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
Now, every shot didn't strike exactly where we wanted, but they all
struck in the back of the skull in the vicinity of our aiming point,
some maybe slightly above the external occipital protuberance. In some
cases very close to our aiming spot.
This particular skull blew out the right side in a manner very similar
to the wounds of the President, and if I remember correctly, it was
very close to the point at which we aimed.
In other words, a couple centimeters to the right.
Mr. SPECTER. Do you have any record which would be more specific on the
point of entrance?
Dr. OLIVIER. Our notebook has all----
Mr. SPECTER. Will you refer to your notes, then?
Dr. OLIVIER. The notebook is in the safe in there in the briefcase.
Mr. SPECTER. Would you get the notebook and refer to it so we can be as
specific as possible on this point.
Dr. OLIVIER. I have the location of that wound.
Mr. SPECTER. Would you give us then the precise location of the wound
caused by bullet identified as 857?
Dr. OLIVIER. The entrance wound is 2.9 centimeters to the right and
almost horizontal to the occipital protuberance. This is almost exactly
where we were aiming. We were aiming 2 centimeters to the right.
Mr. SPECTER. I now hand you a photograph marked as Commission Exhibit
861, move its admission into evidence, and ask you to state what that
depicts.
Dr. OLIVIER. This is the skull in question, the same one from which the
fragments marked Exhibit 857 were recovered.
Mr. SPECTER. And what does that show as to damage done to the skull?
Dr. OLIVIER. It blew the whole side of the cranial cavity away.
Mr. SPECTER. How does that compare, then, with the damage inflicted on
President Kennedy?
Dr. OLIVIER. Very similar. I think they stated the length of the
defect, the missing skull was 13 centimeters if I remember correctly.
This in this case it is greater, but you don't have the limiting scalp
holding the pieces in so you would expect it to fly a little more but
it is essentially a similar type wound.
Mr. SPECTER. Does the human scalp work to hold in the human skull in
such circumstances to a greater extent than the simulated matters used?
Dr. OLIVIER. Yes; we take this into account.
Mr. SPECTER. I hand you Commission Exhibit 862, move its admission into
evidence, and ask you what that depicts?
Dr. OLIVIER. This is the same skull. This is just looking at it
from the front. You are looking at the exit. You can't see it here
because the bone has been blown away, but the bullet exited somewhere
around--we reconstructed the skull. In other words, it exited very
close to the superorbital ridge, possibly below it.
Mr. SPECTER. Did you formulate any other conclusions or opinions based
on the tests on firing at the skull?
Dr. OLIVIER. Well, let's see. We found that this bullet could do
exactly--could make the type of wound that the President received.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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