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
Also, that the recovered fragments were very similar to the ones
recovered on the front seat and on the floor of the car.
This, to me, indicates that those fragments did come from the bullet
that wounded the President in the head.
Mr. SPECTER. And how do the two major fragments in 857 compare, then,
with the fragments heretofore identified as 567 and 569?
Dr. OLIVIER. They are quite similar.
Mr. SPECTER. Do you have an opinion as to whether the wound on the
Governor's wrist could have been caused by a fragment of a bullet
coming off of the President's head?
Dr. OLIVIER. I don't believe so. Frankly, I don't know, but I don't
believe so, because it expended so much energy in blowing the head
apart and took a lot of energy that I doubt if they could have
fractured the radius. The radius is a very strong, hard bone and I
don't believe they could have done that much damage. I believe they
could have caused a superficial laceration on someone or a mark on the
windshield, but I don't believe they could have done that damage to the
wrist.
Mr. DULLES. And it couldn't have then gone through the wrist into the
thigh?
Dr. OLIVIER. I don't believe so.
Mr. SPECTER. Have you had an opportunity to examine a fragment
identified as Commission Exhibit 842 which is the fragment taken from
Governor Connally's wrist?
Dr. OLIVIER. Yes, I have.
Mr. SPECTER. Could that fragment have come from the bullet designated
as Commission Exhibit 399?
Dr. OLIVIER. Yes, I believe it would have, I will add further I believe
it could have because the core of the bullet extrudes through the back
and would allow part of it to break off very readily.
Mr. SPECTER. Do you have an opinion as to whether, in fact, bullet
399 did cause the wound on the Governor's wrist, assuming if you will
that it was the missile found on the Governor's stretcher at Parkland
Hospital?
Dr. OLIVIER. I believe that it was. That is my feeling.
Mr. SPECTER. To be certain that the record is complete on the skull
tests, would you again state the distance at which those tests were
performed?
Dr. OLIVIER. Yes, the skulls--it was fired at the skulls at a range of
90 yards.
Mr. SPECTER. With what gun?
Dr. OLIVIER. The 6.5 mm. Carcano which was marked Commission Exhibit
139 and using Western ammunition lot 6,000, again the 6.5 mm.
Mannlicher-Carcano.
Mr. SPECTER. Going to the results of the test on the cadavers, what was
the average exit velocity?
Dr. OLIVIER. The average exit velocity on the wrist was 1,776 feet per
second.
Mr. SPECTER. Had Governor Connally's wrist been struck with a pristine
bullet and the bullet exited at that speed, what damage would have been
inflicted had it then struck the area of the thigh which was struck on
the Governor according to the Parkland Hospital records which you have
said you have examined?
Dr. OLIVIER. It would have made a very severe wound.
Mr. SPECTER. Would it have been more severe than the one which was
inflicted?
Dr. OLIVIER. Much more so.
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