Did jfk have a collapsed right lung?

[Drew Phipps]

Some material from "Presumed Guilty" by Howard Roffman (1975)

Chapter 4:

"The nature of the bullet fragmentation within the President's head actually disassociates military bullets from the head wounds, and strongly suggests that some type of sporting ammunition struck the head.
One essential fact about the entrance wound in the head was omitted from both the autopsy report and the pathologists' testimonies. It came to light in the following passage from a report released by Attorney General Ramsey Clark in January 1969. (In February 1968, Clark secretly convened a panel of three forensic pathologists and a radiologist to study and report on the photographs and X rays taken of the President's body during the autopsy. [This photographic material has been withheld from the public for a variety of reasons.] Clark kept the report of his panel secret until January 1969, when he released it as part of the Justice Department's legal argument against New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison's attempt to have the pictures and X rays produced at the conspiracy trial of Clay Shaw.) The passage reads:

Also there is, embedded in the outer table of the skull close to the lower edge of the [entrance] hole, a large metallic fragment which . . . lies 25 mm. to the right of the midline. This fragment . . . is round and measures 6.5 mm. in diameter.[SIZE=-1][6] [/SIZE]

The "Clark Panel" is describing a 6.5 mm. piece of metal that separated from the bullet upon entering the skull and became embedded in the skull at the bottom portion of the entrance wound. This, the key to the type of ammunition causing the wound, vitiates Dr. Humes's previously cited testimony that a "jacketed bullet" probably caused this entrance wound.
The bullet from which was shaved this substantial fragment upon entrance could not have been covered with a hard metal jacket such as copper alloy. Such a fragment is, in fact, a not infrequent occurrence from a lead bullet. Rowland Long, in his book The Physician and the Law, speaks of the penetration of lead bullets into the skull and asserts: "Not infrequently a collar shaped fragment of lead is shaved off around the wound of entrance and is found embedded in the surrounding scalp tissues."[7] Criminologist LeMoyne Snyder describes a similar phenomenon in his book Homicide Investigation[8] Forensic pathologist Halpert Fillinger explained to me the principles that rule out full-jacketed ammunition and suggest a lead bullet:

You can appreciate the fact that a jacketed projectile is going to leave very little on the [bone] margins because it's basically a hardened jacket, and it's designed so that it will not scrape off when it goes through a steel barrel. One can appreciate the fact that going through bone, which is not as hard as steel, may etch or scratch it, but it's not going to peel off much metal. In contrast to this a softer projectile might very well leave little metallic residues around the margins.[SIZE=-1][9] [/SIZE]

The Commission's case against Oswald requires full-jacketed ammunition to have been used to inflict the wounds of President Kennedy. The presence of the 6.5 mm. metallic fragment in the margin of the skull entrance wound eliminates the possibility that a full-jacketed bullet entered through this hole. Such a fragment located at that site is indicative of a lead or soft-nosed bullet."

Later in Chapter 4:

