Warren Commission (05 of 26): Hearings Vol. V (of 15)United States. Warren Commission
History
Warren Commission (05 of 26): Hearings Vol. V (of 15)
United States. Warren Commission
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Assassination; Oswald, Lee Harvey
Mr. SPECTER. Than was inflicted on the Governor's wrist?
Dr. OLIVIER. Yes.
Mr. SPECTER. So then the lesser damage on the Governor's wrist in and
of itself indicates in your opinion----
Dr. OLIVIER. That it wasn't struck by a pristine bullet; yes.
Mr. SPECTER. Are there any other conclusions which flow from the
experiments which you conducted on the wrist?
Dr. OLIVIER. We concluded that it wasn't struck by a pristine bullet.
Also drew the conclusion that it was struck by an unstable bullet, a
bullet at a much reduced velocity. The question that it brings up
in my mind is if the same bullet that struck the wrist had passed
through the Governor's chest, if the bullet that struck the Governor's
chest had not hit anything else would it have been reduced low enough
to do this, and I wonder, based on our work--it brings to mind the
possibility the same bullet that struck the President striking the
Governor would account for this more readily. I don't know, I don't
think you can ever say this, but it is a very good possibility, I think
more possible, more probable than not.
The CHAIRMAN. What is more probable than not, Doctor?
Dr. OLIVIER. In my mind at least, and I don't know the angles at which
the things went or anything, it seems to me more probable that the
bullet that hit the Governor's chest had already been slowed down
somewhat, in order to lose enough velocity to strike his wrist and do
no more damage than it did. I don't know how you would ever determine
it exactly. I think the best approach is to find out the angles of
flight, whether it is possible. But I have a feeling that it might have
been.
The CHAIRMAN. It might have been?
Dr. OLIVIER. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. The one that went through his chest went through his hand
also.
Dr. OLIVIER. Yes; and also through the President.
The CHAIRMAN. The first shot?
Dr. OLIVIER. Well, I don't know whether the first or second. The first
one could have missed. It could have been the second that hit both.
The CHAIRMAN. The one that went through his back and came out his
trachea?
Dr. OLIVIER. It could have hit the Governor in the chest and went
through because it had so little velocity after coming out of the wrist
that it barely penetrated the thigh.
The CHAIRMAN. May I ask one more question? Would you think, that the
same bullet could have done all three of those things?
Dr. OLIVIER. That same bullet was capable.
The CHAIRMAN. Gone through the President's back as it did, gone through
Governor Connally's chest as it did, and then through his hand as it
did?
Dr. OLIVIER. It was certainly capable of doing all that.
The CHAIRMAN. It was capable?
Dr. OLIVIER. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. The one shot?
Dr. OLIVIER. Yes.
Mr. SPECTER. Doctor Olivier, based on the descriptions of the wound on
the Governor's back, what in your opinion was the characteristic of the
bullet at the time it struck the Governor's back with respect to the
course of its flight?
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