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JFK Assassination Hearings - Larry Sturdivan (Conclusion)
Shot opens to exhibit of drag force equation on easel in hearing room with witness LARRY STURDIVAN, ballistics expert, explaining the equation in relation to the bullet and the explosion it caused of JFK's head.
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Cyril H. Wecht (Part III)
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Cyril H. Wecht (Part III)
JFK campaign spots
JFK campaign spots/political advertising for the presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy on civil rights. Woman slides sign into holder; the sign says, "Fountain Closed in Interest of Public Safety." Young woman asks Senator John F. Kennedy a question. Shots of JFK answering and the crowd. "John F. Kennedy for President Presented by Citizens for Kennedy" with JFK smiling. Male Voiceover: "Today during this presidential campaign, there is one outstanding moral issue: Civil Rights." Young woman, in the audience, asks, "What legislation do you have in preparation on the civil rights issues?" John F. Kennedy replies, "First, there's a good deal that can be done by the executive branch without legislation. For example, the President could sign an executive order preventing discrimination in housing tomorrow. Secondly, the President could compel all companies which do business with the government to practice an open, fair hiring of personnel wihout regard to race, creed or color. I think that the failure of President to indicate his endorsement of the Supreme Court decision has cost the President. I hope the next President of the United States stays the..that he stands for peoples's rights! That he stands for a fair chance for all Americans! A decent education to get a job and hold it!" Male Voiceover: "Vote for the candidate who's fair, John F. Kennedy for President!"
JFK Assassination Hearings - H.B. McClain and Dr. James Barger
JFK Assassination Hearings - H.B. McClain and Dr. James Barger
JFK Assassination Hearings - Larry Sturdivan (Conclusion)
Representative FORD asks Sturdivan how long would there be between the bullet hitting the back of JFK's head and the explosion of the skull - Sturdivan references the skull experiment films shown earlier and responds it would be almost instantaneous.
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Michael Baden (Part III)
The infamous bullet 399 is introduced by Klein as an exhibit and passed to Baden who is asked to identify it (11:24:35) Baden tells the committee what experience the panel has in identifying a bullet as having caused particular damage and says that with the exception of Dr. CYRIL H. WECHT that the panel unanamously agreed bullet 399 is the single bullet theory bullet (11:25:45) Baden lists deficiences panel agreed upon concerning the JFK autopsy - it is an extensive list, and is to be documented in a panel report (11:28:00) Chairman LEWIS STOKES thanks four members of the National Archives who are in attendance for their helping the committee (11:29:30) Representative RICHARDSON PREYER is recognized to question Baden, asks Baden why the doctors at Parkland hospital identified the bullet wound in JFK's throat as being an entrance wound - Baden gives an explanation, mainly consisting of the fact that the doctors' main concern was treatment of JFK and not paths of bullets, they did not flip him over to see the bullet hole in his back so probably assumed that the neck was a one way entrance hole - Baden adds that the tracheotomy these doctors performed on JFK's neck later had the opposite effect of confusing the autopsy doctor's as to where the bullet through the back's point of exit was (11:30:22) Preyer wants to know why there is a discrepancy between the panel's findings and those of the autopsy doctor's as to the location of the bullet's entry point into JFK's head - Baden gives a long explanation which ends with the conclusion that since the autopsy report was written the day after the autopsy that a measurement mistake was made as there was no longer any visual reference (11:35:33) Preyer wants to know what the autopsy doctors said of the entrance wound the panel identified as being 4 inches higher - Baden responds that the doctors when interviewed think that this spot is some dried blood, Baden goes on however to defend the panel's conclusion saying that this point of entry matches the X-rays (11:38:35)
JFK Assassination Hearings - John & Nellie Connally (Part III)
(03:54:10) Shot open to JOHN and NELLIE CONNOLLY who are asked about their thoughts coming into Dallas and preparing for the motorcade by GARY T. CORNWELL, Deputy Chief Counsel - John sets the seen for the day of the motorcade, describing his expectations and the reception they arrived to at the airport (03:56:03) Cornwell asks them to describe the start of the motorcade - John does so, at various times seeking confirmation from Nellie, he describes a couple of stops the motorcade made at the request of JFK to meet with the crowds (during his testimony a photograph of the presidential limo is shown) (03:58:30) Cornwell asks for a description of the route - John gives it, a map exhibit is shown while he does so as is an aerial photo of Dealey Plaza (03:59:47) Cornwell asks Nellie if she said anything to JFK - Nellie responds that she told him "You can't say Dallas doesn't love you" right before making the turn at the book depository (04:00:30) Cornwell calls for a break