JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Michael Baden and Captain James J. Humes M.D.
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Michael Baden and Captain James J. Humes M.D.
Opens with councilman MCKINNEY asking witness what effect it would have if the bullet hit JFK's spinal column - Dr. MICHAEL BADEN, Forensic Pathologist and representative of panel of pathologists assigned investigation by House Committee, answers that fragments of bullets found in the initial investigation satisfied them as being responsible for all the damage to the head of JFK (14:28:42) McKinney wants to know how much of bullet was found - Baden answers "a great portion of it" - McKinney asks about the other bullet - Baden answers that it was found completely intact because it traveled through soft tissue (14:29:21) Baden explains that it is bone that would deform a bullet but whether or not the bullet hit any bone within JFK cannot be determined because a proper dissection of the body was not done, if it hit the spinal cord it could have affected JFK's movement (14:30:30) Baden mentions the metal fragment found around JFK's neck but discounts this as a fragment of bullet come off as the result of contact with bone in the president's back, however Baden says cavity created by bullet through back could have had repercussions for the spinal cord (14:31:30) McKinney asks what the difference was between the bullet that killed Martine Luther King and was badly deformed and that which passed through JFK - Baden answers that the one hitting King hit a lot of bone vs. the one in JFK which might have at most grazed JFK's spinal cord, also King's bullet was soft nosed vs. the full metal jacket of JFK's (14:32:44)
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Michael Baden and Captain James J. Humes M.D.
Chair, Mr. STOKES, recognizes committee member FLOYD J. FITHIAN, Fithian wants to know if bullet fragments were left in Governor JOHN CONNALLY - Baden answers that it is questionable whether bullet hit Connally's rib or the cavity circle following bullet caused rib to break, however there were no fragments found in his chest (14:34:55) Fithian asks is fragments found in Connally's thigh or wrist - Baden responds a pin head sized fragment was seen in an X-ray of hip but not recovered but that a fragment was recovered from Conally's wrist (14:36:03) Baden tells the court fragments found could be accounted for as missing pieces of bullet 399 (14:38:00) Fithian asks about the claim that foreign material was found in JFK's brain (14:38:12) Exhibit of brain appears on the exhibit easel (14:38:47) Close up of brain exhibit with Baden using pointer to indicate where foreign material thought to be seen in photos and images of brain, an oblong blue discoloration, which he discounts as displaced blood vessels - X-rays of the brain detected no metal objects (14:39:20) Chair recognizes EDGAR to question Baden, he requests 3 exhibits be displayed (14:41:20) Shot returns to exhibit easels and Edgar asks if different reactions of JFK's chest and head to bullets fired from the same gun is a normal response - Baden answers yes, the head cavity is different from the chest cavity, hard tissue vs. soft tissue (14:42:00) Chair recongizes Representative HAROLD S. SAWYER to question Baden, Sawyers asks Baden if he noticed JFK move his hands to his throat before Connally had reacted at all and if this can be discounted - Baden answers that yes he notices the hands move but that there is no way to compare how people react to injury, JFK's spinal cord may have been shocked by the shot thus causing the quicker reaction (14:45:30)
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Michael Baden and Captain James J. Humes M.D.
Sawyer asks if Baden observed that not only did Connally not react but continued to hold his hat with the same hand that had the wrist shattered and "does this disturb you at all" - Baden answers yes he noticed this but persons can be injured and not know it, that Connally was holding his hat when injured is "not unusual" (14:47:24) Sawyer wants to know if this fact about the hat in combination with Connally's testimony disuades Baden from beleiving in the single bullet theory - Baden responds he does not rely on eye witnesses (14:48:00) "It is our opinion that one bullet and only one bullet went through Governor Connally" - Baden repeats this statement ending with "the back of the president", he goes on: "Taking all factors into consideration it is also our opinion that it is the same bullet that went through the president and the governor, because there is no evidence for another bullet" (14:51:00) Baden says it is possible that there could have been a second bullet, there just is no evidence to support it (14:52:10) Chair recognizes Baden's right to suppliment his testimony - Baden takes the time to thank the rest of the panel he represents for their contributions (14:52:50) Chair calls Professor ROBERT BLAKEY to announce the next witness, Blakey calls Captain JAMES J. HUMES M.D. and lists his credentials (Humes conducted autopsy on JFK) - Humes is sworn in (14:55:50) Chair recognizes Deputy Chief Council GARY T. CORNWELL who asks what Humes responsibilities were as director of the Naval Medical School - Humes lists responsibilities (14:56:05)
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Michael Baden and Captain James J. Humes M.D.
