Kennedy and danger in Dallas: Manchester, op. cit., pp. 13, 15, 45.
6 Leading lights: Major General Edwin Walker, Mayor Earle Cabell, H. L. Hunt.
Kennedy talk/speeches: Manchester, op. cit., pp. 86, 96.
Advertisement: Dallas Morning News, November 22, 1963; XVIII.835; inserted by John Birch Society members and rightists.
Kennedy comment: Manchester, op. cit., p. 137; and Bishop, op. cit., p. 25; VII.455—testimony of Kenneth O’Donnell.
7 Miami scare: CD 1347/20 and author’s interview with Miami Police Intelligence Captain Charles Sapp, 1978; but see HSCA Report, p. 635n44.
Spectator comment: Manchester, op. cit., p. 154.
Nellie Connally comment: IV.147, IV.131.
9 Officer’s remark: Bishop, op. cit., p. 147.
Time: (calculated for HSCA) HSCA II.40; HSCA Report, p. 48 (Agent Youngblood noticed the clock on the Book Depository).
President’s cry: II.73, 74.
Note 1: It has been suggested that Secret Service Agent Kellerman imagined he heard the President speak, because of the possibility his throat wound made speech unfeasible. Doctors differ on this point, but it seems speech may briefly have been possible (HSCA VII.278, 295, 305).
Events in car: (Mrs. Kennedy’s cry) V.179–; (“You know when he was shot”) Theodore White’s unpublished notes on his interview with Mrs. Kennedy, November 29, 1963; JFK Library—for this citation, the author is indebted to David Talbot and his book, Brothers, New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007, p. 247–; (Mrs. Connally) IV.148; (Gov. Connally) IV.133; (“buckshot”) HSCA I.54.
10 Doctor breaks news: Manchester, op. cit., p. 215.
I. DALLAS: The Open-and-Shut Case
2. The Evidence Before You
13 Cartridges found: III.283 (Mooney).
Gun found: III.293 (Boone) and VII.107 (Weitzman); (described) III.392 (Frazier) IV.260 (Day).
14 Note 1: There has been controversy over the identification of the rifle, because it was initially described as a Mauser. Although one of these descriptions came from one of the officers who found the weapon (who was familiar with guns), the author believes this was simply a mistake. The author does not subscribe to the theory that the rifle was subsequently switched for the one supposedly owned by Lee Harvey Oswald, as some claim. HSCA experts agree confusion is the probable explanation (HSCA VII.372). But see Dick Russell, op. cit., for suggestion the Carcano was found on the fourth floor. (Russell, op. cit., p. 568)
Bullet fragments (listed): HSCA VII.365.
Intact bullet (found): Report, p. 79.
Note 2: The bullet was found by Darrell Tomlinson, the hospital’s chief engineer, when he moved the stretcher. Tomlinson was not at all convinced that the stretcher was the one that had been used for Governor Connally. The Warren Commission, however, decided it was that stretcher. The uncertainty has fueled suspicions that the bullet was perhaps planted as part of a plan to inculpate Lee Oswald. To this author, that posits too complex a plot and is improbable. (Report, p. 79, and VI.126–.)
Cartridges, bullets, and fragments linked to rifle: Report, p. 84–; HSCA VII.367–.
Note 3: Admiral Osborne, who attended the Kennedy autopsy, said he saw and even handled an intact bullet during the procedure. He thought it turned up in the body’s wrappings, though he was open to the possibility that it arrived independently—which may mean he merely saw the famous “single bullet” later, after its separate transfer from Dallas. However, the possibility remains that he did see a second mystery bullet, and full questioning of the other doctors should have been able to resolve this (Lifton, op. cit., Chapter 29, & HSCA VII.15). Speculation has also arisen because FBI agents signed a receipt for a “missile” received from the autopsy doctors (Lifton, op. cit., & HSCA VII.12).
15 Argument over body: McKinley, op. cit., p. 120.
“at gunpoint”: int. Dr. Robert Shaw, 1978.
Helpern: Marshall Houts, op. cit. p. 52.
Not shaved/not sectioned: VF, December 1994, HSCA interviews released 1995; and HSCA VII.17, 25.
16 Baden: HSCA I.298; and cf. HSCA VII.177.
Handicapped: HSCA VII.13; and VF, December 1994; HSCA VII.13–; and cf. State of Louisiana v. Clay Shaw—Finck testimony, February 24, 1967; and (on clothing) HSCA VII.192.
Kennedy disease: New York Times, October 6, 1992, report on Journal of the American Medical Association article just published.
Autopsy summary: Report, p. 86, HSCA VII.6–, 87–.
17 Probed: CD7.4; HSCA VII.12–.
Series of reexaminations: HSCA VII.3–, 89.
