MG:Below are some additional problems with the autopsy photos and skull x-rays. I didn't list them in the OP because I didn't want the OP to turn into a book. I feared the OP was already getting a bit long.

-- The lateral skull x-rays show a physically impossible white patch in the lower half of the right-rear part of the skull. The patch's optical-density (OD) measurements are almost the same as those of the petrous bone, which is a physical impossibility. According to the OD measurements of the white patch, the skull bone in this location extends nearly to the other side of the skull, which is a physical impossibility.

-- Dr. Michael Chesser examined and took OD measurements of a pre-mortem JFK skull x-ray at the Kennedy Library in Boston in order to provide a  control for the OD readings of the white patch. He saw nothing resembling the white patch on the pre-mortem skull x-ray, and his OD measurements of the pre-mortem x-ray showed far less density than the OD measurements of the white patch on the lateral autopsy skull x-rays.

-- Another fact that proves the autopsy skull x-rays have been altered is the fact that the white patch on the lateral skull x-rays is nowhere to be seen on the AP skull x-ray. If the white patch had been on the original lateral x-rays, it would be on the AP x-ray as well--indeed, it would very obvious and easy to see on the AP x-ray. But, there is no trace of it on the extant AP x-ray. This is a physical impossibility, as Dr. David Mantik has explained:

It should also be emphasized that, although this white patch is obvious on both lateral skull X-rays, it is nowhere to be seen on the AP (frontal) skull X-ray. In the physical universe that we know, this is impossible. (JFK Assassination Paradoxes, 2022, p. 9)

-- Additional clear physical proof that the autopsy skull x-rays are not the originals is the fact that on the lateral x-ray of the neck area there is a T-shaped symbol etched onto the x-ray, but there is no emulsion missing from the x-ray at this spot on either side of the film, proving this x-ray is a copy and not an original.

Custer, the autopsy x-ray technician, said he made various marks on the x-rays for identification purposes. When you etch a symbol or letter into x-ray film, naturally there will be emulsion missing from the film at that location on that side of the film. However, there is no emulsion missing from either side of the film of this lateral x-ray, which is hard physical proof that the x-ray is a copy and not an original.

Dr. Mantik made this historic discovery during his final viewing of the autopsy materials at the National Archives. Dr. Michael Chesser confirmed the fact that no emulsion is missing from either side of the x-ray film when he examined the autopsy materials at the National Archives. Dr. Mantik:

The T-shaped inscription must have been etched into the emulsion on the original (never-released) lateral X-ray film. Such etching is easy to do, e.g., by using a fingernail, metal file, or nail. The missing emulsion would have been easy to detect, especially while viewing the surface at an angle to a light source. Inspection of the other side would clearly have shown no missing emulsion (because the etching was only done on one side of the double emulsion film). Realizing this, during my final visit to the Archives (April 12, 2001), I scrutinized these emulsions very carefully.

I first asked Steve Tilley, the JFK archivist, to remove the X-ray film from its transparent plastic sheath so that I could view the surfaces directly. He did so. And then, after viewing at multiple angles, I recognized that no emulsion was missing from either side of the film! The implication was inescapable: this could only be a copy film—not an original. That is because the copy film would preserve the image of the T-shaped inscription, but it would also retain its own emulsion (on both sides) -- since no one had scraped emulsion off either side of this copy film. . . .

Once I recognized that this lateral X-ray film was a forgery, I had a shocking insight. None of the three extant JFK skull X-ray films is an original—all three must be copies. In this case, it means that all three are altered images. Most likely, all of the original skull X-ray films (of five to six total) had to be destroyed because they contained forensic proof that Oswald was not the sole assassin.

In Chesser’s review (at the 2015 JFK Lancer Conference), he confirmed my observations of the T-shaped inscription:

"Dr. Mantik described emulsion over the T-shaped wax mark, which was attributed to Ed Reed marking the film. I agree with him that the surface of the film appeared smooth, when viewed at eye level."

