Parkland Doctor's Testimony Destroys The Magic Bullet Theory

[Joe Bauer]

Dr. Robert Shaw was the lead surgeon treating wounded Texas Governor John Connally the afternoon of 11,22,1963.

The following is from Dr. Shaw's Warren Commission testimony regards Exhibit 399 which is the so-called "Magic Bullet."

 

Mr. SPECTER - Now, without respect to whether or not the bullet identified as Commission Exhibit 399 is or is not the one which inflicted the wound on the Governor, is it possible that a missile similar to the one which I have just described in the hypothetical question could have inflicted all of the Governor's wounds in accordance with the theory which you have outlined on Commission Exhibit No. 689?
Dr. SHAW - Assuming that it also had passed through the President's neck you mean?
Mr. SPECTER - No; I had not added that factor in. I will in the next question.
Dr. SHAW - All right. As far as the wounds of the chest are concerned, I feel that this bullet could have inflicted those wounds. But the examination of the wrist both by X-ray and at the time of surgery showed some fragments of metal that make it difficult to believe that the same missile could have caused these two wounds. There seems to be more than three grains of metal missing as far as the I mean in the wrist.
Mr. SPECTER - Your answer there, though, depends upon the assumption that the bullet which we have identified as Exhibit 399 is the bullet which did the damage to the Governor. Aside from whether or not that is the bullet which inflicted the Governor's wounds.
Dr. SHAW - I see.
Mr. SPECTER - Could a bullet traveling in the path which I have described in the prior hypothetical question, have inflicted nil of the wounds on the Governor?
Dr. SHAW - Yes.
Mr. SPECTER - And so far as the velocity and the dimension of the bullet are concerned, is it possible that the same bullet could have gone through the President in the way that I have described and proceed through the Governor causing all of his wounds without regard to whether or not it was bullet 399?
Dr. SHAW - Yes.
Mr. SPECTER - When you started to comment about it not being possible, was that in reference to the existing mass and shape of bullet 399?
Dr. SHAW - I thought you were referring directly to the bullet shown as Exhibit 399.
Mr. SPECTER - What is your opinion as to whether bullet 399 could have inflicted all of the wounds on the Governor, then, without respect at this point to the wound of the President's neck?

>>>>>>  Dr. SHAW - I feel that there would be some difficulty in explaining all of the wounds as being inflicted by bullet Exhibit 399 without causing more in the way of loss of substance to the bullet or deformation of the bullet.." <<<<<<

 

[Michael Crane]

Mike Crane destroys The Magic Bullet Theory....

By eye test.

[Joe Bauer]

By eye test?

It sounds to me that Dr. Shaw saw more bullet fragments left in Connally's wrist than that stated lost from the 399 bullet.

 

[Ken Davies]

 Joe, that is what Dr. Shaw was trying to make clear, despite Specter's attempt to muddle things up with his convoluted "hypothetical" train of thought.

 

[Joe Bauer]

8 minutes ago, Ken Davies said:

 Joe, that is what Dr. Shaw was trying to make clear, despite Specter's attempt to muddle things up with his convoluted "hypothetical" train of thought.

 

Exactly.

[Gerry Down]

Shaw was not a trained forensic pathologist. He was arguably giving evidence here on something he was not qualified to give evidence on. 

[Joe Bauer]

Shaw had many years of experience in the trauma surgical area and one assumes many due to gun shots.

He surely had experience reading X-rays and working side by side with radiologists, which is standard procedure.

You can't dismiss Shaw's testimony that easily.

And why don't we have an actual radiologist examine those X-rays of Connally's wrist. One with gun shot experience.

And then show them 399 and ask them if they see more fragments in the wrist versus that missing from 399.

[Gerry Down]

Shaw did not examine both JFKs and Connallys bodies to make a determination if the same bullet had passed through both bodies. 

[Gerry Down]

Shaw had not even seen the autopsy photos when he made the above determination. 

[Joe Bauer]

12 hours ago, Gerry Down said:

Shaw had not even seen the autopsy photos when he made the above determination. 

How would Shaw seeing "JFK's" autopsy photos change his opinion that 399 did not show enough fragment loss versus the amount he saw in the X-rays of Connolly's wrist?

[Michael Crane]

On 6/12/2023 at 4:29 PM, Joe Bauer said:

By eye test?

It sounds to me that Dr. Shaw saw more bullet fragments left in Connally's wrist than that stated lost from the 399 bullet.

 

Yes,eye test ( up & down & left to right )

Now,who was the clown that was questioning me about more fragments in Connally's wrist?

I will accept his apology now.

 

Edited June 14, 2023 by Michael Crane

[Lawrence Schnapf]

@Gerry Down  As an experienced surgeon and a surgeon at Parkland that had an enormous amount of gunshot wounds, he was certainly qualified to speak on bullet wounds and what their appearance meant. He did not think the wound was typical of a tumbling bullet. it does not matter why a bullet might be tumbling (passing through another body, deflecting off an object, etc). His testimony is persuaive that the back wound was not likely created by a tumbling bullet.   

[Gerry Down]

2 hours ago, Lawrence Schnapf said:

@Gerry Down  As an experienced surgeon and a surgeon at Parkland that had an enormous amount of gunshot wounds, he was certainly qualified to speak on bullet wounds and what their appearance meant. He did not think the wound was typical of a tumbling bullet. it does not matter why a bullet might be tumbling (passing through another body, deflecting off an object, etc). His testimony is persuaive that the back wound was not likely created by a tumbling bullet.   

Even if Shaw were correct, which there is some debate about, the bullet would not have to be tumbling at the point it entered Connallys back for the SBT to work.

[Michael Griffith]

It's interesting that initially even Humes said the SBT was impossible given the medical evidence. And Nurse Bell was adamant that more fragments were recovered from Connally's wrist than could have come from CE 399.

The Zapruder film, even in its extant condition, makes it clear that Connally's wrist was wounded many frames after Connally was shot through the chest. 

[James DiEugenio]

Did everyone miss my review of Epstein's book, Assume Nothing?

Specter confessed to Epstein.  But apparently Epstein did not want to reveal it until after Specter was dead. It does not get any worse than this.

But then, Epstein reveals a couple of quotes which I never recalled from Specter. First, he asks Specter: When the Secret Service did a reconstruction on December 7, 1963, why did they not arrive at the magic bullet concept? Specter replies like this:

They had no idea at the time that unless one bullet had hit Kennedy and Connally, there had to be a second assassin. (p. 69)

In other words, Specter just confessed that the SBT was a matter of necessity not evidence. But then, Specter tops that one. Epstein asks him how he convinced the Commission about this concept. This is Specter’s reply:

I showed them the Zapruder film, frame by frame, and explained that they could either accept the single bullet theory or begin looking for a second assassin. (p. 70)

I don’t recall either of these being in Inquest. To me they are more or less confessions to the very worst thoughts the critics had about how the Commission decided on their conclusions. Why Epstein waited until now to reveal all this is rather puzzling.

Edited June 14, 2023 by James DiEugenio