Small wound: HSCA VII.85; and cf. HSCA VII.175–.
Serious mistake: HSCA VII.104; and cf. HSCA VII.176.
18 Note 4: Some photographs were apparently “liberated” by a person working for the House Assassinations Committee, and others were reportedly produced by a former Secret Service photographer, James Fox. In August 1979, a freelance journalist, Harrison Livingstone, revealed that he had copies of five Kennedy autopsy photographs. They were eventually published in his book High Treason, written with Robert Groden. (See New York Times, August 19, 1979, and Bibliography.)
Head wound: See Thompson, Josiah, op. cit., and Lifton, David, op. cit., for early and late studies of entire autopsy area; VF, December 1994.
Hill: Livingstone/Groden, op. cit., p. 388. Jacqueline Kennedy: Lifton, op. cit., p. 312 and Nova (PBS-TV program), November 15, 1988.
McClelland: VI.33, (drawing) Thompson, op. cit., p. 140;
19 Parkland descriptions: Lifton and Livingstone/Groden, op cit.
Clark: Lifton, p. 318.
20 Custer (and colleague Edward Reed): Lifton, op. cit., p. 773.
Secret Service: VF, December 1994, and HSCA interviews released 1995.
drawings: ibid.; Bashour: Livingstone/Groden, p. 39.
22 McClelland: int. May 1989.
Note 5: Dr. McClelland’s statement is supported by the autopsy surgeons’ report of January 26, 1967, reprinted in Harold Weisberg, op. cit., Post-Mortem, pp. 577–579.
Vanished photos: (Humes) HSCA VII.253; (Finck) HSCA interview released 1994, p. 90; (Director of Photography) John Stringer, HSCA Agency File No. 002070.
23 Photos forgery: VF, December 1994; HSCA VII.37; Boston Globe, June 21,1981; Lifton, op cit.
Note 6: The Assassinations Committee’s study of the autopsy materials led to scandal, when a safe containing the pictures and X-rays was opened. A folder had been removed, and one photograph of the dead President ripped out of its cover. A fingerprint check located the culprit, a CIA employee named Regis Blahut assigned to protecting secret CIA documents temporarily in the custody of the Committee. He was fired, and the CIA told the Committee that Blahut had acted out of “mere curiosity.” The picture in which Blahut was apparently especially interested featured the late President’s head, and thus was one of those that was at the center of controversy about the source of the shot or shots that caused the fatal head wound. (Washington Post, June 18, 19, 28, 1979; Clandestine America, III.2, p. 4; statement by Rep. Louis Stokes to House of Representatives, June 28, 1979.)
Missing brain: HSCA VII.25, Assassinations Record Review Board, contact report, April 1, 1997, posted on http://jfkcountercoup2.blogspot.ie.
24 McClelland on X-rays: Inside Edition (TV program), July 1989.
Custer: VF, December 1994.
Mantik: ibid., & int., 1995.
Note 7: The authenticity of the autopsy photographs and X-rays was questioned as early as 1981, in the book Best Evidence, by David Lifton (see Bibliography). His thesis, that the President’s body was tampered with surgically between Dallas and the Bethesda autopsy, is dealt with at length in the Aftermath chapter of the previous (Paragon) edition of this book, published at the time under the title C
onspiracy. The theory seems preposterous, yet it is hard to dismiss the testimony of many of the witnesses Lifton interviewed. He certainly raised troubling questions about the movement of the President’s body.
Zapruder film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq1PbgeBoQ4 & available for viewing at National Archives.
26 Dictabelt: author’s research in Dallas, 1978; HSCA II.16, 107.
Acoustics: HSCA II.17–, V.645; author’s ints.
with Barger, November 1978; HSCA V.645, op cit.
HSCA VIII, V.652, V.671–, V.592, V.679, HSCA Report, p. 65, and V.674.
27 HSCA acoustics finding: HSCA Report, p. 1; “beyond reasonable doubt”: HSCA V.583.
28 Academy of Sciences: Ramsey Report, 1982.
29 Responsible researchers: e.g., “The acoustic evidence in the Kennedy assassination,” paper by Michael O’Dell, http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/odell/; author’s corr. O’Dell & Paul Hoch, 2012.
2010 book: Donald Thomas, Hear No Evil, Ipswich, MA: Mary Ferrell Foundation, 2010.
Further studies: 2013 papers by Michael O’Dell, further analyzing HSCA’s original tests, shared with the author.
Blakey: int., May 3,1989, & re witness testimony, Blakey email to Kaiser et al., October 12, 2012.
3. How Many Shots? Where From?
31 Huxley: Collected Essays, vol. 8.
Survey of people on number of shots: HSCA VIII.142.