Like me, Dr. Chesser saw that emulsion was fully present on both sides of this lateral X-ray film, thus leaving no doubt that the film is a duplicate. (The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy: The Final Analysis,, 2024, pp. 201-203)

-- In September 1977, shortly before the HSCA publicly displayed the JFK autopsy x-rays for the first time, Dr. Russell Morgan, the radiologist on the Clark Panel, said he was no longer so certain that the bullet that hit JFK’s head was an FMJ bullet, and suggested that the high fragment trail might be more consistent with a frangible bullet than with an FMJ bullet because the fragmentation of the bullet was so severe. (The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy: The Final Analysis,, p. 206)

Remember that it was Dr. Morgan who told Howard Donahue that the Clark Panel believed the 6.5 mm object in the rear outer table of the skull was a ricochet fragment.

-- Dr. Chesser and Dr. Mantik, among others, have noted that the high fragment trail expands from front to back, not back to front, which indicates the bullet struck the front of the head, since fragment trails naturally tend to expand in skulls after penetration.

Dr. Chesser and Dr. Mantik have also noted that the larger fragments of the high fragment trail are at the end of the trail's expansion, and that the science of ballistics tells us that in a group of bullet fragments the larger fragments will travel farther from the entry point. Dr. Chesser explains this in conjunction with his identification of a right-front entry wound on the skull x-rays:

The most important finding here is the proximity of these tiny metallic fragments to this bone defect. This location, on the intracranial side of the bony defect, is highly suggestive of an entry wound. One of the principles of skull ballistics is that the largest fragments travel the furthest from the entry site, with the smallest fragments traveling the least distance, and that is exactly what is seen on this right lateral skull x-ray. (“The Application of Forensic Principles for the Analysis of the Autopsy Skull X-Rays of President Kennedy and a Review of Brain Photographs,” November 27, 2017, https://www.kennedysandking.com/john-f-kennedy-articles/the-application-of-forensic-principles-for-the-analysis-of-the-autopsy-skull-x-rays-of-president-kennedy-and-a-review-of-the-brain-photographs)

Dr. Mantik adds,

When you look at the x-rays that are stored at the archives now, on the lateral x-ray there is a fragment trail. It actually expands from front to back. . . .

Now why is that important? Well, what we know is that the larger bullet fragments travel farther, whereas the smaller ones tend to stay near the entry site. That’s what we see on these X-rays. In other words, we can reasonably interpret these as being consistent with a frontal bullet, but being radically inconsistent with a posterior bullet. (The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy: The Final Analysis,, p. 193)

JC:
Nobody cares what an amateur like you thinks about the autopsy evidence, especially given that you've seen so little of it.

In other words, your response to all the forensic, radiologic, and ballistics evidence discussed by Dr. Mantik, Dr. Chesser, and Dr. Morgan is to once again fall back on your dodge that I am merely presenting my own baseless opinions.

It is worth quoting what real medical experts have said about Dr. Mantik's OD research on the JFK autopsy skull x-rays.

Dr. Greg Henkelmann, himself a radiation oncologist and physicist:

Dr. Mantik’s optical density analysis is the single most important piece of scientific evidence in the JFK assassination. Unlike other evidence, optical density data are as “theory free” as possible, as this data deals only with physical measurements. To reject alteration of the JFK skull X-rays is to reject basic physics and radiology. Dr. Mantik has a PhD in physics and has practiced radiation oncology for nearly 40 years; he is thus eminently qualified in both physics and radiology. His unusual background exposes the government-sponsored coverup that has deceived Americans into believing that Oswald was a “lone wolf.” It is now past time to be crying wolf.(In Mantik, The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy: The Final Analysis, p. 157)

Dr. William Keough, a medical physicist at the Edinburgh Cancer Centre in Scotland:

His [Mantik’s] logical and scientific approach refutes the many inconsistencies that officials have promulgated as fact since the 22nd of November 1963. From the 6.5 mm metallic fragment in the AP autopsy X-ray to the “black rectangle” patch on the back of President Kennedy’s skull identified in the copy of the Zapruder film, to name a few.... Although the majority of Americans still do not believe the Warren Commissions’ fairy tale, only a limited number of people will be in a position to evaluate the overwhelming scientific and medical evidence that supports a different narrative. (In Mantik, The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy: The Final Analysis, pp. 157-158)

Dr. Michael Chesser, a board-certified neurologist:

I viewed the original autopsy skull X-rays at the archives this year [2015] and I confirmed his [Dr. Mantik’s] optical density readings of the lateral skull film, which support his conclusion that there was manipulation. Hopefully there will come a time when better copies of the autopsy x-rays and photographs will be made available for review by a wider audience and the evidence will speak for itself. I applaud Dr. David Mantik for his courage in reporting the truth. . . .

