The Kennedy-Connally Single Bullet Theory

The so-called "pristine" bullet (Warren Commission Exhibit 399), which critics have been claiming could not have penetrated both President Kennedy's neck and Governor Connally's thorax and wrist and still remain undeformed, was found by these investigators to be, in fact, deformed (flattened) in a manner which required great force to duplicate on test bullets from the same lots. The four fragments which the Warren Commission contends bullet 399 144p Governor Connally, while losing 2.2 grains of its weight, are by no means excessive, since these experimenters were able to slice 414Eaginents from the 2.1 grain cylinder of lead extruded from their test bullet under parallel conditions. It is the opinion of these investigators that it is highly probable that bullet 399 was slowed down by traversing President Kennedy's neck before it penetrated Governor Connally. Otherwise, had it hit Governor Connally directly, we believe it would have shattered his femur in addition to his rib and wrist bones. Furthermore, it would have left only a punctate wound of entry on the Governor's body rather than the elongated wound it did leave. The type of Western Cartridge Company ammunition used by Oswald was found to be highly reliable by these investigators, confirming the finding of other experimenters. 531 Latimer and Latimer: Kennedy-Connally Single Bullet Theory Insofar as the above factors are concerned, it appeare comp etely feasible that this one bullet could have done all the things which the Warren Commission contended it did. With regard to the possibility of whether the bullet fragments in Governor Connally could have come from a bullet deformed as was bullet 399, there was no inconsistency nor incompatibility between the facts, as determined by these experiments, and the contentions of the Warren Com-mission. Bibliography1. Report of the President's Commission on theAssassination of President Kennedy. (Single Bul-let Theory.) U.S. Government Printing Office:Washington, D.C., 1964. Pp. 105-106.2. Hearings before the President's Commission onthe Assassination of President Kennedy. Govern-ment Printing Office: Washington, D.C., 1964.Vol. XVII, P. 49.3. Marcus, R.: The Bastard Bullet. Raymond Ren-dell Publications: Los Angeles, 1988.4. Interview Concerning the Kennedy Assassina-tion. Playboy Magazine. February, 1987. P. 48.5. Interview Concerning the Kennedy Assassination.Playboy Magazine. October, 1987. P. 165.6. Hearings before the President's Commission onthe Assassination of President Kennedy. Govern-ment Printing Office: Washington, D.C., 1964.Vol. III. P. 400.7. Report of the President's Commission on theAssassination of President Kennedy. U.S. Govern-ment Printing Office: Washington, D.C., 1964.Pp. 580-585.8. Frazier, R. A.: Bullet 399 Fired from Oswald'sRifle. Warren Commission Report. P. 558.9. Nicol, J. D.: Bullet 399 from Oswald's Rifle.Illinois Bureau of Criminal Identification. War-ren Commission Report. P. 558.10. Hearings before the President's Commission onthe Assassination of President Kennedy. Uniform-ity of Ammunition Tested. Vol. W. P. 400.11. Ibid. 'Weight of Unfired Bullets. Vol. III. P. 430.12. Nichols, J. M.: Personal communications, March,1968.13. Report of the President's Commission on theAssassination of President Kennedy. InfantryWeapons Evaluating Branch, U.S. Army andF.B.I. (Reliability 100 rounds of ammunitionfired by them.) P. 555.14. Hearings before the President's Commission onthe Assassination of President Kennedy. Gov-ernor Connally Unaware of Arm and LegWounds at the Time. Vol. IV. P. 135 .15. Lattimer, J. K.: Factors in the Death of Presi-dent Kennedy. J.A.M.A. 198:327-333, 1968. International Surgery, December 1988, Vol. 50 • No. 6532