32 Acoustics specialists: “Firearms Investigation, Identification and Evidence,” Hatcher, Jury and Weller, 1957, p. 420, Secret Service memo March 7, 1964 (S.S. Files 221–229).
Rear right outriders: James Chaney and D. L. Jackson.
Five in the car: Mrs. Kennedy (V.180); Connallys (IV.132, 145); Agent Kellerman (II.74; XVIII.724; II.61) (he believed there were more than three shots); Agent Greer (II.130).
Rear left outriders: B. J. Martin (VI.292); B. W. Hargis (VI.294); and New York Daily News, November 24, 1963.
33 Moorman: XIX.487; XXII.838; XXIV.217.
Brehm: XII.837.
Newman: XIX.488; XXII.842; XXIV.2; IV.218.
Orr: conversation with Dallas researcher, November 22, 1963, and subsequently. Orr was never interviewed by any official body.
Acoustics: testimonies of Barger (HSCA II) and Weiss/Aschkenasy (HSCA V).
34 Blakey summary: HSCA V.690.
Time frame: HSCA V.724.
Two shots sounded like one: Report, p. 87.
Origin of third shot: HSCA VIII.5.
35 Origin of knoll shot: HSCA VIII.10.
Ford: Article in Life magazine, October 2, 1964.
Survey re direction of shots: HSCA Report, pp. 87, 90.
Note 1: The first useful survey on shots was Fifty-One Witnesses: The Grassy Knoll by Harold Feldman (San Francisco: Idlewild Publishing, 1965). The author took this, the most perspicacious early work, into account. It agrees, in basic conclusions, with the HSCA findings.
Mrs. Kennedy: V.180.
Governor Connally: IV.132–.
36 Mrs. Connally: IV.149.
Greer: II.129.
Kellerman: XVIII.724 and II.61.
Left outriders: VI.293 (Hargis) and VI.289 (Martin).
Chaney: unidentified film interview in police station and taped interview for KLIF, Dallas, on record The Fateful Hours, Capitol Records.
O’Donnell: VF, December 1994, drawing on O’Neill’s biography; and ints. O’Neill and Dave Powers.
Moorman: XIX.497; XXII.838; XXIV.217.
Orr: conversation with Dallas researcher, November 22, 1963, and subsequently.
Brehm: XXII.837.
Newman: XIX.490; XXII.842; XXIV.219.
37 Book Depository witnesses: manager, William Shelley (VI.328); superintendent, Truly (III.227); TSBD vice president, O. V. Campbell (XXII.638); vice president publishing company, S. F. Wilson (XXII.685).
Sorrels: XXI.548; (later testimony) VII.347.
Landis: XVIII.758.
Decker: verbatim from police radio traffic recording of November 22, 1963 (as published in JFK Assassination File by Jesse Curry, 1969). (See bibliography.)
38 Arnold: interviewed by Earl Golz for Dallas Morning News, August 27, 1978 (seen by Yarborough) Dallas Morning News, December 31,1978); never interviewed by HSCA, interview of Arnold by Golz, May 23,1979.
40 Railway supervisor: S. M. Holland testimony VI.239–.
Woodward and friends: Dallas Morning News, November 23,1963. (Woodward’s position indicated in XXIV.520.)
Chism and wife: XXIV.204, 205.
41 Millican: XIX.486.
Jean Newman: XXIV.218. Not to be confused with Gayle Newman, mentioned earlier.
Zapruder: CD 87; HSCA Report, p. 89.
Holland: (police statement): XXIV.212; (testimony) VI.239; interview of Holland by Mark Lane (on film) taken from transcript of Rush to Judgment, transmitted on BBC-TV, January 29, 1967.
42 Eight other witnesses: (Frank Reilly) VI.230; (Nolan H. Polton) XXII.834; (James Simmons) XXII.833; (Clemon Johnson) XXII.836; (Andrew Miller) VI.225, XIX.485; (Richard Dodd XXII.835; (Walter Winborn) XXII.833; (Thomas Murphy) XXII.835. (See also HSCA XII.23.)
Bowers: VI.284, testimony of Bowers; and filmed interview by Mark Lane, March 31, 1966; Lane, op. cit., p. 23–.
Gunpowder (Mrs. Cabell) VII.486–, (Yarborough) Feldman, op. cit., unpaginated; (Roberts) Feldman, op. cit., unpaginated; (Brown) VI.233–; (Baker) VII.510–.
43 Smith: VII.535; Texas Observer, November 13, 1963; ints. by author, August 1978; XXII.600.
Moorman photograph: HSCA VI.125–; Zapruder on CBS (Rather error): tape of KRLD, Dallas CBS affiliate-reel 65A.7 (inventory of tapes of Dallas radio stations, National Archives).
