JFK Assassination Forum
JFK Assassination Plus General Discussion & Debate => JFK Assassination Plus General Discussion And Debate => Topic started by: Benjamin Cole on June 07, 2026, 03:44:10 AM
-
Recently I have been chided for having what I term "reasonable doubts" about the LNT-SBT, especially in connection to Gov. JBC and his Stetson hat.
AI: "Is the Warren Commission position on the possibility of Governor Connally holding onto his hat after being shot through the wrist plausible?"
---
The Warren Commission's position on Governor Connally holding his hat after his wrist was shot is widely debated. However, forensic experts, physicians, and critics argue it is highly improbable for him to retain a firm grip, though holding onto the hat by reflex or trapping it as his arm fell is plausibly possible.
The Core Arguments The Injury: Governor Connally sustained a severely comminuted (shattered) fracture to his right radius bone, completely severing the bone and destroying the wrist's structural integrity. Medics noted that the median nerve was also damaged, leading to an instant loss of motor control and strength in his right hand.
The Physics: Holding a rigid cowboy hat (Stetson) firmly in the air requires grip strength and the use of the wrist joint. Once shattered, the hand would typically go limp, causing the hat to fall to the floor of the limousine instantly.
8)The Warren Commission's Stance: The Commission argued that because the bullet was losing velocity as it passed through President Kennedy, Connally’s chest, and his wrist, it retained enough kinetic energy to break the bone, but it did not tear the hand apart. They theorized Connally reflexively maintained the hat in his grasp or that the hat was simply trapped in his hand or lap as he was struck.
Connally's Rebuttal: Governor John Connally himself fundamentally rejected the Warren Commission’s Single Bullet Theory. He testified that he was hit by a separate bullet from President Kennedy and frequently maintained that he immediately dropped his hat after being shot in the wrist, which contradicts the WC's timeline of him holding it later in the Zapruder film.
The most prominent expert who explicitly used the term "highly improbable" regarding the single-bullet theory and its medical trajectory is Dr. Cyril Wecht. He was a highly renowned forensic pathologist, attorney, and former president of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
Dr. Cyril Wecht's Medical Critique: Dr. Wecht extensively studied the medical evidence and testified before the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA). He vehemently argued against the Warren Commission's timeline using Zapruder film frame 230.
His expert critique regarding the hat specifically centers on the following points:
The Neurological Impossibility: Dr. Wecht noted that the bullet shattered the distal end of Connally's right radius bone (wrist) and partially severed his radial nerve.
Voluntary vs. Involuntary Control: He argued that with a collapsed lung from the chest wound and a shredded wrist nerve, it is medically "incongruous" for Connally to maintain voluntary grip strength to hold up a heavy Stetson cowboy hat for 1.5 seconds after the alleged impact.
The "Highly Improbable" Quote: When summarized during investigative panels and televised CBS/CNN historical reviews, Dr. Wecht noted that while he hesitates to say anything is 100 percent impossible in forensics, the Warren Commission's exact timeline for these combined injuries and movements is "highly improbable".
Other Aligning Medical Voices
While Dr. Wecht is the specific source of that phrasing, other medical professionals expressed similar deep skepticism:
The Parkland Hospital Surgeons: Doctors like Dr. Charles Gregory (who operated on Connally’s wrist) noted that the neurovascular and bone destruction from a high-velocity military round would cause immediate, catastrophic loss of function in the hand.
Independent Forensic Analysts: Over decades, secondary medical critics—such as those featured in Jim Garrison's investigative files and various independent forensic studies—concluded that the hand would immediately go limp, meaning the hat could only remain in the hand if it was involuntarily trapped or wedged against his lap rather than actively held.
---30---
I have reasonable doubts on the ability of Gov. JBC to hold onto his Stetson hat, after being shot through the wrist. If we want to toss out Cyril Wecht as a dedicated CT'er, then we have Dr. Charles Gregory, who actually operated on JBC's wrist.
Gov. JBC is indisputably seen at Z-272 holding onto his Stetson hat. Even the WC assents to that.
Yet, the WC contends Gov. JBC was already shot through the wrist at that point...well, that is highly improbable.
This is one reason I doubt the LNT-SBT narratives.
-
The SBT is entirely based on CE 399 being legit.
If you want reasonable doubt all you need to do is to look more closely at the chain of custody for that bullet and the witness statements by Tomlinson, Wright and Odum.
-
MW-
Largely, I concur. Even back in the 1960s, every hospital knew it mandated to report all bullet wounds and retain all evidence for police.
JBC says a bullet fell out his left leg and clicked on the ground, while he was in surgery. We know that a slug made a small round hole upon entering JBC's pant leg, which indicates substantial velocity. Why was not that leg-slug retained in an envelope, inside the surgery room, per well-understood hospital procedures, especially in such a high-profile case?