to set up a film projector with which they will watch footage of the motorcade, camera pulls back to to the back of the gallery (04:01:30) Hearings host SANDFORD UNGAR voices over to announce that the film about to be shown was compiled from 18 home movies, Ungar then turns to panel JEREMIAH O'LEARY of the Washington Star, and PAUL HOCH of the Assassination Information Bureau, who discuss the Conally's testimony so far, camera then switches to them for a brief minute (04:05:45) Lights out and film begins, Professor BLAKEY narrates the footage, describing the events taking place and the course of the motorcade, the film is primarily different shots of the motorcades trip through the city, the movie ends with the Zapruder film in which one sees the shots hit the car and its passengers (04:10:19) Lights back on and Committee Chairman LOUIS STOKES recognizes Cornwell, who asks Nellie how long after turning the corner the motorcade traveled before she noticed something was wrong - she ends up giving her whole account of what she remembered happening in the moments of assassination, dramatic testimony that includes her claiming she heard three shots and it was the second that struck John Connally (not the first), she also mentions JACKIE KENNEDY's cries of "they have killed my husband, his brains are in my hand", she then goes on to give her perspective of the events at the hospital (04:18:50) John is asked for his his take of the events at the time of the assassination - John gives his take on the events saying he heard two shots from behind his right, but not the one that hit him, he claims he was able to look back over his shoulder at JFK when the shot hit JFK's back and neck before he got shot himself, suggesting that this bullet could not have hit him (contradictory to the single bullet theory) (04:27:12) John: "I don't believe I was hit with the first bullet" (04:28:00) Nellie gives her take on the three shots, first shot the neck of JFK, second shot John, third shot JFK's head (04:29:05) Cornwell confirms that John did not see JFK after the first shot to know whether or not JFK was actually hit by this shot (04:29:35) Cornwell confirms that Nellie heard the shots as coming from the same direction (04:30:14) Chair recognizes Representative SAMUEL L. DEVINE to question the witnesses, Devine reviews Nellie's reaction to each shot being fired, he then asks if she could tell by the sound of the shot whether it was from a rifle or a hand gun - Nellie cannot answer that (04:33:00) Devine reviews and confirms John's shot by shot recollection and confirms John could identify the shots he heard as coming from a rifle, also gets clear definition of when John said "No, no, no...." (04:34:39) Devine asks when John became aware that he was hit in the hand and leg - John says he found out the next day in the hospital (04:35:45) Devine asks about John's position after he was hit (04:36:25) Devine confirms the Connallys heard the shots coming from the same direction and asks if its possible there were more than three shots - Nellie answers it was possible but she didn't hear more than three, John backs this assertion (04:37:47) Devine confirms that John had had a dispute with a Mr. BRUNO, a representative for JFK, about whether or not to have a motorcade (04:39:00) Devine asks if John had any reasons for not wanting the motorcade, along the lines of something bad potentially happening - John answers "None at all", he thought possible there might be some protestors or rude signs but he did not expect violence (04:40:12) Devine confirms that John had considered what had happened to Ambassador ADLAI STEVENSON and General WALKER - John says his main motivation for objecting to the motorcade was avoiding the "wear and tear" it involved on JFK's stamina (04:42:10) John mentions that the Dallas papers published the route of motorcade a few days previous to its happening (04:43:38) Representative RICHARDSON PREYER asks how early on LEE HARVEY OSWALD could have known that JFK was coming to Dallas, siting the fact that he began employment at the book depository in October of '63 - John answers he could have known as early as late September when JFK's visit was made known in the press but would not have known parade's route until the week of the motorcade because it was up in the air until then (04:46:50) Preyer confirms this was a commonly traveled parade route (04:47:45) Representative WALTER FAUNTROY is recognized to question the witnesses, Fauntroy asks varioius questions about the planning of JFK's trip to Texas and who could have been privy to this information and when (04:51:00) Chair recognizes Representative STUART MCKINNEY to question the witnesses, McKinney asks John about the decision to go with the Trade Mart building vs. the Women's building for JFK's speech at the end of the motorcade and how that influenced the motorcade route (04:54:17) Chair recognizes Representative CHRISTOPHER DODD to question the witnesses, he asks Nellie to recount the moments of the actual assassination, going step by step to clearly understand her story in relation to the single bullet theory - their discussion is cut short by the end of the tape
JFK Assassination Hearings - Larry Sturdivan (Conclusion)
Ford asks how the head could move back if the bullet was going forward - Sturdivan responds that the neuro-muscular jerk back of JFK's head would have taken 4/100s of a second after the bullet's impact, allowing almost no forward movement.
