JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Michael Baden (Part III)
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Michael Baden (Part III)
Shot opens to comparison of exhibits by Dr. MICHAEL BADEN between two illustrations done for the panel and one done for the Warren Commision - all three are interpretations of the bullet's path through JFK's skull - Baden says that the Warren Commission's sketch is off from the panel's in its location of both bullets' points of entry but that it captures the general direction of the bullet that the panel concluded (10:59:12) Baden reponds to Counsel KENNETH KLEIN that the bullet wound to the head would have been fatal but the panel is unsure if the neck injury also would have been fatal (11:00:30) Baden describes Governor JOHN CONALLY's injuries - Baden is then given medical reports and interview reports of and with Dr. SHAW (?) who operated on Governor Connally at Parkland Hospital (11:01:36) Exhibit of Connally's clothing is put on display (on a headless, armless mannequin torso), it is a suit jacket and shirt and on them Baden identifies the bullet holes of entrance and exit (11:04:20) Baden answers Klein's questions about the X-rays taken of Connally at the hospital including that there were no bullet fragments found in the chest (11:06:00)
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Michael Baden (Part III)
Exhibit introduced which Baden explains is a diagram prepared by the Parkland surgeons of the path of the bullet through Connally for the Warren Commission - the panel agreed with the diagram's interpretation (11:08:00) Klein and Baden discuss a Dr.GREGORY who worked on Connally's wrist - he was unavailable for interview by the panel as he is deceased - Baden describes the bullet's path through Connally's wrist (11:09:45) Baden shows how the suit jacket sleave of Connally reflect the bullet's entrance location in the wrist (11:11:15) New exhibit introduced - a blow up of an X-ray of Connally's wrist, the fracture of which is very evident - Baden identifies and describes it, pointing out white spots which represent fragments of the bullet left in the wrist (11:12:40) Baden explains the report of Dr. SHIRES (?) who worked on Conally's thigh and holds up Connally's trousers which have in them, in the corresponding place to the bullet hole in the thigh, a hole in them (11:15:00)
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Michael Baden (Part III)
New exhibits introduced by Klein - X-rays of Connally's thigh - Baden identifies and describes the X-rays, he says they show that the thigh bone was not touched or fractured by the bullet and goes on in detail to discuss all previous interpretations of them (11:16:25) Klein asks if the panel reached any conclusion as to what happened to the bullet that entered the thigh - Baden responds that if fell out (11:19:16) Baden returns to seat after having stood at exhibit easel for a long while (11:19:45) Klein asks Baden to confirm each bullet path as just discussed through Connally's respective parts: his chest, wrist and thigh (11:20:00) Klein asks Baden to confirm the panel's conclusion that these wounds were all caused by one bullet and then explain why they came to this conclusion - Baden reponds that injuries fit the bullets path in their locations and intensity, describes this path and the damage, and goes on to say the evidence supports no other conclusion (11:20:50) Klein asks if the bullet going through the wrist and the bullet going through the thy had been slowed up - Baden reponds that the degree of the injuries to both body parts supports this, that the bullet had been slowed up by the chest (11:22:00) Klein asks if the panel concluded in support of the single bullet theory, that the bullet that passed through JFK's neck also did all the damage to Connally - Baden answers yes and explains mentioning the entrance wound on Connally reflected a wobbling movement to the bullet which could only have been caused by it's having struck something else first (11:23:24)
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 - Dr. Michael Baden (Part III)
Preyer wants to know if it's possible that there could have been two entry wounds in JFK's head - Baden responds that the panel has concluded there is only one point of entry at the back of the head (11:40:31) Preyer wants to know why one of the Parkland Hospital surgery doctors, Dr. Shaw, testified against the single bullet theory to the Warren Commission - Baden says he based his contestation not on medical findings but on the testimony of the Connally couple (11:41:38) Chairman Stokes calls a recess for an "important" vote on the House floor (11:43:51) Hearing host SANDFORD UNGAR voice repeats chair's decision to recess and shot switches to him, he sums up the day's testimony so far and introduces his panel: DAVID LIFTON, Warren Commission Critic, and JEREMIAH O'LEAR of the Washington Star who discuss the testimony (11:44:21) Ungar closes out the program (11:58:10)