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

Tests Simulating Governor Connally’s Wrist Wounds

Following identical procedures used in the chest wound simulation, the wound ballistics experts reproduced the Governor’s wrist wound by firing Western bullets from the assassination weapon at 210 feet into bone structures. The most similar test shot was analyzed in testimony, with X-rays (Commission Exhibits Nos. 854 and 855) showing a fracture very similar to the Governor’s wrist wound depicted in Commission Exhibits Nos. 690 and 691. The average striking velocity was 1,858 feet per second, with an average exit velocity of 1,786 fps (measured for 7 of 10 shots). These tests demonstrated that Governor Connally’s wrist was not struck by a pristine bullet, because the bone structure suffered greater damage than the Governor’s wrist, and the bone structure exhibited a smaller entry wound and larger exit wound characteristic of pristine bullets, while the Governor’s wrist showed a larger entry wound indicating a tumbling bullet with substantially reduced velocity. Additionally, if Commission Exhibit No. 399 (the bullet found on the Governor’s stretcher) had caused the wrist wound as a pristine bullet, its nose would have been considerably flattened as was Commission Exhibit No. 856.

Conclusions From Simulating the Neck, Chest, and Wrist Wounds

Both Drs. Olivier and Dziemian expressed the opinion that one bullet caused all of Governor Connally’s wounds, with the wrist wound explained by the bullet passing through the chest, losing substantial velocity, tumbling through the wrist, and slightly penetrating the Governor’s left thigh. The wound ballistics tests supported the conclusion of Governor Connally’s doctors that all his wounds were caused by a single bullet. It was also deemed most probable that the same bullet passed through the President’s neck and then inflicted all of the Governor’s wounds. The wrist wound indicated that the bullet yawed in the air between the two men and lost substantially more than 400 feet per second passing through the Governor’s chest, since a chest-exit velocity of 1,500 fps would have produced a more extensive wrist wound. A yawing bullet loses more velocity through the body than a pristine one, and the greater flattening of the animal bullet (CE 853) compared to CE 399 suggests the bullet entering the Governor’s chest had already lost velocity passing through the President’s neck. The large wound on the Governor’s back was explained by a yawing bullet, though a tangential strike could also account for it. Dr. Light testified that the anatomical findings alone were insufficient for a firm opinion, but based on the relative positions in the automobile, he concluded it was probable the same bullet traversed the President’s neck and inflicted all the Governor’s wounds.