JFK Assassination Hearings - Robert Groden
New exhibit introduced of diagram of men's positioning in the limousine from top view - Groden describes the moment JFK shot through the neck in relation to the Zapruder film, he then explains the diagram, drawn by a Warren Commission critic, as revealing the unlikelihood of the single bullet theory, the trajectories do not match up in that moment with the men's positions
JFK Assassination HSCA Hearings
House Select Committee on Assassinations hearing on the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, Committee Deputy Chief Counsel Gary T. Cornwell continuing to take testimony of Professor Mark Weiss and Ernest Aschenasy on acoustic analysis of the Dallas audio transmission tape from the assassination of President Kennedy. Weiss and Aschenasy concluded there was a 95 percent possibility that a shot was fired from the grassy knoll. Weiss discusses the scientific principles used in the analysis of the audio tape of the JFK assassination.
JFK Assassination Hearings - John & Nellie Connally (Part II)
(03:37:30) Cornwell asks if the dispute between Senator Yarlborough and Vice President Johnson came up at all - John says it was an issue in Houston where Yarlborough refused to ride in a car with Johnson, John goes on to say that the next day, after the press made mention of the dispute, JFK told John that today Yarlborough was to ride in a car with Johnson or he was to walk (this gets a good laugh) (03:40:30) John feels the need to voice a defense of his home town Fort Worth where JFK and company stayed the first night, because the hotel accomodations there were attacked in the press as "sordid" - he gives a detailed decription of the lengths gone to to beautify the room JFK was to sleep in (03:42:30) Cornwell asks for and receives a description of the morning's events in Fort Worth on the infamous day (03:44:15) Cornwell asks if on the way, via Air Force One, to Dallas John had any concerns about the motorcade or visit - John responds not really, mentions a derogatory ad in the morning paper about the visit, he then goes on to describe the landing and reception at the airport (03:45:59) Cornwells asks for details about the party's boarding the limosine and the beginning of the motorcade - John begins his description and is cut off by the end of the tape
JFK Assassination Hearings - Larry Sturdivan (Conclusion)
Host SANFORD UNGAR voices over hearing room shot a summary of the day's testimony, the shot then changes to him, introduces panel members Professor JACOB COHEN of Brandeis University and DAVID LIFTON, Warren Commission Critic, and they briefly discuss day's testimony, namely conclusions about JFK's head movement.
JFK Assassination HSCA Hearings
House Select Committee on Assassinations hearing on the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, Committee Deputy Chief Counsel Gary T. Cornwell taking testimony of Professor Mark Weiss and Ernest Aschenasy on the acoustic analysis of the Dallas Police audio transmissions tap. Weiss and Aschenasy confirm they are familiar with the work done by Dr. James E. Barger. Mark Weiss testifies to the validity of Dr. Barger’s sound and echo reconstruction experiment of the JFK assassination in Dealey Plaza. Weiss discusses his and Aschenasy’s work on analyzing Dr. Barger’s finding that there may have been a third shot fired from the grassy knoll.
JFK Assassination Hearings - Ida Cox, Dr. Lowell Levine, Calvin S. McCamy
Opening shot of Hearing room from back, people beginning to congregate in audience and committee stand (00:00:18) SANDFORD UNGAR introduces hearing as second day - shot switches to him and panel who he introduces: DAVID LIFTON, critic of the Warren Commission, and JEREMIAH O'LEARY, of the Washington Star - Ungar gives a summary of the testimony to follow: forensic pathologists will scrutinize the original JFK autopsy - the panel discusses the original autopsy and it's short comings, namely that it did not recognize that JFK had been shot through the back and out the neck and that many of the measurements differ between illustrations and the autopsy reports - Ungar explains that the Chairman of the committee LEWIS STOKES and two other members will have to petition for more funds during today's hearings (I 09:00:20 - O 09:09:30) Committee convenes - Professor G. ROBERT BLAKEY introduces day's testimony, he says that autopsy the biggest source of controversy over the assassination and goes on to give a very detailed account of JFK's medical treatment from the moment he arrived at Parkland hospital through to his autopsy back east by Captain JAMES J. HUMED M.D., important issues he brings up in this account are that the doctors at Parkland did not notice the entry wound through the back and that they performed a tracheotomy through the wound in JFK's neck, obscuring the wound so that it was not recognized in the autopsy, also the discovery of the infamous bullet 399 on a stretcher that was thought to have passed through both JFK and Governor JOHN CONNALLY (09:09:32) Blakey brings up that because autopsy doctors had to keep their findings secret, the press went nuts with speculation, the effect of