" The loss of a substantial quantity of brain tissue becomes significant when we consider Dr. Humes's testimony that the X rays showed "30 or 40 tiny dustlike particle fragments" of metal in the President's head (2H353). Humes cautioned that the fragments that appeared to be "the size of dust particles" (2H359) on the X rays would actually have been smaller because "X ray pictures . . . have a tendency to magnify these minute fragments somewhat in size" (2H353). Secret Service Agent Roy Kellerman saw the X rays during the autopsy and provided a similar description: " . . . the whole head looked like a little mass of stars, there must have been 30, 40 lights where these little pieces were so minute that they couldn't be reached" (2H100).
The Clark Panel adds some details about the head fragments. It reports that the majority of these fragments were located "anteriorly and superiorly" (toward the front and top of the head), and that none were visible on the left side of the brain or below a horizontal plane through the anterior floor of the skull.[10] With such minute fragments scattered through the brain, we can infer that an indeterminable amount of metal was evacuated from the head as brain tissue oozed out subsequent to the President's head being struck. From this it follows that (a) there were originally more fragments in the head than are shown in the X rays and, (b) the pattern of distribution of these fragments as illustrated by the X rays may not precisely represent the original distribution except to indicate that the majority were situated toward the front of the head.
The only solid observation that can be made on the basis of fragmentation depicted in the head X rays is that a bullet striking the head fragmented extensively, leaving pieces of metal, for the most part "the size of dust particles," concentrated toward the frontal portion of the brain. This type of fragmentation is not consistent with the type of full-jacketed military ammunition that the Commission says was used. The construction and composition of full-jacketed bullets obviates any such massive break-up. As noted previously, when military ammunition fragments, it is usually in such a manner that the core separates from the jacket. The core may undergo further break-up, although its metallic composition does not permit the creation of numerous dustlike particles.[11] Dr. Fillinger tells me that the fragments described in the President's brain were not characteristic of a military round, and, while he makes no absolute statement, he has expressed his skepticism that they actually came from such a round. He feels that the break-up of the bullet is more consistent with a hunting round.[12] "

Later:

" Because there was great damage to the head and extensive bullet fragmentation in the brain, Dr. Fillinger was doubtful that the Mannlicher-Carcano could have produced these wounds. "To produce this kind of effect," he told me, "you have to have a very high-velocity projectile, and the Carcano will not stand very high bolt pressures."[19] The massive defect corresponds perfectly to the characteristics that Humes described in reference to bullets that "have a common characteristic of fragmenting extensively upon striking," and that would have "extensively disrupted" the skull at the point of impact (2H356). Such a bullet would most likely be that which is used for "varminting." Bullets used in varmint hunting must be fired at very high velocities ranging upward from 2,700 f.p.s., and are designed so that they will smash apart immediately on impact. They commonly leave pinhead-sized fragments scattered throughout the tissues.[20] "

[Drew Phipps]

page 62: "There is one piece of information concerning the neck and upper thorax wounds that establishes beyond any doubt that (1) the particular bullet traced to Oswald's rifle and alleged by the Commission to have penetrated the President's neck could not have produced the damage attributed to it, and (2) military ammunition of the general type attributed to Oswald could not have caused these wounds. This information came to light in the report of the Clark Panel.


Describing antero-posterior X-ray views of the lower neck region, the Panel Report declared, "Also several small metallic fragments are present in this region." 25 This observation by the Panel vitiates Dr. Humes's sworn testimony to the Commission that the X rays revealed no metallic fragments in the neck region (2H361).


Nevertheless, the knowledge that there were metallic fragments in the neck, regardless of their number, size, or distribution, is sufficient to eliminate the possibility that military ammunition of the type attributed to Oswald was responsible for the neck wounds. As previously noted, full-jacketed military bullets are constructed so that they will not fragment in soft tissue. Even if a bone in the neck region were struck (the official story is that no bone in President Kennedy's neck region was struck), it is unlikely that this military ammunition of medium velocity could have produced "several small" fragments and no large ones."

Edited for formatting and readability

[Bob Prudhomme]

Diagram of the back showing the relationship between the location of the T3 vertebra and the lungs. If the bullet entered the back 1.5-2 inches to the right of the T3 vertebra, it could not go anywhere but into the right lung. Once JFK was laid on his back on the ER table, the hole would be virtually sealed by the pressure of the flesh on his back on the table and, once assisted ventilation was begun, a tension pneumothorax was all but inevitable.

