When Was JBC Hit?

[Dan O'meara]

Firing down at 60 or 70 degrees does NOT make an upward angle back wound. Any other ideas?

Let's say, for argument's sake, there was an "upward angle back wound", where would that shot have come from and when, in the Z-film, did it happen?

[John Corbett]

Let's say, for argument's sake, there was an "upward angle back wound", where would that shot have come from and when, in the Z-film, did it happen?

I don't know why I overlooked this before but Oswald was not firing downward at 60 to 70 degrees at the time the single bullet struck. At Z225, the closest exhibit to the time the single bullet struck, the angle to the rifle was 20 degrees. That would mean the slope on JFK's back would only have to be greater than 20 degrees to create an upward angle of entry. Since the area above the shoulder blades already has a natural slope to it even whan a person is sitting or standing perfectly upright. Due to JFK's bad back, he would tend to hunch his back slightly to relieve pressure on his spine. He would not have to be leaning or hunching over much to create a greater than 20 degree slope in his back.

https://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh18/pdf/WH18_CE_895.pdf

[Andrew Mason]

I don't know why I overlooked this before but Oswald was not firing downward at 60 to 70 degrees at the time the single bullet struck. At Z225, the closest exhibit to the time the single bullet struck, the angle to the rifle was 20 degrees. That would mean the slope on JFK's back would only have to be greater than 20 degrees to create an upward angle of entry. Since the area above the shoulder blades already has a natural slope to it even whan a person is sitting or standing perfectly upright. Due to JFK's bad back, he would tend to hunch his back slightly to relieve pressure on his spine. He would not have to be leaning or hunching over much to create a greater than 20 degree slope in his back.

https://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh18/pdf/WH18_CE_895.pdf

It is even less than 20 degrees because of the 3 degree downward slope of Elm St.  According to CE884 the downward angle from the horizontal of the line from rifle to JFK at z222 was 20.38 degrees (20° 23’) so the angle was effectively less than 18°.

[Andrew Mason]

I came across an FBI report of an interview of JBC made by SA H.T. Burk at St. David's hospital on December 11, 1963. While it is generally consistent with JBC's WC testimony it provides additional details and presents a slightly different light on what Connally did and observed after the first shot and before he felt the impact of the bullet that hit him in the torso. It is marked as CR-188 in file SA 89-67 and is part of the collection titled: " Warren Commission Records Related to Key Persons".  It is also hand marked "JBC-1" at the top. It is available on the Mary Ferrell site at this URL. Here is the important part:



He says he turned to his right "to look back" and "sensed more than I saw, that President Kennedy had been hit."  He says that he then turned back to the left "a little" before being hit himself.

One interesting comment is on page 3:



It is clear from this that JBC turned around enough to see three buildings, which he identified as the TSBD, a middle one and the County Records building.   Unless he had eyes in the back of his head, I don't see how he could be referring to this turn:

[Tom Graves]

[...]

Connally was mixed up and you're way off.

Rhetorical question:

Why is it we can see almost all of Connally's white shirt in Z-174, but we can't see his tie?
 
https://assassinationresearch.com/zfilm/z174.jpg

Answer:

Because Connally, having consciously begun by Z-151 to turn his head quickly to his LEFT (and therefore being captured "looking straight ahead" in the Croft photo at Z-161), by Z-169 has started turning his head and upper torso back to his right to see where the shot had come from and to see if JFK is okay.

By Z-174, Connally's upper torso is turned so far to his right that his tie is obscured from our view by a part of the car.

Although Connally continues turning to his right, he can't "see" JFK in Z-179 because JFK has turned HIS head far to HIS right and has raised his hand to wave to someone.

https://assassinationresearch.com/zfilm/z179.jpg

Connally gives up looking over his right shoulder and starts turning his upper torso and head back to his LEFT, to, as he said, try to see JFK over his left shoulder, but he doesn't make it very far because both JFK and he are hit by CE-399 at approximately Z-222.

[Andrew Mason]

Connally was mixed up and you're way off.

If he was mixed up, one would expect that he would have said inconsistent things in subsequent statements.  I don't see that he has done that. It is just that in this earliest interview for the WC investigation he provides a bit more detail.

Rhetorical question:

Why is it we can see almost all of Connally's white shirt in Z-174, but we can't see his tie?
 
https://assassinationresearch.com/zfilm/z174.jpg

Answer:

Because Connally, having consciously begun by Z-151 to turn his head quickly to his LEFT (and therefore being captured "looking straight ahead" in the Croft photo at Z-161), by Z-169 has started turning his head and upper torso back to his right to see where the shot had come from and to see if JFK is okay.

Why not use a clearer close-up view:


We can see the right side of his shirt that is interrupted by Kellerman's right shoulder and the mirror but continues below until cut off by the car. We can see that the tie is blocked by the frame of the side window and the right side of his shirt is in the shade.  We can just barely make out the shaded right side of his shirt through the side window. We can see that he is looking to the right front at about a 2 o'clock direction.

By Z-174, Connally's upper torso is turned so far to his right that his tie is obscured from our view by a part of the car.

Although Connally continues turning to his right, he can't "see" JFK in Z-179 because JFK has turned HIS head far to HIS right and has raised his hand to wave to someone.

That does not describe what JBC said he saw. He sensed that something was wrong with JFK. Had he seen JFK smiling and waving to the crowd, why would he have said what he said?

[Tom Graves]

Why doesn't Greer have his eyes on the road?

What's Nellie looking at?

Connaly said after the first shot, he turned to his right and tried to catch a glance of JFK over his right shoulder.

Don't you think that's what he's doing in Z-180?

https://assassinationresearch.com/zfilm/z180.jpg