which must be taken in consideration as a force behind conspiracy theories Blakey tells the committee and then sites New York Times' articles with contradictory and incorrect information about the bullet's points of entry and passage through JFK (09:17:12) Blakey talks about the Warren Commission and the single bullet theory, mentioning that no member of the commission really investigated the autopsy (09:18:00) Blakey gives the Warren Commission findings which supported the single bullet theory, Blakey goes on to list in detail the serious criticisms of the Warren Commission findings and subsequent research and investigation to go on since then and now (1978) (09:19:20) Blakey lists all the medical issues the committee determined it needed to investigate: the number of bullets that struck JFK and Connally, the number, type and location of wounds each man received, the ten centimeter discretion between the autopsy reports and illustrations in the wound in the back of JFK's head, the course of the single bullet through both JFK and Connally, the apparent backward motion of JFK's head, the possibility that the president was hit in both the rear and the front of the head, the statements of the Parkland doctors concerning JFK's wounds, the authenticity of the autopsy's X-rays and photographs, and the competency of the autopsy and the consideration that it was ordered to be incomplete (09:23:10) Blakey explains the panel of forensic pathologists, two groups, one that had previously reviewed the X-rays and photographs and one that had not, lists thier names and positions (09:24:45) Blakey lists the assignments of the forensic pathologist panel (09:26:00) Blakey mentions that the committee has done its own investigation to come up with missing autopsy materials including JFK's brain - but could not find these materials, it is thought that ROBERT KENNEDY had them destroyed (09:27:00) Blakey introduces and lists the credentials of IDA DOX, medical illustrator (09:28:27) Dox is sworn in, Representative ANDREW PURDY is recognized to question Dox and asks her how she was chosen and how she decided what to illustrate - Dox answers that she was Georgetown's pick when the school was contacted by the committee and that the decision of what to illustrate was chosen based on what best showed the injuries and represented the medical panel's findings - Dox goes on to explain her technique in replicating the photographs and gives details to Purdy of her access to the original photographs and her use of duplicates (09:29:10) Dox explains in detail how she did other illustrations for panel that were not replicas of photos but illustrations of their their conclusions - much of this was done superimposing images of interior stucture over the photos of JFK, very meticulous, detailed work (09:34:27) Dox is excused and Profesor Blakey introduces Dr. LOWEL LEVINE and CALVIN S. MCCAMY to testify as to the authenticity of the autopsy photos and X-rays who are then simultaneously called (09:37-50) Levine and McCamy sworn in, Purdy asks Levine to explain the process of dental identification and how he can conclude that the autopsy X-rays are actually of JFK - Levine explains in detail (09:39:36) Levine walks over to exhibit of dental and autopsy X-rays shows the comparison and confirms that the autopsy X-rays are of JFK (09:43:57) Purdy's questioning turns to McCamy who he asks about the authenticity of the autopsy photographs (09:49:17) A new exhibit is introduced explaining paralax of human vision - McCamy explains how he can conclude photos are authentic and unaltered (09:52:30) McCamy and Levine are excused (09:56:18) Blakey introduces and calls Dr. MICHAEL BADEN, the chairman of the forensic pathology department (00:56:28) Baden is sworn in and tape cuts off (09:57:42)
JFK Assassination Hearings - Larry Sturdivan (Part III)
Opens with exhibit of film footage of human skulls being shot by bullets, shown frame by frame in slow motion - LARRY STURDIVAN describes purpose and results of this experiment - the image is very dark, black and white, the skulls explode and move in direction of bullet ( I 11:00:48 - O 11:03:50) Sturdivan explians bullet's point of entry into skull and the result of the impact on the skull's structure, 2 new exhibits added and displayed: one is an illustration of the JFK's back with the skull drawn into a silhoutte of the body and the other is 2 skull photographs, one atop the other, showing different results of bullet impact (I 11:05:20) Delegate WALTER FAUNTROY of the District of Columbia asks striking velocity of bullet that entered JFK's back - Sturdivan answers 1800 ft/s and explains effect passage through body would have on bullet's path (11:09:35) Fauntroy asks if bullets could then pass through another man - Sturdivan answers yes, Fauntroy asks about the speed and angle possibilities of the bullet then entering Gov. Connally - Sturdivan explains (11:12:34) Fauntroy asks if the bullet could shatter Conally's wrist bone after its passage through his body - Sturdivan answers yes (11:16:45) Fauntroy asks if there were another bullet that hit Conally what would the difference be in outcome - Sturdivan answers