How could a bullet go through JFK's neck & Governor Connally's chest & be recovered in virtually "pristine" condition?
The Warren Commission had a problem with the FBI investigation.
The FBI Report, issued on December 9, 1963, said 3 bullets had been fired.
The first hit JFK, the second hit Connally, & the third hit JFK in the head.
This scenario matched John Connally's own testimony that he heard the first shot, was in the process of turning to see JFK, & then was hit by a second shot.
But the Warren Commission discovered a shot missed the motorcade entirely & a piece of that bullet hit James Tague standing by the overpass.
So, the Commission was left with 2 bullets.
One hit JFK in the head.
This left 1 bullet to account for ALL the non-fatal wounds to JFK & Connally.
Arlen Specter proposed the "Single Bullet Theory".
He said a bullet fired from the 6th floor corner window entered JFK's neck/upper back passing through completely.
That bullet then continued forward to hit Connally in the right back passing through his chest and hitting his right wrist & left thigh.
But how is it possible that the bullet which supposedly passed through both JFK & Connally be found virtually "pristine" on a stretcher at Parkland Hospital?
Warren Commission Exhibit 399
National Archives Image
When a bullet strikes something hard, like bone, it does not retain its original appearance. This is particularly true if it strikes something like a rib or a wrist bone.
One of my students fired a Mauser rifle (a rifle with similar characteristics to the Manlicher-Carcano) at 100 yards into dirt. He gave me the bullet after he dug it out of the dirt.
Following is my photograph of a Mauser bullet & casing along side a "pristine" bullet & the one the student dug out of the dirt.
The bullet (at the far right) hit nothing but dirt.
Photo by John White
A bullet having passed through two men having struck bone in the process would not be found in "pristine" condition .
CE399 did not cause all the non-fatal wounds to President Kennedy & Governor Connally.*
*JFK ASSASSINATION OPINION
I believe while CE399 was probably fired from the Manlicher Carcano, it is unlikely, considering its near pristine condition, that it hit anything solid.
The bullet CE399 did not remain entirely pristine. It was slightly deformed near the base and had left some grains of the lead filling in Governor Connally's wrist. However,
ReplyDeleteconsidering all the damage it had done to his rib and wrist the bullet should have been much more damaged than it was.
Great point, I am in complete agreement with you.
DeleteThe mention of a Mauser bullet reminded me that the rifle found in the TSBD was first identified as a Mauser. When the finder of the weapon was asked why he thought it was a Mauser he replied that it was identified as such on the rifle.
ReplyDeleteAnother good point, although I do credit the possibility that an honest mistake could have been made since the weapons are both bolt action & have heard that the term "Mauser" is sometimes used in regard to any bolt-action rifle.
DeleteThe bullets were military ammo with the full metal patch. Not soft points as would be used for hunting. Easy to prove that one would not fragment. Except under certain circumstances.
ReplyDeleteVery valid point. Vince Palamara's recent "Honest Answers" addresses the issue of CE399. The bullet now in the Archives may not even be the actual bullet found on the stretcher at Parkland. He shows documentary evidence of a conflict in the chain of custody for this bullet. I appreciate your comment.
ReplyDeleteThe source of the chain of evidence conflict is actually Oliver Stone's recent Showtime documentary "JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass" (2021). I was reading Honest Answers about the time the documentary aired, so got my sources mixed up. sorry.
DeleteHI > Read my first post before this Post The circumstances for fragmenting would be caused by either the bullet keyholing This can be caused by worn rifling in the barrel (like a $16.00 military rifle) Or the bullet striking a object like a branch in a tree or a twig. Which could or would start the bullet tumbling. The Carcano 6.5 military bullet is 2 inches or so long. Hitting something with a flat (side) of the bullet. Most likely fragmenting it. Say into 5 pieces.
ReplyDeleteIt may have been as loud as the shot. Bullets from a high-powered rifle make a very loud noise just striking paper targets. If I had the time and resources, I could prove this.
