The Oregonian, other news organizations and attorneys for the plaintiff fought to make the files public.

In that case, a Multnomah County jury awarded $1.4 million to a former Southeast Portland Scout, Kerry Lewis, who was molested by his assistant Scoutmaster, Timur Dykes. Dykes had already confessed to a Scouting coordinator that he had molested 17 Boy Scouts, but he was allowed to continue to associate with the program -- and molest more children, including Lewis.

Attorneys blasted the youth organization for failing to protect children even though it knew they had a decades-long problem with pedophiles operating within its volunteer ranks.

The jury also directed the Scouts to pay $18.5 million in punitive damages. After the trial, the Scouts later settled the case for undisclosed amount -- in exchange for agreeing not to appeal the jury's verdicts.

The Boy Scouts of America posted a public statement on its website Thursday. In it, national president Wayne Perry apologized for the organization's historic handling of child sexual abuse.

"There have been instances where people misused their positions in Scouting to abuse children, and in certain cases, our response to these incidents and our efforts to protect youth were plainly insufficient, inappropriate, or wrong," Perry's statement read. "Where those involved in Scouting failed to protect, or worse, inflicted harm on children, we extend our deepest apologies to victims and their families."

But Perry said times have changed -- and the Scouts have put into place many measures to protect children.

In 1991, the Scouts prohibited a lone adult from being alone with boys. The requirement calls for two adults to be present with children at all times.

In 2008, the Scouts began conducting criminal background checks on all registered volunteers. And in 2011, the organization began requiring volunteers to report suspected child abuse to local authorities.

Spokesman Deron Smith said the

have been praised as the "gold standard" by various experts.

Video: New Documents Detail History of Boy Scout Abuse

"We're proud of what we do," Smith said.

Kelly Clark, one of the attorneys who made the files public, said he hopes the Scouts' child-protection measures are as rock-solid as they say they are. But he doubts it.

In front of a few dozen reporters and cameras, Clark held up a white binder that he said contained news stories from across the country of 35 Scouting volunteers who were arrested in the past three years for allegedly molesting children or possessing child pornography.

Clark and Mones called upon Congress to audit the Scouts' youth-protection measures to "verify" that they're working.

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