[Bob Prudhomme]

Some material from "Presumed Guilty" by Howard Roffman (1975)

Chapter 4:

"The nature of the bullet fragmentation within the President's head actually disassociates military bullets from the head wounds, and strongly suggests that some type of sporting ammunition struck the head.
One essential fact about the entrance wound in the head was omitted from both the autopsy report and the pathologists' testimonies. It came to light in the following passage from a report released by Attorney General Ramsey Clark in January 1969. (In February 1968, Clark secretly convened a panel of three forensic pathologists and a radiologist to study and report on the photographs and X rays taken of the President's body during the autopsy. [This photographic material has been withheld from the public for a variety of reasons.] Clark kept the report of his panel secret until January 1969, when he released it as part of the Justice Department's legal argument against New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison's attempt to have the pictures and X rays produced at the conspiracy trial of Clay Shaw.) The passage reads:

Also there is, embedded in the outer table of the skull close to the lower edge of the [entrance] hole, a large metallic fragment which . . . lies 25 mm. to the right of the midline. This fragment . . . is round and measures 6.5 mm. in diameter.[SIZE=-1][6] [/SIZE]

The "Clark Panel" is describing a 6.5 mm. piece of metal that separated from the bullet upon entering the skull and became embedded in the skull at the bottom portion of the entrance wound. This, the key to the type of ammunition causing the wound, vitiates Dr. Humes's previously cited testimony that a "jacketed bullet" probably caused this entrance wound.
The bullet from which was shaved this substantial fragment upon entrance could not have been covered with a hard metal jacket such as copper alloy. Such a fragment is, in fact, a not infrequent occurrence from a lead bullet. Rowland Long, in his book The Physician and the Law, speaks of the penetration of lead bullets into the skull and asserts: "Not infrequently a collar shaped fragment of lead is shaved off around the wound of entrance and is found embedded in the surrounding scalp tissues."[7] Criminologist LeMoyne Snyder describes a similar phenomenon in his book Homicide Investigation[8] Forensic pathologist Halpert Fillinger explained to me the principles that rule out full-jacketed ammunition and suggest a lead bullet:

You can appreciate the fact that a jacketed projectile is going to leave very little on the [bone] margins because it's basically a hardened jacket, and it's designed so that it will not scrape off when it goes through a steel barrel. One can appreciate the fact that going through bone, which is not as hard as steel, may etch or scratch it, but it's not going to peel off much metal. In contrast to this a softer projectile might very well leave little metallic residues around the margins.[SIZE=-1][9] [/SIZE]

The Commission's case against Oswald requires full-jacketed ammunition to have been used to inflict the wounds of President Kennedy. The presence of the 6.5 mm. metallic fragment in the margin of the skull entrance wound eliminates the possibility that a full-jacketed bullet entered through this hole. Such a fragment located at that site is indicative of a lead or soft-nosed bullet."

Later in Chapter 4:

" The loss of a substantial quantity of brain tissue becomes significant when we consider Dr. Humes's testimony that the X rays showed "30 or 40 tiny dustlike particle fragments" of metal in the President's head (2H353). Humes cautioned that the fragments that appeared to be "the size of dust particles" (2H359) on the X rays would actually have been smaller because "X ray pictures . . . have a tendency to magnify these minute fragments somewhat in size" (2H353). Secret Service Agent Roy Kellerman saw the X rays during the autopsy and provided a similar description: " . . . the whole head looked like a little mass of stars, there must have been 30, 40 lights where these little pieces were so minute that they couldn't be reached" (2H100).
The Clark Panel adds some details about the head fragments. It reports that the majority of these fragments were located "anteriorly and superiorly" (toward the front and top of the head), and that none were visible on the left side of the brain or below a horizontal plane through the anterior floor of the skull.[10] With such minute fragments scattered through the brain, we can infer that an indeterminable amount of metal was evacuated from the head as brain tissue oozed out subsequent to the President's head being struck. From this it follows that (a) there were originally more fragments in the head than are shown in the X rays and, (b) the pattern of distribution of these fragments as illustrated by the X rays may not precisely represent the original distribution except to indicate that the majority were situated toward the front of the head.
The only solid observation that can be made on the basis of fragmentation depicted in the head X rays is that a bullet striking the head fragmented extensively, leaving pieces of metal, for the most part "the size of dust particles," concentrated toward the frontal portion of the brain. This type of fragmentation is not consistent with the type of full-jacketed military ammunition that the Commission says was used. The construction and composition of full-jacketed bullets obviates any such massive break-up. As noted previously, when military ammunition fragments, it is usually in such a manner that the core separates from the jacket. The core may undergo further break-up, although its metallic composition does not permit the creation of numerous dustlike particles.[11] Dr. Fillinger tells me that the fragments described in the President's brain were not characteristic of a military round, and, while he makes no absolute statement, he has expressed his skepticism that they actually came from such a round. He feels that the break-up of the bullet is more consistent with a hunting round.[12] "