Yet what is purported to be CE-399 is purported to have been found outside the surgery room in Parkland, near some elevators, underneath a gurney, by Tomlinson, who gave the slug OP Wright, a former police chief, who said he received a pointy-head slug from Tomlinson. Not like CE-399.
The narrative told by Paul Landis may be worth reviewing.
I have reasonable doubts about the WC CE-399 narrative also.
-
Recently I have been chided for having what I term "reasonable doubts" about the LNT-SBT, especially in connection to Gov. JBC and his Stetson hat.
AI: "Is the Warren Commission position on the possibility of Governor Connally holding onto his hat after being shot through the wrist plausible?"
---
The Warren Commission's position on Governor Connally holding his hat after his wrist was shot is widely debated. However, forensic experts, physicians, and critics argue it is highly improbable for him to retain a firm grip, though holding onto the hat by reflex or trapping it as his arm fell is plausibly possible.
The Core Arguments The Injury: Governor Connally sustained a severely comminuted (shattered) fracture to his right radius bone, completely severing the bone and destroying the wrist's structural integrity. Medics noted that the median nerve was also damaged, leading to an instant loss of motor control and strength in his right hand.
The Physics: Holding a rigid cowboy hat (Stetson) firmly in the air requires grip strength and the use of the wrist joint. Once shattered, the hand would typically go limp, causing the hat to fall to the floor of the limousine instantly.
8)The Warren Commission's Stance: The Commission argued that because the bullet was losing velocity as it passed through President Kennedy, Connally’s chest, and his wrist, it retained enough kinetic energy to break the bone, but it did not tear the hand apart. They theorized Connally reflexively maintained the hat in his grasp or that the hat was simply trapped in his hand or lap as he was struck.
Connally's Rebuttal: Governor John Connally himself fundamentally rejected the Warren Commission’s Single Bullet Theory. He testified that he was hit by a separate bullet from President Kennedy and frequently maintained that he immediately dropped his hat after being shot in the wrist, which contradicts the WC's timeline of him holding it later in the Zapruder film.
The most prominent expert who explicitly used the term "highly improbable" regarding the single-bullet theory and its medical trajectory is Dr. Cyril Wecht. He was a highly renowned forensic pathologist, attorney, and former president of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
Dr. Cyril Wecht's Medical Critique: Dr. Wecht extensively studied the medical evidence and testified before the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA). He vehemently argued against the Warren Commission's timeline using Zapruder film frame 230.
His expert critique regarding the hat specifically centers on the following points:
The Neurological Impossibility: Dr. Wecht noted that the bullet shattered the distal end of Connally's right radius bone (wrist) and partially severed his radial nerve.
Voluntary vs. Involuntary Control: He argued that with a collapsed lung from the chest wound and a shredded wrist nerve, it is medically "incongruous" for Connally to maintain voluntary grip strength to hold up a heavy Stetson cowboy hat for 1.5 seconds after the alleged impact.
The "Highly Improbable" Quote: When summarized during investigative panels and televised CBS/CNN historical reviews, Dr. Wecht noted that while he hesitates to say anything is 100 percent impossible in forensics, the Warren Commission's exact timeline for these combined injuries and movements is "highly improbable".
Other Aligning Medical Voices
While Dr. Wecht is the specific source of that phrasing, other medical professionals expressed similar deep skepticism:
The Parkland Hospital Surgeons: Doctors like Dr. Charles Gregory (who operated on Connally’s wrist) noted that the neurovascular and bone destruction from a high-velocity military round would cause immediate, catastrophic loss of function in the hand.
Independent Forensic Analysts: Over decades, secondary medical critics—such as those featured in Jim Garrison's investigative files and various independent forensic studies—concluded that the hand would immediately go limp, meaning the hat could only remain in the hand if it was involuntarily trapped or wedged against his lap rather than actively held.
---30---
I have reasonable doubts on the ability of Gov. JBC to hold onto his Stetson hat, after being shot through the wrist. If we want to toss out Cyril Wecht as a dedicated CT'er, then we have Dr. Charles Gregory, who actually operated on JBC's wrist.
Gov. JBC is indisputably seen at Z-272 holding onto his Stetson hat. Even the WC assents to that.
Yet, the WC contends Gov. JBC was already shot through the wrist at that point...well, that is highly improbable.
This is one reason I doubt the LNT-SBT narratives.
Are you thinking the doctors were less than truthful about the severity of the damage to the wrist?
What is the point being made here?
What does it matter what caused the injury to JBC’s wrist? He still held onto his hat with the known injury.