Lack Of Damage To CE-399

[Martin Weidmann]

From Liam Kelly's earlier post

Three sets of initials appear on the bullet: RF, CK, and JH. RF and CK were easily identifiable from FBI Laboratory documents at NARA. RF was Lead examiner in the JFK case, SA Robert Frazier. CK was SA Charles Killion, who'd assisted Frazier. The third set of initials, JH, proved somewhat problematic. At first I though it might be SA John Handley, who served under Malley, but they were both assigned to the General Investigative Division, not Firearms and Toolmarks.
 
I asked Robert Frazier who "JH" was when we spoke in 2003. He related that JH was SA Cortlandt Cunningham. I asked why that was, and Frazier said that it was to prevent confusion in the event that Cortlandt Cunningham had to mark a document. He said that "CC" might be confused with "cc," the notation for carbon copy. To avoid confusion, Cunningham's mark became JH.
 
Something else Frazier told me that day cinched the identification of Cunningham as JH, the JFK assassination was the only case in the history of the FBI where more that one Examiner was assigned. Frazier was to be the Lead Examiner and Killion and Cunningham would verify his conclusions. Frazier's WC testimony backs that notion up:
 

[Jerry Freeman]

How the hell do you get "JH" from Courtlandt Cunningham?

I asked Robert Frazier who "JH" was when we spoke in 2003. He related that JH was SA Cortlandt Cunningham. I asked why that was, and Frazier said that it was to prevent confusion in the event that Cortlandt Cunningham had to mark a document. He said that "CC" might be confused with "cc," the notation for carbon copy. To avoid confusion, Cunningham's mark became JH.

Well that makes a lot of sense. So who the hell was 'carbon copy'?
The Report 'declared' that CE-399 was found on Connally's stretcher. It was not determined by any inquiry or analysis. I believe it was fired into a pillow or mattress and used to link the assassination to the found rifle.
Still no response---
   

?there is my absolute knowledge that ? one bullet caused the president?s first wound and that an entirely separate shot struck me. It is a certainty. I will never change my mind.?   John Connally
         ?I turned over my right shoulder and looked back, and saw the President as he had both hands at his neck. ? Then very soon there was the second shot that hit John? Mrs Connally

Their statements means conspiracy --plain and simple.

[Tim Nickerson]

there is my absolute knowledge that ? one bullet caused the president?s first wound and that an entirely separate shot struck me. It is a certainty. I will never change my mind.?   John Connally

Do you have a source for that? Looks suspicious to me.

[Andrew Mason]

Do you have a source for that? Looks suspicious to me.

It is a reliable quote. It is from Life Magazine "A Matter of Reasonable Doubt", Nov. 25, 1966 at p.48.  It is also available on Google Books

[Tim Nickerson]

It is a reliable quote. It is from Life Magazine "A Matter of Reasonable Doubt", Nov. 25, 1966 at p.48.  It is also available on Google Books

Thanks for that. Of course, Connally backed away from that degree of certainty later on.  Some things he never faltered on though . One, he was certain that he was not hit by the first shot. Two, he said "Oh, no, no, no. They are going tom kill us all" after he was hit and before the third shot.

[Andrew Mason]

Thanks for that. Of course, Connally backed away from that degree of certainty later on.  Some things he never faltered on though . One, he was certain that he was not hit by the first shot. Two, he said "Oh, no, no, no. They are going tom kill us all" after he was hit and before the third shot.

He was not even certain about saying "Oh, no, no, no" after he was hit in the back.  In the Life article he says it was before:

Between the time I heard the first shot and felt the impact of the other bullet that obviously hit me, I sensed something was wrong and said, ?Oh, no, no, no?. After I felt the impact I glanced down and saw that my whole chest was covered with blood.

[Tim Nickerson]

He was not even certain about saying "Oh, no, no, no" after he was hit in the back.  In the Life article he says it was before:

Between the time I heard the first shot and felt the impact of the other bullet that obviously hit me, I sensed something was wrong and said, ?Oh, no, no, no?. After I felt the impact I glanced down and saw that my whole chest was covered with blood.