Later:

" Because there was great damage to the head and extensive bullet fragmentation in the brain, Dr. Fillinger was doubtful that the Mannlicher-Carcano could have produced these wounds. "To produce this kind of effect," he told me, "you have to have a very high-velocity projectile, and the Carcano will not stand very high bolt pressures."[19] The massive defect corresponds perfectly to the characteristics that Humes described in reference to bullets that "have a common characteristic of fragmenting extensively upon striking," and that would have "extensively disrupted" the skull at the point of impact (2H356). Such a bullet would most likely be that which is used for "varminting." Bullets used in varmint hunting must be fired at very high velocities ranging upward from 2,700 f.p.s., and are designed so that they will smash apart immediately on impact. They commonly leave pinhead-sized fragments scattered throughout the tissues.[20] "

While I agree that the medium velocity 6.5mm Carcano was incapable of producing these results, I am skeptical, from experience, of a soft tipped hunting bullet, even one fired at high velocity, being able to leave part of the jacket at the entrance to the wound plus break apart into dust like fragments. I do not have enough experience hunting with unjacketed bullets to be able to comment on their performance.

Another possibility is a thing called a "frangible" bullet. Contrary to popular belief, these bullets were not originally designed for hunting or war. Made from compressed metal particles (dust like?) inside a metal jacket, these bullets were designed as a "safe" bullet to be used in indoor ranges. If one of these bullets hit a metal or other hard surface, it would disintegrate instead of ricocheting and, potentially, injuring someone.

It has long been attempted to make a lethal bullet, based on this design, that would completely break apart an inch or two into its victim, and cause such shock that it would deliver even greater stopping power than a hollow point bullet. Also, like a hollow point, it would not pass through its victim and injure others. It would still possess the trait of disintegrating when hitting a hard surface, making it ideal in applications such as the weapons carried by Sky Marshalls in passenger planes.

Although it is claimed this ammo was only perfected recently, attempts to develop this type of ammo may have been going on in 1963. If a portion of the jacket was indeed left at the entrance to the head wound, this could be evidence that a prototype of an early lethal frangible bullet was used in the assassination.

http://www.drtammo.com/DRT-Technology

Note, in this diagram, that these frangible bullets employ a hollow point to cause the jacket to begin to open up, once travelling through fluid or semi-fluid matter.

[Bob Prudhomme]

Frangible ammunition made for the 6.5x52mm Carcano. The frangible cartridge is the second one from the left, below, and is #7 in the text.



7. This odd looking bullet, with its slightly necked profile and a silver 'seam' joining the nose with the body of the jacket, is the Magistri Model 1937 frangible bullet. Like #3 above, it was intended for shooting club marksmanship training. Two variations are known, one with a cupro-nickel bullet jacket with a 1939 dated headstamp, and the other with a copper jacket and a 1953 dated headstamp, as shown above and in this picture of a full clip. The two piece construction of the bullet and the necked profile is more apparent on the cartridges in the clip.

Another view of the frangible bullet in a 6 round Carcano clip. These bullets would have been ten years old at the time of the assassination. While the Carcano was no longer in use as an issued weapon in 1953, the better quality long rifles are still in use today in international shooting competitions. I wonder how accurate these frangible rounds were?

[Drew Phipps]

Perhaps it is telling that the WC evidence doesn't include a view of the headstamps on the cartridges recovered at the scene.