The bright object [in the AP JFK autopsy X-ray] measures 6.5 mm in diameter, and there is no counterpart found on the lateral image. There was no discussion of this in the Warren Commission report, and no official x-ray interpretation was included in the report. No bullet fragment of this size was removed at the time of the autopsy. Within the outline of this bright object are the shapes of two fragments. I agree with Dr. David Mantik that the film was copied, and this bright object was added to the image. (In Mantik, The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy: The Final Analysis, pp. 158-159)

MG:If so, why do you suppose the lone-gunman view is rejected by 2/3 to 3/4 of the Western world? It's not like the lone-gunman view has suffered from a lack of cheerleading and advocacy by many legacy news outlets. Most people just don't buy what you're selling.

JC: I'd estimate the 90+% of those people are ignorant of the evidence of Oswald's guilt. . . .

LOL! That's the same thing that Moon-landing deniers, 9/11 Truthers, Holocaust deniers, and Flat Earthers say about the fact that most people reject their theories. "Very few people know the facts about the evidence for our views!"

and probably got most of their knowledge from Oliver Stone's @&%$ movie.

More comedy. So a movie made in 1991 is the reason your view on the JFK case is rejected by 2/3 to 3/4 of the Western world!

This is similar to the lame excuse that 9/11 Truthers, Moon-landing deniers, etc., offer to explain why most people don't buy their theories. They complain that news outlets and TV networks haven't given their views a fair hearing.

Yet, you guys certainly can't claim that your version of the JFK case has not received plenty of favorable coverage, and often outright advocacy, by legacy news outlets, but most people still don't buy what you're selling.

I think the Luna Committee has done some great work. The hearings alone have been valuable and have exposed millions of Americans (via C-SPAN) to important evidence through the testimony of Dan Hardway, Stephen Kinzer, Tom O'Neill, Doug Horne, Dr. Curtis, and others.

If you still think O shot K, then nobody will miss you.

It is sad to see WC defenders still posting claims that have long since been soundly refuted.

No, the FBI did not duplicate the dent on CE 543 in any shell that was used to actually fire a bullet. No test has ever duplicated that dent in a shell that fired a bullet. CE 543 could not have been used to fire a bullet during the assassination.

This issue has been settled for years. Even some lone-gunman theorists have acknowledged that CE 543 could not have fired a bullet during the assassination. All those who believe in the mortal-error theory of the assassination acknowledge that CE 543 could not have fired a bullet during the shooting. But, most WC defenders don't want to admit this fact about CE 543 because it raises serious questions about their version of the shooting.

I would refer interested readers to my online article
"The Dented Bullet Shell: Hard Evidence of Conspiracy in the JFK Assassination."

I explore this issue in even more detail in chapter 17 of my book A Comforting Lie: The Myth That a Lone Gunman Killed President Kennedy.

Here is some of what Dr. Josiah Thompson says about the dented shell, CE 543, in his 2020 book Last Second in Dallas:

Things got really interesting when we photographed the three cartridge cases found near the corner window of the sixth floor of the depository and the live round found in the rifle.

I noticed something never mentioned in all the expert testimony or shown in any of the Warren Commission photographs. If you laid out the three cartridges alongside the live round, you could see a dent on the shoulders of two of the cases where they abutted the chamber of the rifle. The live round showed a similar but much less prominent mark. In contrast, the third cartridge case, designated CE 543, had no dent on its shoulder but a sharp dent in its lip. In its present form, this cartridge would not accept a projectile. . . .

