Warren Commission (02 of 26): Hearings Vol. II (of 15)United States. Warren Commission
History
Warren Commission (02 of 26): Hearings Vol. II (of 15)
United States. Warren Commission
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Assassination; Oswald, Lee Harvey
Mr. SPECTER. How many doctors did you see at that time?
Mr. KELLERMAN. The room was full.
Mr. SPECTER. Who were the individuals who brought the stretchers on
wheels, if you know?
Mr. KELLERMAN. Agents who were in the followup car, police officers who
were ahead of us on motorcycles.
Mr. SPECTER. Mr. Kellerman, did you state how long the autopsy lasted
when you testified this morning?
Mr. KELLERMAN. No; I didn't. However, this is going to be an assumption
on time; I think I can pin it pretty well.
Mr. SPECTER. Give us your best estimate on that, please.
Mr. KELLERMAN. Let's come back to the period of our arrival at Andrews
Air Force Base, which was 5:58 p.m. at night. By the time it took us
to take the body from the plane into the ambulance, and a couple of
carloads of staff people who followed us, we may have spent 15 minutes
there. And in driving from Andrews to the U.S. Naval Hospital, I would
judge, a good 45 minutes. So there is 7 o'clock. We went immediately
over, without too much delay on the outside of the hospital, into the
morgue. The Navy people had their staff in readiness right then. There
wasn't anybody to call. They were all there. So at the latest, 7:30,
they began to work on the autopsy. And, as I said, we left the hospital
at 3:56 in the morning. Let's give the undertaker people 2 hours. So
they were through at 2 o'clock in the morning. I would judge offhand
that they worked on the autopsy angle 4-1/2, 5 hours.
Mr. SPECTER. And were you present when the funeral director's personnel
were preparing the body?
Mr. KELLERMAN. I was; yes, sir.
Mr. SPECTER. And about what time, then, did they complete their work?
Mr. KELLERMAN. They were all through at 3:30.
Mr. SPECTER. And what did you do immediately after they completed their
work?
Mr. KELLERMAN. All right. Our communication between the Kennedy family
and staff, who were on another floor in the hospital, was in this
regard. We had telephone communication whereby we would tell them if
the body is ready to be taken out of the morgue and into the ambulance.
And they would hit the elevator and come right out the same way. So the
5 minutes it took to load the people in, we left the hospital morgue
part at least at 3:50, and, as I say, we were off at 3:56, driving to
the White House.
Mr. SPECTER. And did you go directly to the White House?
Mr. KELLERMAN. Yes, sir; we did.
Mr. SPECTER. Did that complete your tour of duty for that day?
Mr. KELLERMAN. Yes, sir; it did.
Mr. SPECTER. Now, with respect to the time you were present at the
autopsy, was there any conversation of any sort concerning the
possibility of a point of entry from the front of the President's body?
Mr. KELLERMAN. No.
Mr. SPECTER. You have testified about the impression you had as to the
source of the first shot, which sounded to you like a firecracker. Did
you have any impression as to the source of the other shots, which you
described as being a flurry?
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