JFK was not shot by a SS agent. As some books alleged by accident or on purpose.
jlpermelia
Thanks for the comment. On your 1st point, if there was worn rifling in the barrel of the Carcano, wouldn't all bullets have fragmented? 2nd point...if a bullet fragmented as a result of hitting a tree limb, how would it be possible to come up with CE399? I know of only one book that alleged JFK was shot by a SS agent. That theory is widely discredited although the book itself has some valuable information.
ReplyDeleteOn 2nd thought, maybe you are saying only one bullet fragmented while CE399 did not? The question then is if one of the three bullets fragmented before reaching the car, what accounts for the fragmentation of the bullet striking JFK in the head?
Deletestriking a limb or a twig. Bullets seldom go straight after they contact something. I have hand loaded bullets at a very high velocity They disintegrate in the air if it was humid enough. IN other words the bullet may have passed through tree foliage on the way to the target. The fragmented bullet parts sure look like a Carcano round to me in 5 pieces originally. I think the bullet fragmented the moment of impact. what it hit then it stared it tumbling,
DeleteIf the bullet hit flat or backwards it would have acted. as a softpoint. If you have heard a bullet impact meat it makes almost as much noise as the gun shot itself. So looking up at the grassy knoll it would act as a amphitheater and magnified that sound and was not a 4th shot. Donahue owed a gun shop in Baltimore I live in Baltimore and stop by the shop on occasion
Very interesting argument...do not discount this as a possibility. I would argue that there are other indications of a 4th shot from the knoll besides the sound. Just one, some witnesses saw smoke coming from out under the trees atop the knoll after the last shot.
ReplyDeleteSmokeless powder. Need i say more. There was no fourth shot. He would have never survived the first shot.
DeleteAnyone else care to give an opinion on this issue? The first shot was not the head shot...all wounds to JFK other than that one would have been survivable.
ReplyDeletei know the first shot was thru the neck. It probably would have been fatal. I do have a strong opinion about this. It fits all of the physical evidence. I think I realized about 20 years ago. I did previously believe that it was a more powerful gun and a expanding bullet. But if hit from the right side the left side of the brain would have been damaged the velocity of the bullet would not have stopped, Fragments should have been on the left inside of the skull.
ReplyDeleteIf you mean the shot in the upper back 5 1/2 inches down from the collar line, that could NOT have been fatal. There was no exit for the wound...autopsy surgeons could only probe 1" deep. Location of that wound verified by eyewitnesses and by bullet holes in JFK's coat & shirt. Also listed in the autopsy protocol. As to the head shot, for years I thought it entered the right temple & exited the right rear, but now am leaning toward entering just below the hairline in forehead & exiting right rear. Either one of those scenarios would explain why most of the damage was in the right rear of the head.
DeleteYou may be referring to the wound in the front of the neck described by Parkland Doctors as one of entry. I am unaware of that wound having been described as potentially fatal, but then I also have no clue where that bullet went...since there is no exit for it.
DeleteI was in 8th grade when JFK was killed. I saw Oswald shot on live TV. One argument I would raise is. If there was another entity involved], why did they not purchase a Modern rifle? At the time a Winchester would have been about $80.00 The scope on the Carcano was a scope for a 22cal rimfire. Unreliable on a high powered rifle. I had one of the Carcano 6.5 I saw where someone said that a rifleman must practice consistently to keep accurate. I have not fired my hunting rifle in over 20 years. I would bet everything I have that I could hit a football at 200 yards at the present time. Sorry I do go on too much sometime and I apologize. Thanks Jim
ReplyDeleteNo, you don't go on too much, Jim. This is a pivotal event in our lives & we both have great interest in it. You are a few years younger, I was in the 11th grade on Nov 22 1963. As to a more modern weapon, that is a very valid point, but if Oswald was "just a patsy" & set up then that would be an explanation. Thanks again for your comments.
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