JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Michael Baden (Part IV)
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
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Michael Baden (Part IV)
(13:43:00) Preyers asks what happened to the metal fragments found in JFK's skull - Baden answers some were removed and eventually passed on to the National Archives (13:43:30) Preyer asks Baden about discrepancies between the Ramsey-Clark panel report and the Rockefeller report (both previous re-examinations of the JFK case) with the current panel's findings, in particular he asks about the Rockefeller report claim that a piece of metal was found in JFK's neck - Baden discounts this using JFK chest X-ray exhibits and giving a lenghthy explanation of their misguided interpretation of the X-rays to come to that conclusion (13:48:05) Preyer asks if bullet 399 could have nicked JFK's vertebrae and left such a neat exit wound in JFK's throat - Baden answers yes and explains (13:49:42) Preyer asks about a discrepancy between the Ramsey-Clark report and the current committee's findings with where they identified the location of the bullet's exit wound out JFK's neck - Baden discounts this discrepancy with the introduction of exhibits of images of the neck injuries as a mistake by the Ramsey-Clark forensic pathologists in transferring data from evidence to a report (13:51:45) Preyer asks if the panel conducted any experiments, particularly to find out if bullet 399, "the pristene bullet", was possible - Baden gives a long explanation as to why the panel agreed, with the exception of Dr. CYRIL H. WECHT, not to conduct any experiments, the crux of which is what Baden claims as the impossibility of recreating a one time event that has limitless factors in determining its unique outcome, bullets' paths he says are never exactly the same and can be changed by the slightest of influences
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Michael Baden (Part IV)
(13:55:45) Baden: "It's a search for an answer that doesn't exist" - Baden explains that it is the usual practice of forensic pathologists to deal only with the evidence and not conduct experiments to recreate the impossible (13:56:15) Preyer asks if it's possible that bullet 399 could have emerged in such good shape after causing as much damage as the single bullet theory suggests - Baden says yes and gives a long explanation why, this includes him talking about his experience with coming across bullets fired in New York City crime, bullets not designed as strongly but still emerge in good shape, he then goes on to trace the bullet's path through its victims and points out there are no points where significant damage to the bullet can be expected (14:01:20) Baden explains why a bullet to JFK's skull would be deformed significantly in comparison to bullet 399
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Michael Baden (Part IV)
(14:02:25) Baden says he could not produce a replica of bullet 399 that would have done all the damage it is claimed to have done because he cannot reproduce the unique circumstances of its firing (14:02:40 Preyer asks if another bullet were found in JFK's car would it change the panel's findings - Baden responds no and in a long explanation says that JFK and Governor CONNALLY lined up in the car to make the path likely, "the bullet that struck the president had no other place to go" based on evidence, though it is possible that the bullet could have come from some where else (14:06:18) Representative SAMUEL L. DEVINE asks if there are any other criticisms that Baden has of the original autopsy - Baden answers that the Kennedy family's request to have the autopsy done outside of its original jurisdicition should not have been honored, nor should they received the evidence left over from the autopsy, he mentions that the leader of the autopsy Captain JAMES J. HUMES M.D. was a clinical pathologist and not a forensic pathologist and the two positions have significant procederual differences between them (14:13:00) Baden brings up the pressure factors working against the original autopsy panel, not only of having to work with the dead president but having to do so under the eyes of military supervisors
JFK Assassination Hearings - Dr. Michael Baden (Part IV)
(14:14:40) Delegate WALTER FAUNTROY is recognized to question the witness, he asks Baden to explain how they can tell the bullet entered the back of JFK's head - Baden explains how from bevelling in the hole in the back of JFK's skull the panel could determine the direction from which the shot was fired, he uses an illustrations to explain this (the sound goes fuzzy while he gives the explanation which Baden makes a joke about, suggesting this is caused by Dr. Wecht) (14:19:54) Reprensentative CHRISTOPHER DODD is recognized to question the witness, who asks for a more detailed explanation of how the panel can determine that the bullet hole in the neck is one of exit - Baden gives it (14:23:20) Baden gives a detailed explanation upon Dodd's request of how JFK's clothing supports the neck hole being a wound of exit (14:25:24) Dodd asks if Baden can say there were no shots fired from "the grassy knole" - Baden responds yes, the evidence does not support this, he then goes on to add that the Zapruder film is the first time someone being shot in the head has been captured for analysis by forensic pathologists and the effects it shows them are hard for them to judge as this is their first exposure to such evidence (14:28:00) Chair recognizes Representative STUART MCKINNEY to question the witness, he asks Baden about the bullet evidence that was recovered from the car and if the bullet that went through JFK's back had hit his spine if could still have gone on to hit Connally - Baden answers that the fragments that were found account for the bullet that hit JFK's head