there would be no difference other than in the bullet's entry point into Connally, it would be at a different angle (11:17:50) New exhibit introduced - it is an image comparing three bullets fired from a Mannlicher-Carcano rifle - two of the bullets were used on goat carcasses in tests done at request of Warren Commision and the other is Exhibit 399 - the actual bullet thought to have passed through JFK and Connally: Bullet A which grazed a goat's rib is slightly deformed, Bullet B which went through gelatin alone is in pristene condition, and Bullet 399 which is slightly flattened - Discussion follows between Fauntroy and Sturdivan as to how Bullet 399 could have done so much damage and emerged relatively unscathed (I 11:22:50 - O 11:27:20) Fauntroy asks if a single bullet could inflict all the injuries - Sturdivan answers yes (11:27:20) The question of why JFK's head moved in the opposite direction of bullet is introduced (11:28:00) Exhibit introduced of physics formulas come up with by Sturdivan to deduce what bullet's impact would have on JFK's head movement - they correspond to bullet velocity and the mass of the head (11:30:00) Introduction of photos of JFK's head movement (11:33:00) Sturdivan: "The deposited momentum from the bullet was not sufficient to cause any dramatic movement in any direction" (11:33:54) Sturdivan interprets JFK's head movement as "neuro-muscular reaction", uses Jack Rabbit hunting as illustration - body springs into action upon being shot - and explains what he beleives could have been possible stimuluses touched by the impact of the shot (I 11:35:10 - O 11:38:04) Sturdivan introduces footage of goat executions to illustrate head movement (11:38:10) Charles Matthews gives source of films - Edgewood Arsenals - and again gives the disclaimer that this sort of testing is no longer done by the Army (11:39:00) Fellow council member substantiates from personal experience that Jack Rabbits will indeed spring into neuro-muscular action upon being shot (11:40:20) Goat films screened - host of TV coverage voice comes over shot of court room to warn sensitve viewers to turn away - Sturdivan dates the 3 films to 1948: #1 shows a goat in a strange head harness, anaesthetized and shot dead - the body immediately slumps, #2 is a similar shot of a goat but this time shot at 2400 frames per second allowing a better slo-mo image - upon being shot this goat seems to leap into the air before collapsing, #3 is of a goat already dead, it is suspended from the ceiling - upon being shot it does not move at all (I 11:40:40 - O 11:45:50) Shot returns to committee and Fauntroy recaps Sturdivan's testimony thus far as supporting the single bullet theory (11:46:00) In response to Fauntroy's inqueries about JFK's head explosion, Sturdivan: "The radial velocity is imparted as the bullet goes through and after it is gone" - Fauntroy: "And that caused the explosion effect" - Sturdivan: "Yes, and the neuro-muscular movement" (11:48:10) Representative CHRISTOPHER DODD of Conneticut recognized by chair to question Sturdivan (11:48:45) Dodd asks if Sturdivan has any background in anatomy to come to his conclusions - Sturdivan answers yes he has training in school and on the job, Dodd asks about the differences between tests on live and dead samples - Sturdivan answers they have a minimal effect on the bullet's path and velocity (11:49:10) Dodd asks if the first shot was the bullet through JFK's back vs. the head, could it have caused the head reaction, touching or brushing the spinal cord in its path - Sturdivan answers yes it is possible (11:50:15) Dodd: "This is 1978," his reaction upon finding out goat tests done in 1948 - Dodd knocks over glass with this dramatic quote and looks annoyed, goes on: "What would you haved done now? What would you do differently?" Sturdivan responds that he might have done tests illustrating that a bullet could shatter a wrist bone and remain undeformed - that in fact since science proves that bone is not as strong as the bullet the test is not necessary (11:54:05) Sturdivan would not recommend his test, he will not conduct an unnecessary experiment simply to "quiet the critics" (11:56:50) Representative SAMUEL DEVINE from Ohio recognized by committee to question Sturdivan, he requests exhibit 399, he asks Sturdivan if he has ever seen the actual assassination bullet in person - Sturdivan answers no, Sturdivan is given the bullet to look at and handle (11:57:04) With the actual bullet in his hand Sturdivan is asked now if looking at it he can say in his opinion if it took the path determined by the Warren Commision - He answers yes (11:59:08) Devine asks if after watching the Zapruder film he is not troubled by the fact that JFK's head did not move in the same direction as the bullet - Sturdivan answers no: "the momentum of the bullet could not have thrown him in any direction violently" (12:00:15) Chair, Mr. Stokes, confirms to his disbelief that Sturdavin has never before examined bullet 399 (12:01:10) Mr. FORD of Tennessee is called on to question Sturdavin, he asks about the different drag force of soft and hard bullets - exhibit of drag force equation put on easel (12:01:33)
