Warren Commission (06 of 26): Hearings Vol. VI (of 15)United States. Warren Commission
History
Warren Commission (06 of 26): Hearings Vol. VI (of 15)
United States. Warren Commission
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Assassination; Oswald, Lee Harvey
Dr. GREGORY. It is my understanding from conversations with Dr. Shaw,
and I believe his medical reports bear this out, that the fifth rib was
literally shattered by the missile.
We know that high velocity bullets striking bone have a strong tendency
to shatter bones and the degree to which the fifth rib was shattered
was considerably in excess of the amount of shattering which occurred
in the radius--the forearm.
Mr. SPECTER. And what conclusion, if any, did you draw as to the
velocity of the missile, as to the time it struck each of those bony
portions?
Dr. GREGORY. I think that the missile was continually losing velocity
with each set of tissues which it encountered and transected, and the
amount of damage done is progressively less from first entrance in the
thorax to the last entrance in the thigh.
Mr. SPECTER. Do you think it possible that Governor Connally was shot
by two bullets, with one hitting in the posterior part of his body and
the second one striking the back side of his wrist?
Dr. GREGORY. The possibility exists, but I would discount it for these
reasons--ordinarily, a missile in flight--I'll qualify that--a high
velocity missile in flight does not tend to carry organic material into
the wound which it creates.
I believe if you will inspect the record which was prepared by Dr.
Shaw, there is no indication that any clothing or other organic
material was found in the chest wound.
An irregular missile can carry debris into a wound and such debris was
carried into the wound of the wrist.
I would have expected that an undistorted high velocity missile
striking the wrist would not have carried material into it.
Mr. SPECTER. Was there any other characteristic which led and leads you
to conclude that the wrist was not the initial point of impact of a
single high velocity bullet?
Dr. GREGORY. Yes. Based on our experience with high velocity missile
wounds of the forearm produced by rifles of the deer hunting
calibre, there is tremendous soft tissue destruction as well as bone
fragmentation which not infrequently culminates in amputation of the
part.
I do not believe that the missile wound in Governor Connally's right
forearm was produced by a missile of such magnitude at the time it
struck him. It either had to be one of lower initial energy or a
missile which had been partially expended elsewhere before it struck
his wrist.
Mr. SPECTER. Would that opinion apply if you assumed that the missile
had initial velocity when leaving the muzzle of the weapon of 200 feet
per second?
Dr. GREGORY. That's not a very high velocity missile.
Mr. SPECTER. Pardon me--2,000 feet per second.
Dr. GREGORY. I should say that a missile at 2,000 feet per second that
strikes the forearm is likely to blow it very nearly off, if it is a
missile of any mass as well.
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