When Governor John Connally was wounded

[James R Gordon]

Although I was always intending to asses when John Connally received his wounds ( as part of my “Single Bullet Theory” project ) at a later date, the thread on the JFK Assassination forum and book by Bill Cheswick prompted me to look at it earlier than I had intended.

What I consider important is not just stating when the strike took place but also indicating why the most accepted viewpoint is not the moment when John Connally was actually wounded.

The link below is to “Part 2b: The Visual narrative.” Shortly I will post “Part 2c: The Mathematical explanation.” It is all very well to state that here is when “such and such” happened. For an analysis to be taken most seriously, and especially one like this that is seriously questioning the establish viewpoint, there needs to an academic process that demonstrates that what is being proposed has academic substance. And that is what “Part 2c: The Mathematical explanation”, is all about. It should be posted reasonably soon.

The remaining 3 parts, as well as Part 2a, will not be posted until April 2013.

We are under a year before the 50th anniversary. It seems appropriate that it be established that John Connally was not wounded before Z 312. After all for nearly 50 years this distortion of truth has been fostered, and it is one many of us believe. I count myself as one of those misguided individuals who accepted that John Connally was wounded between Z 230 and Z 246.

It is time the truth be told.

The document, whose link is below, is 12 pages long and about 2MB in size. Although the link is due to expire in December, I will probably be removing the expiration date and leaving it as a perpetual link.

https://www.transfer...3xfBVPFsINa81A2

James.

[Mike Rago]

We are under a year before the 50th anniversary. It seems appropriate that it be established that John Connally was not wounded before Z 312. After all for nearly 50 years this distortion of truth has been fostered, and it is one many of us believe. I count myself as one of those misguided individuals who accepted that John Connally was wounded between Z 230 and Z 246.

https://www.transfer...3xfBVPFsINa81A2

James.

First let me say this, I am one of the few who read your article. I wanted you to know that it was not ignored. However, Tom Scully has chosen to harass and censor me in this thread and I will not be adding any more comments.

When I first read the Z-312 reference in your post I thought it was a typo. After reading your pdf file I realize that was not a typo. It is your belief that Connally sustained his wounds after Z-312.

I think you are trying to say that Connally was not wounded in the Z230 - Z240 time frame and that this picture showing distress on Connally's face is caused by him trying to turn in his jump seat and not having been hit by a bullet?

Is that your argument?

The problem you haved James(for me anyway) is... that most people will interpret the grimace on Connally's face as a reaction to being struck by a bullet and not a reaction to turning in his jump seat.

Edited November 28, 2012 by Mike Rago

[James R Gordon]

Mike,

I am perfectly serious about Connally being wounded post Z312.

I explained, in some depth, why movement in those jump seats were very difficult. I went through the entire Z sequence from z246 making it clear what happened and why it is clear that John Connally could not have been injured during this sequence. It is clear that you remain unimpressed.

If John Connally was indeed injured at the Z130 - 146 window how is it that with the damage he sustained to his right chest area he is able to twist to his right from 146 onwards. Note I said twist. The small room that these jump seats provided does not allow a man over 6 feet tall to turn. So in order to turn round to see JFK he has to twist his body. He is doing that on his RHS where he is severly wounded. There are only 7 frames that show Connally moving his mouth, that means he made this turn without showing pain.

Then what about the sequence, just before the head shot where Nellie is pulling him towards her in order to protect him. To do that she has hold of his sides, including his right side where he is severly wounded. How is that possible.

And finally there is that 20 frame sequence when Connally moves from a sitting position to lying on the floor of the car in just under a second. The only othere person who is seen to move at that speed is JFK and we know the reason for his speed is because he is reacting to shot to his head. At present I am applying the principles that Josiah Thompson used in his book six seconds in Dallas. If I get speeds and velocity approaching anything like those of JFK, what explanation will you have for that. After all, according to you Connally has already been injured and therefore it cannot be a bullet.

In just over a second Connally moves right across the car. No one else makes a similar movement aside from JFK and I can ascribe no rationale for it other than he is reacting to the impact of a shot.

James

[Mark Wengler]

I pick Z frame 233-234 when Connally was hit just by his reacting you see his sholder drop and his cheecks puff out and his hair is messed up

[James R Gordon]

Mark,

That is the classic view.

The cheeks being puffed up suggest the right lung has collapsed, which indeed it had.

The dropping of the shoulder suggests the consequence of the bullet striking the body.

All of that makes sense.

But here is what does not make sense. On the assumption that the bullet did strike at Z 233/4 then the following had happened.

a) 10 cm of his 5th rib had been blasted away

b. A significant number of extremely sharp bone fragments were all round this area of his body

c) His right lung had collapsed.

