JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Cyril H. Wecht (Part II)
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Cyril H. Wecht (Part II)
Opens with analysis of X-ray of Govenor JOHN CONNALLY'S wrist displayed on exhibit easel - Dr. CYRIL H. WECHT arguing that bullet that broke this "large" bone and previously broke the rib of govenor could not have emerged in such good shape (16:29:30) Good quote by Wecht about discovery of operating surgeon working on Conally's chest found five inches of that rib bone "literally pulverized" (16:30:37) DONALD PURDY asks Wecht if it is his opinion that bullet 399 could not have broken Connally's rib - Connally answers that bullet 399 could have caused damage to rib alone, Purdy asks could it have caused the other injuries to Connally as well - Wecht answers yes (16:31:00) Wecht returns to seat from exhibits and Purdy asks if possible that the bullet hitting Connally's back could have passed through anything else - Wecht answers no (16:32:38) Wecht claims that fact that scar on Conally's back is in a horizontal plane is more consistent with the shot being fired from the right rear side, entering with some degree of a tangential nature (16:32:38) Purdy inquires about Wecht's disagreement with forensic findings that there was only one bullet fired, he asks if president struck by second bullet how soon after was this shot fired - Wecht answers simultaneous to other shot (16:32:55)
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Cyril H. Wecht (Part II)
Purdy asks what evidence is there that supports a second shot having been fired - Wecht answers that it is a remote possibility that a second shot was fired, however a small piece of material found at the base of the scalp - just above the hair line coupled with the total deformation of the scalp (making identifying the exit wound impossible) could suggest that this piece of material was a fragment of some sort of frangible ammunition - part of a bullet that could have destroyed the head but not passed through it, Wecht also says that the JFK's head movement also suggests this possibility (16:33:30) Wecht: "Important to raise the possibility, however remote, that there was a second shot involved" (16:35:35) Purdy asks to what extent would it help to have brain preserved as far as substantiating second shot theory - Wecht answers it would help a great deal to determine if there was a second shot because second shot would have left a path in the brain (16:35:45) Wecht: "We do know there was the one bullet's penetration, I agree with that" (16:36:50) Purdy asks "if present state of available evidence permits the conclusion that to a reasonable degree of certainty there was not a shot from the side that struch the president?" - Wecht answers yes, second shot is a remote possibility unsubstantiated by evidence (16:37:00) Chair recognizes Counsel GARY T. CORNWELL - Cornwell asks if Wecht privy to any information or evidence that other medical experts were not - Wech answers that he has seen blow up of Zapruder film at Life magazine headquarters in 1966, nothing else (16:37:40) Cornwell asks if Wecht's forensic pathology expertise differs from others testifying - Wecht answers there are no major differences, Cornwell asks just a difference of opinion - Wecht answers yes, in relation to the facts - but major difference is allowing for possibility of second shooter (16:38:00)
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Cyril H. Wecht (Part II)
Cornwell persists in trying to get at why Wecht questions the single bullet theory, is it because a president is involved? - Wecht responds in any case he would persist with such a questioning attitude (16:42:10) Cornwell asks if Wecht concedes that bullet from Mannlicher-Carcano could have gone through whole body of Connally - Wecht answers yes it is possible (16:42:47) Cornwell asks if single bullet theory not correct how many bullets were involved - Wecht answers there is definate evidence for three bullets with the possibility of more but can't introduce evidence that would corraborate that (00:43:20) Attention directed by Cornwell to exhibit of bullets and bullet 399 (16:45:00) Cornwell asks under what circumstances does deformation of a bullet occur - Wecht answers when a bullet strikes a dense object such as Conally's wrist (16:46:30) Cornwell asks if the bullet travels through the neck alone will it be deformed - Wecht answers no (16:46:30) Cornwell asks could bullet have gone through chest alone and come out non-deformed - Wecht asks if question assumes the bullet has left Kennedy's neck and then passed through Connally's chest - a scenario he now declares impossible because of opposing bullet trajectories between its exit of JFK and entrance into Conally, if you accept the hypothetical situation of trajectories lining up, yes, Wecht agrees its possible (16:47:25) Cornwell persists in trying to find out if Wecht will concede that bullet could have traveled previously determined route (Warren Commission) and come out in such pristine condition, does this piece by piece following bullet's path, however Wecht disagrees with this method, saying that it is in combination of the rib and wrist being broken that should have deformed the bullet (16:48:40)
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Cyril H. Wecht (Part II)
Wecht states that the wrist alone would have caused more deformation than is present in bullet 399 (16:49:40) Cornwell asks for bullet 399 back from Wecht (16:50:45) Camera on Wecht as Cornwell drops bullet after asking if he dropped it the 2 foot distance from his hand to the desk if it would damage the bullet, Cornwell then asks what the velocity of the fall was (16:52:10) Cornwell wants to know velocity at which bullet would deform - Wecht says he cannot put forth guess, but that the government should have done velocity tests with Mannlicher-Carcano rifle - Cornwell asks if Wecht can calculate the velocity at which the bullet would deform - Wech says it's possible - Cornwell asks if Wecht can calculate velocity necessary to shatter bone - Wecht says it's possible (16:53:10) Cornwell asks if velocities calculated above are different, could the bullet shatter bone but not be deformed - Wecht says he cannot answer such a hypothetical question (16:55:12) Turn to exhibit 254, an image of five bullets with various degrees of deformities - Cornwell asks Wecht to explain the relation of deformity to velocity of bullet - explained by Wecht bullets used in tests conducted by Warren Commission, fired out of Mannlicher-Carcano rifles at goat carcasses and human wrists - Cornwell asks for estimates of bullets' speed at various points in path through Connally - Wecht gives estimates based on assumption that bullet traveled through Kennedy first (16:56:25)
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Cyril H. Wecht (Part II)
Cornwell wants to know if comparison between bullet 399 with images of bullets in exhibit worthwhile as velocities between two could be different - Wecht answers no and goes on to explain velocities of bullets in image and what they were fired at (16:58:35) Cornwell wants to know what effect it would have on Wecht's doubt of the single bullet theory if it could be proved that bullet 399 did hit Connally's wrist - Wecht insists a test should be done in which velocities of bullets fired at cadaver wrists according to different bullet scenarios and judge by the results whether bullet 399 was possible as the "single bullet" (16:59:00)