[Bob Prudhomme]

Come to think of it, it is a bit odd that the FBI would not show the "WCC 6.5mm" stamped on the bases of the cartridges.

[Drew Phipps]

Was this frangible bullet widely commercially available in 1963? We have all assumed that Oswald didn't make his own ammo, since he lacked tools and a workshop, and nobody in Dallas that dealt in MC ammo was willing to ID Oswald as a customer.

[Bob Prudhomme]

Getting back to frangible bullets, I've always wondered about the accuracy of the older style frangible bullets, such as the clip of 6.5mm Carcano frangible bullets in the photo in the post above, reputedly made in 1953. The makers of modern frangible ammo, such as DRT Ammo (the link I provided), admit that the "powder core" technology has been around for quite some time, yet claim their developments have solved all of the accuracy problems associated with older frangible bullets. Yet, frangible bullets made for the 6.5mm Carcano rifle in 1953 were designed for marksmanship training in indoor ranges. How does one do marksmanship training with inaccurate ammo?

Unfortunately, I have to admit I have had no experience with frangible bullets, although I plan to try some of the DRT Ammo cartridges as soon as they become available in Canada.

It is a fascinating concept, when one applies it to the JFK assassination, and could explain why one live cartridge was found in the chamber of the rifle found on the 6th floor. If a frangible 6.5mm Carcano bullet was accurate enough to hit JFK from the 6th floor, what would be the effect, and what ballistic evidence is there that points to the use of a frangible bullet?

If we look again at the six round clip of frangible bullets, it is possible to see that the copper alloy jacket is made from two pieces, soldered together about one third of the way back from the nose of the bullet, and designed to come apart easily and also separate the entire jacket from the compressed metal powder core of the bullet. Could this explain the 6.5 mm artifact claimed to be found near the skull entrance wound and the copper jacket's nose and base found in the front of the car?

The x-rays of JFK's skull are claimed to show a cloud of dust-like fragments spread throughout the cranial cavity. This is what one would expect of the disintegration of a bullet core made from compressed metal powder. This is NOT what I would expect to see from the breakup of a solid core bullet; jacketed or non-jacketed.

The one live full metal jacket cartridge found in the 6th floor rifle could have been left behind to make investigators believe the three empty cartridges had also held FMJ bullets, instead of frangible bullets. As you pointed out, the three empty cartridges in evidence had no photos taken of the bases of these cartridges, although it would have been easy to simply plant three empty WCC cartridges.

Now, as to the effect of being shot by a 6.5mm Carcano frangible bullet. I would imagine the effects to be quite dramatic, as the bullet would turn to a cloud of dust just inside the cranial cavity, and all of the energy of a 162 grain bullet travelling at over 2000 fps would instantly be transferred, in a cloud almost an inch wide, to the brain matter it encountered. If the claims made by DRT Ammo are anywhere near the truth, destruction in this area would be absolute.

A final possible reason for using frangible ammo may be that the conspirators wished to minimize collateral damage. Obviously, with the total disintegration of a frangible bullet within the cranial cavity, the only thing that might come out of an exit wound would be pieces of the copper alloy jacket.

[Bob Prudhomme]

Was this frangible bullet widely commercially available in 1963? We have all assumed that Oswald didn't make his own ammo, since he lacked tools and a workshop, and nobody in Dallas that dealt in MC ammo was willing to ID Oswald as a customer.

From what I have been able to uncover, the older style of 6.5mm Carcano frangible bullets would have all been Italian military issue. While it is claimed that a good deal of Carcano frangible ammo was made in 1953 for indoor range shooting, the sources do not say who the manufacturer was.

This type of ammo must have been quite common as, even today, collectors and gun enthusiasts still post photos of these odd looking bullets on gun forums, inquiring as to what they are. I don't imagine it would have been difficult to find Italian made frangible ammo in 1963 in America. Hopefully, being made in 1953, the gunpowder would have been fresher and the primers would no longer be the corrosive types that caused so many problems with Italian milsurp ammo in the Carcanos.