Warren Commission (04 of 26): Hearings Vol. IV (of 15)United States. Warren Commission
History
Warren Commission (04 of 26): Hearings Vol. IV (of 15)
United States. Warren Commission
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Assassination; Oswald, Lee Harvey
Dr. GREGORY. I think you will have an opportunity to see the real thing
a little later if the Governor makes his appearance here.
But the wound of entry I considered to be, although on his right hand,
of course, to be approximately at this point on the wrist, and the
wound of exit here, which is about the right level for my coat sleeve
held at a casual position.
Mr. SPECTER. Let the record show you made two red marks on your wrist,
which are in the same position as that which you have described
heretofore in technical language.
Dr. GREGORY. Yes.
Mr. SPECTER. Had you finished the complete explanation on the indicator
from the air levels which you had mentioned before?
Dr. GREGORY. Yes. The air is a little bit more visible to the dorsal
surface, closer to the skin here, not so close down at the lower
portion, not so much tissue destruction had occurred at the point of
the emergence.
Mr. SPECTER. Before proceeding to the other factors indicating point
of entry and point of exit, Dr. Gregory, I call your attention to
Commission Exhibit No. 399, which is a bullet and ask you first if you
have had an opportunity to examine that earlier today?
Dr. GREGORY. I have.
Mr. SPECTER. What opinion, if any, do you have as to whether that
bullet could have produced the wound on the Governor's right wrist and
remained as intact as it is at the present time?
Dr. GREGORY. In examining this bullet, I find a small flake has been
either knocked off or removed from the rounded end of the missile.
(At this point Representative Boggs entered the room.)
I was told that this was removed for the purpose of analysis. The only
other deformity which I find is at the base of the missile at the
point where it joined the cartridge carrying the powder, I presume,
and this is somewhat flattened and deflected, distorted. There is some
irregularity of the darker metal within which I presume to represent
lead.
The only way that this missile could have produced this wound in
my view, was to have entered the wrist backward. Now, this is not
inconsistent with one of the characteristics known for missiles which
is to tumble. All missiles in flight have two motions normally, a
linear motion from the muzzle of the gun to the target, a second motion
which is a spinning motion having to do with maintaining the integrity
of the initial linear direction, but if they strike an object they
may be caused to turn in their path and tumble end over, and if they
do, they tend to produce a greater amount of destruction within the
strike time or the target, and they could possibly, if tumbling in air
upon emergence, tumble into another target backward. That is the only
possible explanation I could offer to correlate this missile with this
particular wound.
Mr. SPECTER. Is there sufficient metallic substance missing from the
back or rear end of that bullet to account for the metallic substance
which you have described in the Governor's wrist?
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