Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

The President’s Neck Wounds

This section details findings related to President Kennedy’s neck wounds, including the autopsy identification of a small, clean-edged entrance wound at the base of the back of his neck, with the bullet passing through neck muscles, bruising the upper pleural cavity and top of the right lung, and tearing the trachea before exiting through the front of the neck (the site of the later tracheotomy incision). Parkland Hospital doctors could not determine if the front neck wound was an entrance or exit wound based on appearance alone, but concluded it was an exit wound after reviewing autopsy findings, bullet trajectory, and the lack of any other recovered bullet. The section also addresses early public confusion stemming from Dr. Malcolm Perry’s 1963 press conference statements, which were based on incomplete information (he was unaware of the rear neck entry wound and small rear head entry wound at the time) and addressed hypothetical scenarios rather than his final professional assessment.

CAPÍTULO III.

This is Chapter III of the Warren Commission report, covering corroboration of medical witness testimony, wound ballistics testing related to the assassination, examination of the clothing and injuries sustained by President John F. Kennedy and Governor John Connally, and analysis of the bullet trajectory that struck Governor Connally.

Dr. Perry’s Testimony Corroboration

Dr. Malcolm Perry’s recollection of his press conference comments regarding President Kennedy’s neck wound is corroborated by a November 23, 1963 New York Herald Tribune report, which quotes Perry stating it was possible the neck wound was an entrance wound and the back-of-head wound was the exit of a single missile. This account aligns with Perry’s formal Commission testimony, in which he noted the neck wound’s characteristics alone were consistent with either an entry or exit wound. Perry and fellow physician Dr. Clark emphasized at the press conference that they had no definitive way to confirm the wound’s nature at the time.

Wound Ballistics Tests

Army Wound Ballistics experts at Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland conducted tests to simulate the path of the bullet that struck President Kennedy’s neck. Using 5.5-inch thick material matching the distance the bullet traveled through the President’s body, with animal skin on both sides, researchers fired 6.5mm Western Cartridge Co. bullets from the C2766 Mannlicher-Carcano rifle at a distance of 180 feet. Entry holes on the simulated neck were regular and round, while exit holes were slightly elongated or round, matching descriptions of the President’s neck wound provided by Drs. Perry and Carrico. Autopsy findings noted the bullet did not strike bone in the President’s neck, traveled at a slight downward angle, and moved right to left laterally through his body; experts confirmed the bullet would lose very little velocity passing through soft neck tissue. Additional tests using break-type screens measured the bullet’s velocity: average entrance velocity was 1,904 feet per second, average exit velocity 1,772 to 1,798 feet per second, with the bullet traveling in a straight, stable line through the simulated neck.

Examination of President Kennedy’s Clothing

Examination of President Kennedy’s clothing from November 22, 1963 found holes and tears consistent with a missile entering the back of his clothing near his lower neck and exiting the front of his shirt behind his tie, which was nicked on the left side of the knot by the horizontally moving projectile. All defects could have been caused by a 6.5mm bullet. The President’s suit jacket had a roughly circular 1/4-inch entry hole on the upper rear, 5 3/8 inches below the collar top and 1 3/4 inches right of the center back seam, with inward-pressed fibers and copper traces in the hole margins, consistent with a 6.5mm bullet. The back of his shirt had a matching 1/4-inch circular entry hole 5 3/4 inches below the collar top and 1 1/8 inches right of the shirt’s back center, with inward-pressed fibers, confirmed as an entry hole from the same missile that struck the jacket. The front of the shirt had two aligned vertical ragged slits 7/8 inch below the collar button and corresponding buttonhole, with outward-protruding fibers indicating an exit; while the irregular shape precluded a conclusive determination that the slits were bullet holes, they could have been caused by a round bullet. The tie’s horizontal nick indicated it was torn by a horizontally moving object, but fiber analysis could not determine the missile’s direction or nature.