After the Z 339 sequence basically Connally losses consciousness and it is only when he gets to Parkland that he regains consciousness. When he does so he complains bitterly about his his pain and breathing.

Now until Z339 Connally is fully conscious and, according to you, has now suffered the above three conditions.

Yet Connally turn on his right side ( the very side that has been struck ) and twists until he is virtually looking at JFK + Jackie.

When he is conscious at Parkland he is very aware of his damaged rib and the pain it gives him.

Yet during this sequence when. according to you he has already been struck by a bullet, there is no expression of discomfort let alone the pain he later feels. In addition he will also have considerable difficulty breathing because his right lung has collapsed. During the 17 frame sequence when he is looking at Jackie there is no indication that one of his lungs has collapsed, let alone that he has lost 10cm of his fifth rib.

My point is this:-

If you are right why do we not see indications on his face that he has suffered such damage. Robert Shaw was explicit that anyone receiving such wounds would be immediately aware of them. So why is he not aware?

Second, assuming you are right what causes his collapse at Z 317 - 339. the speed of that is remarkable. I am working on getting a value for that movement. It looks around as fast as JFK's movement to the left and he was reacting to a bullet. I can hear you reply, well maybe he is now collapsing because of the wounds he received earlier. There is a logic there, but there is also a problem. Jfk's movement is responnding to the impact of a bullet striking and the transfer of that momentum. If we are saying that Connally is now reacting to his wounds and is collapsing under the pressure of them there is a significant difference. In JFK's situation there has been a transfer of momentum. In Connally's example there is no such transfer and the person collapsing has a collapsed lung and serious injury to their right. Yet Connaly moves to his left at a speed not dissimilar to that of JFK.

As I said I am working at the moment on defining just how fast this movement is by Connally. JFK's backward movement is assessed by William Hoffman for Josiah Thompson at -75.6 ft/sec² If Connally's movement comes anywhere near that I suspect that will be proof conclusive that his movement was not under his own steam. Something else caused it and that can only be the impact of a bullet.

James.

Edited November 28, 2012 by James R Gordon

[David Andrews]

James - I only had a few minutes to review the film and write this, but what do you think is happening to Connally beginning at about Z-296-313, the reaction that overtakes him then?

Is there a view that encompasses two bullets hitting Connally? Perhaps the first in the back, the second in the wrist and thigh?

Edited November 28, 2012 by David Andrews

[James R Gordon]

James - I only had a few minutes to review the film and write this, but what do you think is happening to Connally beginning at about Z-296-313, the reaction that overtakes him then?

Is there a view that encompasses two bullets hitting Connally? Perhaps the first in the back, the second in the wrist and thigh?

David,

The section you have highlighted is during the period when Connally is turning to face forward. Halfway through Nellie grabs him and tries to drag him our of danger and towards her. As I have pointed out a number of times, although we cannot see her hands, it appears she is holding onto his waist and dragging him towards her. The point I make is that if that is right then she is holding onto the injured area. If you have 10cm of rib smashed and someone grabs that very same are you would react. I do not see the kind of reaction that suggests Connally has such a wound and is reacting to someone grabbing that area.

As for the number of bullets, Connally has to have been shot by 2 bullets: the chest wound and the wrist wound. This is not because I say so, it is because of the unique nature of his wrist wound. After Charles Gregory completed his medical work and wrote out his medical report, he also drew a drawing illustrating this wound in the margin of his report. Although he had adequately described where the wound was, the drawing emphasises it. The entry wound was on the left hand side of the back of the wrist. It was about 2 inches up from the thumb. The exit was roughly in the middle of the palm side of the wrist. The trajectory angle to meet both these entry exit points is quite sharp. Therefore the lefthand edge of the wrist needs to be in a particular position for these wounds to be made. There are very few points in the Zapruder film where the wrist is positioned to allow such a wound.

The traditional view of this wound is that it is a through wound, usually described with entry on palm side and exit on the back side. That is just nonsense. Charles Gregory completed his report and drew that drawing around 4:00 and well before the the plane carrying JFK had even landed in Washington.

Because I do not see appropriate reaction from Connally before Z 312, that makes clear he is reacting to the wound that we know he received, that is why I have said Connally had to be wounded post Z312. AS I have pointed out, this is confirmed for me by the extraordinary movement Connally makes when he moves from a sitting position to one lying beneath Nellie and doing to in just over a second. It is guess work at the moment, but I suspect that is very close to the speed that JFK is moving and he is doing so because he is reacting to a wound.

James.

[Mike Rago]

And what is the "appropriate" reaction you see after frame 312?

When a high speed bullet passes through you, (even if hitting a rib) it does not move you forward. (Its like pulling a napkin very quickly from under a glass , the glass does not move)Also, the limo was slowing down and all the passengers(except JFK) are reacting to that.

