Dr. AKIN. As far as I know, it is perfectly compatible from what you have described, except when you say it passed through without injuring the strap muscles, are you talking about the anterior strap muscles of the neck or are you talking about the posterior muscles of the neck? Mr. SPECTER. The anterior strap muscles of the neck. Dr. AKIN. It's a matter of clarification because there are no strap muscles posterior, by my terminology. Yes, this is perfectly consistent with what I know about, or what I have been told by military experts, concerning high velocity missile injuries. Mr. SPECTER. And what is the basis of your information from the military experts you just referred to? Dr. AKIN. Military rifle demonstrations when I was a senior student at Brooks Air Force Base in San Antonio. We took a brief two day tour there with demonstrations of high velocity missile injury. Mr. SPECTER. With respect to the head wound, Dr. Akin, did you observe below the gaping wound which you have described any other bullet wound in the back of the head? Dr. AKIN. No; I didn't. I could not see the back of the President's head as such, and the right posterior neck was obscured by blood and skull fragments and I didn't make any attempt to examine the neck. Mr. SPECTER. Did you have any opportunity to observe the President's clothes? Dr. AKIN. I noticed them. Mr. SPECTER. With respect to examining the shirt, for example, to see what light that would shed, if any, on the trajectory of the bullet? Dr. AKIN. No; I didn't. The front of the chest was uncovered, the pants had been loosened and lowered below the iliac crest, and the only article of clothing I noticed in particular was his back corset. Mr. SPECTER. What did you observe with respect to the back corset which you just mentioned? Dr. AKIN. It had been loosened and was just lying loose. Mr. SPECTER. Can you describe the corset, indicating how wide it was? Dr. AKIN. The only portion I saw was the front portion of the corset and it was about, I'd say, 5 or 6 inches in width, and made out of some white heavy fabric with the usual straps and buckles. Mr. SPECTER. Did you notice any Ace bandage strapping the President's buttocks area? Dr. AKIN. No. Mr. SPECTER. Was that area of his anatomy visible to you? Dr. AKIN. Not his buttocks, he was lying supine. Mr. SPECTER. Was President Kennedy ever turned over, to your knowledge? Dr. AKIN. Not while I was there. Mr. SPECTER. And how long were you there altogether, Dr. Akin? Dr. AKIN. Oh, probably 15, maybe 20--perhaps 20 minutes. Mr. SPECTER. Were you present when he was pronounced to be dead? Dr. AKIN. Yes--I didn't leave until Dr. Clark and Dr. Jenkins had mutually agreed that nothing else could be done. Mr. SPECTER. What time was he pronounced dead? Dr. AKIN. 1300 hours. Mr. SPECTER. And what, in your opinion, was the cause of death? Dr. AKIN. Massive gunshot injury to the brain--primary cause.