JFK Assassination Hearings - John & Nellie Connally (Part IV)
(05:01:43) Shot opens with recognition by Chairman LOUIS STOKES of Representative CHRISTOPHER DODD to question former Texas Governor JOHN CONNALLY and his wife NELLIE CONNALLY, Dodd asks Nellie to recollect the few moments of the actual shooting, what direction she turned, when she heard the second shot, when JFK's reaction was, etc, then asks if Nellie heard a third shot (05:03:55) Nellie: "I did hear a third shot" (05:04:30) Dodd asks for John's recollection of the same moment - John says he heard one shot and not the second, but rather felt a bullet penetrate him, then heard a second shot which he identifies as what Nellie heard as the third shot (05:06:10) John states he remained conscious after being shot and that he remembers hearing JAQUELINE KENNEDY say "They have killed my husband" and then, "in an incredulous voice" : "I've got his brains in my hand" and then he remembers hearing ROY KELLERMAN (?) tell the car driver "get out of hear fast" (05:06:51) Dodd asks John how much time elapsed between his feeling he was shot and his hearing the first shot - John originally says it was a matter of seconds, then says 6,8, 10 seconds but tells Dodd it wasn't instantaneous and couldn't have been a second and Nellie agrees (05:08:11) Chair recognized FLOYD J. FITHIAN to question witnesses, he asks John if the two shots he heard sounded exactly alike - John says yes - Fithian asks if he heard an impact noise anywhere from the first shot - John says no (05:09:14) Fithian confirms Nellie's account that three shots fired, first through JFK's neck, second through John, third explodes JFK's head all over car (05:10:00) Fithian asks if John can differentiate between rifle and gun shot - John humorously responds that he could and gives his interpretation of the way the two different shots sound - John then further describes the shots he heard for Fithian (05:11:36) Representative SAWYER confirms that John is familiar with rifles as an experienced hunters and goes on to deduct that a bullet traveling from a Mannlicher-Carcano, at twice the speed of sound would hit John before he heard the shot - John agrees and says this is how he knows he wasn't hit by the first shot because he heard it fired, he then recollects hearing what have been the third shot and seeing the results - John goes on to give convincing speech that he and Ms. Connally may not be able to give exact times to the events but the particulars, like how many shots were fired, are indellibly etched in their minds, he goes on to make the analagy of their strong memories to those held by any American who he claims will always be able to give you details of what they are doing when they heard JFK had been assassinated (05:15:50) Sawyer radiantly thanks Connallys for their testimony (05:16:20) Representative ROBERT W. EDGAR asks questions of comparison between the on-goings and security of a motorcade in Houston that the Connallys and JFK participated in the day before the assassination and the infamous motorcade in Dallas - John compares the two (05:20:00) Edgar asks if there are any recurring problems associated with the John's injuries - John gives a description of the injuries to his chest and wrist and explains his recovery from them which was essentially full with no lingering complications - Nellie interjects a joke about his wrist (05:22:22) Edgar confirms that John believes all his injuries are from one bullet - John in confirming this explains how he thinks it is that his wrist lined up with the shot traveling through his chest (05:24:05) Representative WALTER FAUNTROY recognized to question witnesses, asks if the first shot they both agreed upon hearing was the one that caused JFK's neck injury - John answers that he only knows the first shot did not hit him and he answers for Nellie and says that she believes that the first shot she heard was the one that hit JFK's neck, Nellie adds that the medical analysis later determined that the shot that hit JFK's in the neck would not have killed him and explains his movement she witnessed at the time (05:26:10) Representative FLOYD FITHIAN asks if Nellie remembers seeing John when she first saw JFK get hit - She answers no (05:26:35) The Connallys have the opportunity to suppliment their testimony - John puts his hand over the microphone to have a semi-private consultation with Nellie over what to talk about but decide have nothing further to say so John thanks committee and voices hope they can clear up the conspiracy aspect of the assassination but ultimately believes there will always be unanswered questions - John adds that he thinks a determined assassin will always stand the chance to get the job done, that the secret service was not lacking in their protection of JFK (05:32:17) Stokes thanks the Connallys (05:33:00) Hearings recess until later in the afternoon (05:33:10) Enters the voice of SANDFORD UNGAR and shot changes from hearing room to him, he sums up testimony of the Connallys and introduces panel JEREMIAH O'LEARY of the Washington Star and PAUL HOCH of the Assassination Information Bureau - discuss/debate the signficance of the