Edited November 28, 2012 by Mike Rago

[Mark Wengler]

Connally is hit around 233-234 and receives his 7 wounds. I see no other explanation why his cheeks puff out and see his shoulder drops down.

Connally said he hear a shot and was in the middle of turning to see where it could had come from then he said that he was hit.

This is what we see on the Z film around these frames.

[James R Gordon]

And what is the "appropriate" reaction you see after frame 312?

Mike,

There is no appropriate reaction post 312. That is because he is given no opportunity to show the pain he must have felt.

The reason for that is that he is struck by Z 317 and he is lying face down on the floor of the car by Z 337. In those 20 frames he has moved from sitting upright to lying flat on the floor. In real time that is just over 1 second.

As I have said, a number of times before, that is likely as fast as JFK is moving and he is doing so because he is reacting to the impact of a bullet.

So what is the appropriate reaction, it is the astonishing speed which Connally moves between 317 and 337.

I may be wrong, but I believe it was you who pointed out that the speed that Connally moves is because Nellie is pulling him. I checked the frames, in case I had missed something. Nellie is not even looking at John during this sequence, let alone dragging him down. What I did notice was that because of the speed by which he makes this move he actually bumps into Nellie. It is around the Z 325 area. If you look at the film you will see what I mean. You will see her bending down on her RHS as he completes this move. It is roughly the 325 - 337 area.

I have said this numerous times since I created this thread, but this movement by John Connally is so extraordinary that I have no explanation for it other that he had to be reacting to a shot.

James.

[Mark Wengler]

And what is the "appropriate" reaction you see after frame 312?

When a high speed bullet passes through you, (even if hitting a rib) it does not move you forward. (Its like pulling a napkin very quickly from under a glass , the glass does not move)Also, the limo was slowing down and all the passengers(except JFK) are reacting to that.

The 6.5 Cancano is not a high speed round it is more of a medium speed round

[Mike Rago]

I may be wrong, but I believe it was you who pointed out that the speed that Connally moves is because Nellie is pulling him. I checked the frames, in case I had missed something

James.

That statement may be true but I was not the one who said it.

[Mike Rago]

And what is the "appropriate" reaction you see after frame 312?

When a high speed bullet passes through you, (even if hitting a rib) it does not move you forward. (Its like pulling a napkin very quickly from under a glass , the glass does not move)Also, the limo was slowing down and all the passengers(except JFK) are reacting to that.

The 6.5 Cancano is not a high speed round it is more of a medium speed round

When I said high speed I meant it fired a round at supersonic velocity.

What is the speed for a high speed bullet?

[James R Gordon]

Connally is hit around 233-234 and receives his 7 wounds. I see no other explanation why his cheeks puff out and see his shoulder drops down.

Mark,

It is 5 wounds not 7.

Well if you are convinced that he received his wounds there I doubt I'll be able to change your mind.

But if he received these wounds there can you demonstrate how he achieved his wrist wound. I described that in a reply to David. I will be interested to see your explanation, because his wrist entry wound is blocked for a bullet.

James.

[James R Gordon]

The problem you have James, for me anyway, is that I think that most people will interpret the grimace on Connally's face as his reaction to being hit by a bullet and not a reaction to turning in his jump seat. That is a very high hurdle that your theory has to jump and I do not think it can jump it.

Mike,

I thought I had addressed that. I pointed out how small the area he had to turn in. I pointed out his height and how he would have to position his legs. I made clear that there was no elegant way to turn: he simply had to twist his body. I suggested that what you were seeing was a response to that.

Let us suppose you are right and I am wrong. If this is the point that he actually did receive his wound then:

First his wrist is not not positioned to be struck in the way it was actually damaged. I explained how it was damaged and I have a copy of Charles Gregory's drawing that supports what I said.

Second He has had 10cm of his 5th rib smashed.

Third Around the wound area were many very sharp pieces of bone that were sticking into areas of his body

Fourth His lung has collapsed

Fifth his trachea has deviated to the left. It always does so when a lung is damaged. It deviates to the healthy lung.

Now at Z 246 John Connally has just begun his turn. he has to continue to twist that body, while being hardly able to breath

Then he he pauses for around a second Still with the wound and still having difficulty breathing and still in pain. We know that had to be the case because when he did arrive at Parkland the two complaints he made were about the pain and being unable to breath.

Then he had to twist his body back to facing front

Then Nellie tries to protect him by pulling him towards her. It appears that she held onto his waist. That means she held onto the very area that had been damaged.

And you think I have a hurdle. I would much rather have my hurdle than yours.

james.

Edited November 28, 2012 by James R Gordon