You have to wonder whether the writer of the piece quoted him correctly or not. Because it differs from his two sworn testimonies and other recorded statements of his.

From WC testimony of John Connally:

I immediately, when I was hit, I said, "Oh, no, no, no." And then I said, "My God, they are going to kill us all."

From the HSCA testimony of John Connally:

Mr. CONNALLY. No, it was a bit later, because I wasn't sure at that point in time that anything had happened, so it was a bit later when I said oh, no, no, no. This was after I realized I had been hit and, then I said my God, they are going to kill us all.

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[Jerry Freeman]

The testimony of the Connallys. They did not change their original statements to the chagrin of the Warren counsel...

Mrs. CONNALLY. In fact the receptions had been. so good every place that I had showed much restraint by not mentioning something about it before.
I could resist no longer. When we got past this area I did turn to the President and said, "Mr. President, you can't say Dallas doesn't love you."
Then I don't know how soon, it seems to me it was very soon, that I heard a noise, and not being an expert rifleman, I was not aware that it was a rifle. It was just a frightening noise, and it came from the right.
I turned over my right shoulder and looked back, and saw the President as he had both hands at his neck.
Mr. SPECTER. And you are indicating with your own hands, two hands crossing over gripping your own neck?
Mrs. CONNALLY. Yes; and it seemed to me there was--he made no utterance, no cry. I saw no blood, no anything. It was just sort of nothing, the expression on his face, and he just sort of slumped down.
Then very soon there was the second shot that hit John. As the first shot was hit, and I turned to look at the same time, I recall John saying, "Oh, no, no, no." Then there was a second shot, and it hit John, and as he recoiled to the right, just crumpled like a wounded animal to the right, he said, "My God, they are going to kill us all."
I never again----

http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/russ/testimony/conn_n.htm

Mr. SPECTER. What is the best estimate that you have as to the time span between the sound of the first shot and the feeling of someone hitting you in the back which you just described?
Governor CONNALLY. A very, very brief span of time. Again my trend of thought just happened to be, I suppose along this line, I immediately thought that this--that I had been shot. I knew it when I just looked down and I was covered with blood, and the thought immediately passed through my mind that there were either two or three people involved or more in this or someone was shooting with an automatic rifle. These were just thoughts that went through my mind because of the rapidity of these two, of the first shot plus the blow that I took, and I knew I had been hit, and I immediately assumed, because of the amount of blood, and in fact, that it had obviously passed through my chest. that I had probably been fatally hit.
So I merely doubled up, and then turned to my right again and began to--I just sat there, and Mrs. Connally pulled me over to her lap. She was sitting, of course, on the jump seat, so I reclined with my head in her lap, conscious all the time, and with my eyes open; and then, of course, the third shot sounded, and I heard the shot very clearly. I heard it hit him. I heard the shot hit something, and I assumed again--it never entered my mind that it ever hit anybody but the President. I heard it hit. It was a very loud noise, just that audible, very clear.
Immediately I could see on my clothes, my clothing, I could see on the interior of the car which, as I recall, was a pale blue, brain tissue, which I immediately recognized, and I recall very well, on my trousers there was one chunk of brain tissue as big as almost my thumb, thumbnail, and again I did not see the President at any time either after the first, second, or third shots, but I assumed always that it was he who was hit and no one else.
I immediately, when I was hit, I said, "Oh, no, no, no." And then I said, "My God, they are going to kill us all." Nellie, when she pulled me over into her lap----
Mr. SPECTER. Nellie is Mrs. Connally?

http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/russ/testimony/conn_j.htm
Specter knew damn well who 'Nellie' was. He was being coy because the Connally's testimony wasn't very helpful to the dance that these guys are trying to boogie to here ...the Lone Assassin Wiggle