Earl Warren was a shyster. Plain and simple. He wouldn't allow any members of the commission to see the autopsy pictures. This has bothered me since the day I read it eons ago.
I wouldn't call him a "shyster", at least on this question. Terribly wrong but not dishonest, which is I how I understand the meaning of the word "shyster". I think he was sincerely - if misguidedly - concerned about the Kennedy family. I don't think he should have been named head of the commission (he was too close to the Kennedys among other things); but I also don't know who else could have been appointed?
According to the Shenon book "A Cruel and Shocking Act", Specter and Belin and others repeatedly requested to see the photos and x-rays. Shenon said that Warren eventually compromised and told Rankin that if RFK would allow it that Warren would allow a limited number of staffers to view the material. Apparently RFK nixed the idea. Or maybe Rankin never delivered it. Shenon doesn't clarify what happened. If that's true then Warren's act is a bit more defensible. Or a bit less indefensible.
However, according to Shenon (I think Specter said this too), Specter did see at least one photo - the back wound - and fellow staffer Alfred Goldberg said he was shown the x-rays and photos, apparently SS copies. He didn't say who gave them to him. I would suspect that if Goldberg was shown them then perhaps other staffers too?
This is mostly secondary to the question of Warren's indefensible decision. However, if the above account is true then RFK deserves a slap too.