According to Hoover, there was no mark like this on CE 543, only the magazine follower mark and the three strange marks mentioned by Nicol.

But the magazine follower mark could not have been caused on November 22 because that mark is caused by a lever under spring tension at the bottom of the magazine that presses against only the last round in the clip. Since the live round found in the rifle was the bottom round in the clip on November 22, it had its own follower mark. Even more important, Hoover’s letter mentioned that the three marks described by Nicol were absent not only from the other cartridge cases and the live round but also from the many cartridge cases produced in test firings of Oswald’s rifle. That clinched it: the cartridge case with the dented lip also had marks from a second Carcano, not Oswald’s. (Last Second in Dallas, pp. 178-179, 184-185)

In their book JFK Case Not Closed, Dave O'Brien and Johnny Cairns note some of the evidence that CE 543 could not have fired a bullet during the assassination:

The only marks that link CE 543 to the Carcano were produced by the magazine follower. These marks are caused by the pressure of the magazine follower on the last round in the clip, which pushes the remaining rounds in the clip upwards as their predecessors are chambered and then ejected from the rifle.

When the final round is chambered, the clip falls past the magazine follower and drops out of the bottom of the magazine well. While other cases had similar marks, the point is that these marks could not have been caused by the Carcano's magazine follower on the day of the assassination as the last round in the clip (CE 141) was unfired and still chambered in the rifle when it was found. . . .

CE 543 lacks a characteristic displayed by all the other cartridge cases (CE 544, CE 545 and CE 577) that have been chambered in the Carcano - a distinct impression along one side. Even CE 141 (the live round), showed a similar, if less pronounced, impression. . . .

If CE 543 is supposed to have been fired in the Carcano, how could it be missing this distinct impression? (JFK Case Not Closed, pp. 141-145)

My mistake, it was the HSCA experts who duplicated the dent.



There is no Warren Commission testimony stating that the FBI laboratory duplicated the dent in Commission Exhibit 543 (CE 543).

The original Warren Commission testimony regarding the dent in CE 543—which is one of the three cartridge cases found on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository—comes from FBI firearms expert Robert A. Frazier.

The Actual Testimony (Volume III)When Frazier testified before the Commission, he explained that the dented mouth of the cartridge was a random occurrence that happens during the mechanics of loading or firing, rather than an intentional replication or a permanent defect of the rifle:

Mr. Eisenberg: “Mr. Frazier, I notice that the lip of CE 543 is dented in. Can you tell us how that dent might have occurred?”Mr. Frazier: “Yes, sir. This dent occurs when the cartridge is fired, or during the loading cycle, when the cartridge is forced into the chamber and the side of the case strikes the edge of the chamber, or upon ejection when the cartridge case is thrown out of the rifle and strikes the side of the receiver or the scope mount, or some outside object. It is a very common thing to find dented cartridge cases among fired cases, and it does not indicate any malfunction of the weapon, nor does it affect the firing of the cartridge.”— Warren Commission Hearings, Volume III, p. 433

Where the "Duplicate" Idea Comes From:

The concept of "duplicating" the dent originated later during the 1978 House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) investigation.When HSCA ballistics experts test-fired Oswald’s Mannlicher-Carcano rifle to examine the mechanics of the weapon, one of their four test-fired cartridges naturally duplicated the exact same type of neck dent seen on CE 543.This mechanical duplication proved to the committee that the dent on the original evidence shell was caused naturally by the rapid firing and ejection sequence of that specific rifle, rather than being damaged afterward or planted.


The House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) Volume VII report, specifically the Firearms Panel Report, details that the dented cartridge case (CE 543) was a common artifact of the Mannlicher-Carcano rifle's normal ejection mechanism, not evidence of tampering. The panel concluded that test-firings (T-1 to T-4) resulted in similar, consistent dents, validating earlier FBI testimony. For more details, visit History Matters Archive.

What, in your opinion, did Charlie Kirk "stand for"?

Christian conservatism and patriotism. He was a bright and passionate young lad, injecting the youth with a healthy dose of common sense and high moral standards through his TPUSA organization. His early death was most unfortunate.