Cornwells asks if Humes personally conducted the autopsy and asks what Humes' responsibilities were - Humes answers he conducted the autopsy with assistance from two other people and that he had initially been summonded by military personel to determine the cause of death of JFK - Cornwell asks more about the autopsy including in what order the procedure went - Humes tells the court X-rays and photos were taken first (14:57:50) Cornwell tells the court the principle source of discussion will be whether or not one or more bullets entered the head - a point of contestation the new panel of forensic pathologists has with Humes' autopsy findings, Corwell asks if the report from Humes' autopsy that only one bullet struck the head is accurate - Humes: "Absolutely" (15:01:15) Cornwell introduces drawing (exhibit 48) or the back of the head of JFK (15:01:54) Shot of drawing on easel (I 15:02:17 - O 15:02:34) Humes tells court photo (replicated in drawing) taken to illustrate positioning of wounds (15:03:14) Cornwell tells Humes how the new panel of forensic pahtologists invited Humes to visit with them and review autopsy material as well as to interview him about the autopsy, part of the transcript of the interview reveals that when looking at the drawing on the exhibit easel Humes indentified the droplet of material at the base of JFK's head as the only point of bullet entry, then when asked by forensic pathologist Dr. CHARLES S. PETTY about the defect in the center of the head Humes had replied he did not know what it was but that it was certainly not the wound of entry (15:03:30) Shot is now of Cornwell at exhibit easel with pointer, Cornwell tries to excuse Humes' mistake by telling court Humes was called in on short notice - Humes is eager to agree this as the cause of his mistake (15:07:09) Cornwell asks various questions about the drawings to confirm if now Humes agrees with the new panel's findings - Humes does (15:07:46) Humes tells court part of his confusion stems from the fact that after taking the photo on display in the court (as a drawing) he was not able to see it again until three years later (15:10:03)
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Michael Baden and Captain James J. Humes M.D.
Cornwell introduces exhibits 52, 53 & 302 (15:13:28) Shot changes to that of exhibits - they are images of head X-rays, Cornwell asks Humes to show the court the bullet's point of entry (15:13:34) Humes points to point of entry on skull X-ray and explains why he picked this point (15:15:00) Humes volunteers that he had the opportunity to examine the inside of JFK's skull: "there was one and only one wound of entrance" (15:16:50) Cornwell asks about the fragments of skull's consistency with the bullets point of entrance - Humes respond that they make sense yet bullet was so disturbed upon point of entry the fragments could have been anywhere (15:17:10) Cornwell confirms with Humes that when autopsy report authored Humes did not have photos or X-rays (15:18:10) Cornwell brings up discrepancy between autopsy report's location of entrance wound in skull and the new panel's diagnosis, Cornwell wants to know if this discrepancy is explainable - Humes can give no explanation (15:18:35) Cornwell asks various questions about the autopsy such as what did you do afterwards and about the actual writing of the report (15:19:45)
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Michael Baden and Captain James J. Humes M.D.
Cornwell asks if attempts were made to reconstruct JFK's head and if so did Humes handle the head for a long time - Humes responds yes to both questions - Cornwell asks if based on Humes reconstruction efforts could there have been a second point of bullet entry - Humes responds no (15:23:35) Chair recognizes Humes' right to suppliment his testimony - Humes expresses appreciation for work of Baden and Panel and says he wishes he had such support when he conducted the autopsy (15:24:00) Chair voices appreciaiton for Humes' testimony and understanding over Humes' problems with the short notice of the hearing and the trying nature of the investigation (15:26:00)