Connallys' testimony, its relation to the single bullet theory and a cover up conspiracy (05:47:27) Ungar closes out coverage (05:47:35) PBS credit to Ford Foundation (05:48:05) Off air shot of Ungar and then camera crew and court house crew with background noise of the set up (05:50:11) Black screen with crew talking in background (05:52:00) Woman correspondent, DENISE BAKER COLEMAN, does botched introduction (05:52:24) Retake of correspondent's introduction to house commmittee hearings - again it is botched (05:53:15) Third take goes further but is again botched (05:54:10) Forth take botched (05:55:00) Take five - botched (05:55:35) Take six - botched (05:56:39) Final take is aced - short summary report for news show of what the house committee's mission is in the hearings (00:57:10) Black screen
JFK Assassination HSCA Hearings
House Select Committee on Assassinations Chief Counsel G. Robert Blakey introduces evidence JFK exhibits F-155 ( enlarged photo marking filming position of Abraham Zapruder and President John F. Kennedy’s motorcade) and F-646 (copy of Zapruder’s Warren Commission Deposition). Zapruder was questioned by Warren Commission Counsel Wesley Lieber. Zapruder did not have any impression of which directions the shots came from but thought they may have come from behind him. Zapruder did agree with Lieber that the shots could have come from any direction and there was no way of knowing at the time. Zapruder could not, at first, identify the first shot due to the echo, but could clearly identify the second shot by sound.
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Michael Baden (Part IV)
(13:30:05) PBS funding credit to the Ford Foundation (13:30:16) Shot opens with view of hearing room from the back of gallery (13:30:21) Hearings' host Sandford Ungar's voice comes in to introduce hearings and shot changes to him, he explains the day's testimony so far (13:31:37) Ungar introduces panel DAVID LIFTON, Warren Commission critic, and JEREMIAH O'LEARY, Washington Star reporter, breif discussion of the testimony thus far and what they look forward to (13:34:07) Committee Chairman LOUIS STOKES calls hearing into session and recognizes Representative RICHARDSON PREYER to question the witness, Dr. MICHAEL BADEN - Preyer wants to inquire about the discrepancy between the bullet's point of entrance into JFK's head on the original autopsy report and the panel's (of forensic pathologists) findings, he introduces a JFK head X-ray exhibit (13:35:40) Baden explains that the panel all agreed that the bullet entered the skull at the same point and illustrates this by pointing out location of the entrance wound on the head X-rays (sound is very faint and then comes on suddenly) - Baden goes on to discount the possibility that there was bullet penetration four inches lower showing that X-rays also do not support this and tells the committee the autopsy panel unanimously agreed they found only one entrance hole in the skull (13:40:30) Baden himself introduces new exhibit of diagram of the brain, an illustration which depicts the bullet damage done to JFK's brain drawn from autopsy photos, and says that had the shot entered where the autopsy designated it did it would have done damage to the lower brain, which from the illustration one can see it didn't
LAWMAKERS - "JFK State of the Union"
U.S. President John F. Kennedy (JFK) delivering State of the Union Address to joint session of Congress, Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson and Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn in BG.
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Michael Baden (Part II)
Shot opens to Dr. MICHAEL BADEN, forensic pathologist, confirming for committee chairman LOUIS STOKES that he has seen autopsy photographs (09:58:04) Chairman Stokes explains that everyone on and involved with committee has seen autopsy photographs but that they will not be used in the case because it would reflect poor taste (09:58:11) Counsel KENNETH KLEIN recognized to question Baden, Klein asks Baden to describes his position and define the terms autopsy, forensic, and pathology in the context of his work (09:59:09) Exhibit is entered into record and passed to Baden which is a list of medical documents and materials panel was privy to during investigation - Baden gives a long explanation of what these documents and materials were and thier access to them, many of them are from the National Archive (10:01:14) Klein verifies the authority of the forensic pathology panel to come to expert conclusions - In Baden's response he says that over 100,000 autopsies have been performed by the panel members combined (10:05:05) Baden explains how the panel dealt with materials that could not be secured by the committee, namely JFK's brain and responds that even without these materials the panel could come to definitive conclusions (10:06:15) Klein asks if any members disagreed with the conclusions of the panel - Baden says its finding unanimous with the exception of Dr. CYRIL H. WECHT (10:07:35) Klein asks "what the cause of death of President John F. Kennedy?" - Baden responds JFK died as the result of two bullet wounds to the head and back (10:08:10) Exhibit of autopsy illustration entered into record, it is a very detailed drawing of JFK's back with a little bullet whole in it and a ruler across it, beneath the drawing is another smaller one, a blow up of the bullet hole (10:08:30)