44 Frames reversed (original error): XVIII.70–; “printing error”: Hoover letter to Ray Marcus, December 14, 1965.
Hargis: VI.293–295; Curry, op. cit., p. 30.
Martin: VI.289.
45 Harper: CD 1269, p. 5; HSCA VII.24.
“covered with brain tissue”: HSCA Report, p. 40.
HSCA conclusion: HSCA Report, p. 1; HSCA V.690–.
Neuromuscular reaction: HSCA 1.415.
Medical panel supported reaction thesis: HSCA VII.174, 178.
Entrance wound: HSCA VII.176, 107; and HSCA I.250 (brain should have been sectioned); HSCA VII.134; (bullet path) HSCA VII.135.
46 Guinn tests: HSCA I.507; (testimony) HSCA I.491; int. Dr. Guinn, November 1978; Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 51, p. 484A, April 1979.
Note 2: Dr. Guinn was unable to test one fragment found in the car, part of the copper jacket rather than lead (HSCA I.515). In their analysis, the firearms panel concluded that this was the base of a 6.5-mm bullet and believed it had been fired through the rifle found at the Depository (HSCA VII.369). This, probably, was the fragment referred to by Congressman Dodd in public session as “not easily identifiable as a result of neutron activation tests” (HSCA V.696).
One of the fragments recovered from the floor of the limousine has vanished since 1963 (HSCA VII.366n). In addition, Guinn reported finding one fragment container empty, a can that had apparently contained particles from the car’s damaged windshield. Nor were any samples left from a curb that had reportedly been struck by a bullet. Guinn assumed these had simply been “used up” in earlier FBI tests (HSCA I.196 and letter to author, August 10, 1979). This, at any rate, is the way the HSCA decided to account for the difference in weight and count of fragment material originally listed by the FBI and that handed to Guinn (HSCA Report, p. 599n33). Clearly, the fragments were, at one stage, at least poorly cataloged and monitored. Some will suspect a more sinister explanation. See also Note 6 on problems with possible missing fragments in connection with Governor Connolly’s wrist and the magic bu
llet (later in this chapter).
Ballistics link fragments to gun: HSCA VII.369.
47 Warren investigators & “magic bullet theory”: Report, p. 105.
Note 3: Norman Redlich, Warren Commission lawyer, said on March 23, 1965, “To say that they were hit by separate bullets is synonymous with saying that there were two assassins.” (See Inquest by E. J. Epstein, p. 55.)
48 Helpern: Marshall Houts, op. cit., pp. 9, 59.
Note 4: Helpern was quoting the Warren Commission description of the bullet. The HSCA firearms panel found it to weigh 157.7 grains, however (HSCA VII.368, 372).
Shaw: int, 1978; and HSCA I.268, 302.
49 McCloy: VF, December 1994.
Boggs: June 11, 1965, interviewed by E. J. Epstein for Inquest (p. 148).
Cooper: interview for BBC, produced by author, 1978.
Russell: interviewed by Alfred Goldberg, May 5, 1965, reported in Inquest by E. J. Epstein, p. 148; and interviewed in 1970 for Whitewash IV by Harold Weisberg, p. 212; see also New York Times, November 22, 1966, VF, December 1994.
HSCA on “magic bullet”: HSCA Report, p. 47.
Forensic panel on “magic bullet”: HSCA VII.179.
Ballistics experts: (tests on bullets) HSCA I.411; (bullet fired in rifle) HSCA VII.368.
Guinn test: HSCA I.533.
50 HSCA sequence: HSCA Report, pp. 1, 46– & HSCA V.690.
Journal of the American College of Surgeons article: May 1994.
Note 5: Case Closed, a 1993 book by lawyer Gerald Posner (see Bibliography), argued that computer enhancement “settles the question” of the timing of the shots, and that test-firing “provided the final physical evidence necessary to prove the single-bullet theory.” Posner failed to tell readers in the first edition of his book that the computer work had been done for the prosecution side in a mock trial of Oswald conducted by the American Bar Association. (Gerald Posner, op. cit., pp. 317, 402; Case Open, by Harold Weisberg, op. cit., pp. 57–79; and int. Dr. Angela Meyer of FAA, 1994).
51 Op. room supervisor/policeman: Audrey Bell, conv. with author, 1978; and Patrolman Charles Harbison, in Dallas Morning News, April 3, 1977; int. by Earl Golz, September 1977; and cf. Dallas Police property list, released by Dallas Municipal Archives and Records Center, 1992; HSCA VII.156 and Fig. 17, HSCA VII.392; Report, p. 95.