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
Mr. SPECTER. And as to Diagram No. 5, what does that represent?
Dr. SHIRES. This, at the time of the discussion of Governor Connally's
injuries with his wife, before he really regained consciousness from
surgery, was the apparent position that he was in in the car, which
would explain one missile producing all three wounds.
Mr. SPECTER. Did you have a discussion with Mrs. Connally?
Dr. SHIRES. Yes; with Mrs. Connally.
Mr. SPECTER. And when was that discussion?
Dr. SHIRES. Right after the surgery--this was the 22d, late in the
afternoon.
Mr. SPECTER. And what, if anything, did she tell you as to the
Governor's position?
Dr. SHIRES. She had thought, and I think correctly so, that he had
turned to his right after he heard the first shot, apparently, to see
what had happened to the President, and he then later confirmed this,
that he heard the first shot, turned to his right, and then was hit.
I forgot about that a moment ago, incidentally. He definitely remembers
turning after hearing the first shot, before he was struck with a
bullet. I forgot about that.
Mr. SPECTER. When did Governor Connally tell you that?
Dr. SHIRES. Oh, several days later.
Mr. SPECTER. While he was in the hospital?
Dr. SHIRES. Oh, yes--4 or 5 days later and we were constructing the
events.
Mr. SPECTER. What was the occasion for your conversation with him?
Dr. SHIRES. In part of his routine care one morning, as he was
reconstructing his memory of events, because his memory was quite hazy,
since he had a sucking wound of the chest and came in here relatively
in anoxia, he had some cyanosis, as you know.
Mr. SPECTER. What is cyanosis?
Dr. SHIRES. Not enough oxygen of the tissues and this means they turn
blue.
Mr. SPECTER. Would that affect his memory?
Dr. SHIRES. Yes; sure would and did, and he remembers very little after
he fell over in the car--he is very hazy, until, oh, probably the
second day post-operatively.
Mr. SPECTER. Would that affect his memory as to what happened before
the wound?
Dr. SHIRES. No.
Mr. SPECTER. Or, would that affect only his memory while he was
suffering from lack of oxygen?
Dr. SHIRES. Probably just while he was suffering from lack of oxygen.
He didn't have that much hypoxia. Hypoxia or anoxia or lack of oxygen
could affect his memory. Had this been severe, this could have affected
his memory for preceding events, but his hypoxia fortunately did not
last that long, and he never showed real evidence of brain damage from
the anoxia, so that I think his memory for events up until the time he
recalls falling over in the car is probably accurate.
Mr. SPECTER. Would you relate just as exactly as you can for us what he
said to you, and the nature of the conversation, with your replies, and
how it went as closely as you can recount it now?
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