JFK Assassination Hearings - H.B. McClain
(02:02:02) Opens with Deputy Chief Counsel GARY T. CORNWELL questioning H.B. McClain, police motorcycleman on JFK motorcade, about his and the cycle escort's positioning relative to each other and the motorcade (02:03:07) Cornwell introduces three photographs as exhibits, they are blow ups of frames from a movie of the motorcade, Cornwall has McClain identify the streets shown in the photographs and identify himself in the photographs (02:07:50) Cornwell asks if McClain heard any shots - McClains says he heard one, gives his location at that time and describes what he saw, which was a flock of pigeons taking off in flight around the book depository, McClain says then he got the order on the radio to go to Parkland hospital (02:09:30) Cornwell asks McClain about his radio use and channel that day (02:10:23) Cornwell asks McClain about what happened after he received the order to go to the hospital and how long it took him to catch up with the limosine - McClains explains (02:11:45) Cornwell has McClain describe the distinguishing characteristics of his motorcycle and then identify his bike and himself in a group of photographs Cornwell gives him (the photographs are not seen by the camera or gallery) (02:16:45) Cornwell asks McClain if based on his proximity to a fellow police cycleman during the motorcade, as revealed in a photo, if it was possible he could have heard the order to go to Parkland Hospital from this other officer's radio - McClain says it is possible - McClain then moves that the photographs be taken into consideration by the committee and adds that one of them suggests that McClain's radio was on Channel 1 (02:22:20) McClain tells the committee it was a common occurrence that his microphone relay was left on without his knowledge, he and Cornwall speculate as to why (02:23:44) Committee Chairman LOUIS STOKES asks Counsel Professor ROBERT BLAKEY to establish the chain of evidence for the Dallas Police tape, Blakey can only verify that the tape is of the police transmissions for the day of the assassination, he cannot however trace it to McClain's motorcycle (02:27:58) Stokes recognizes Representative SAMUEL DEVINE, Devine asks McClain a couple questions about his microphone and motorcycle (02:29:07) Stokes recognizes Representative ROBERT EDGAR, Edgar asks McClain a couple of questions about McClain's radio, trying in vain to get at evidence that McClain's radio was in the microphone mode (02:31:23) Stokes recognizes Representative FLOYD FITHIAN, Fithian asks McClain if he saw any activity around the grassy knoll - McClain responds that he saw Officer HARGAS (?) going up the knoll (02:32:16) Stokes recognizes Representative CHRISTOPHER DODD, Dodd asks how McClain can identify himself in the blown up photographs of the JFK motorcade taken from a film of the motorcade - McClain says he can identify himself by the way he is sitting on the motorcycle - Dodd and Delegate WALTER FAUNTROY joke playfully with McClain about how he sits that he can distinguish himself 15 years later in a photograph (in the photos the motorcyclemen's position seems to have nothing extrordinary about it)
JFK Assassination HSCA Hearings
U.S. Representatives Samuel L. Devine (R-OH) and L. Richardson Preyer (D-NC) with House Select Committee on Assassinations Chairman U.S. Representative Louis Stokes (R-OH). Committee Chief Counsel G. Robert Blakey discusses the Committee’s statistical analysis of the witness testimony regarding the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, introduces JFK exhibit F-360; adult Caucasian female staff member sets up chart breaking down witness testimony regarding the direction of shots fired. 27.5 percent of witnesses felt the shots came from the direction of the Texas School Book Depository; 11 percent believed the shots came from the Grassy Knoll; 13.9 percent thought the shots originated elsewhere; and 43.8 percent were unable to tell where the shots came from. Blakey argues that witnesses who were also trained law enforcement personnel might be better at originating shots from sound than other witnesses.
JFK Assassination Hearings - H.B. McClain and Dr. James Barger
Deputy Chief Counsel GARY T. CORNWELL confirms with McClain that he can also identify himself in exhibit photos of the JFK motorcade from his positioning within the motorcycle escort and relative to the limousine procession
JFK Assassination Hearings - Larry Sturdivan (Conclusion)
Representative ROBERT W. EDGAR asks if there is anything within Sturdivan's expertise to disprove the possibility that Connally was hit by a separate shot from the one that hit JFK in the back - Sturdivan answers no with the qualification that the bullet entry wound into Connally was described as elliptical meaning it had to have hit something that would have at the least altered its yaw or angle of spin to have given such a shape to the injury.