Man who photographed JFK at autopsy tells his story

scripps howard news service ^ | 11-6-03 | james kirley

[steppenwolffe]

VERO BEACH, Fla. (SH) - Forty years after John Stringer Jr. photographed the autopsy of President John F. Kennedy, he still fields questions from people who are both skeptical and cynical about the assassination. "There are so many people making millions of dollars off this with books and everything," he said. "I've been quoted and misquoted. I still get e-mail asking me about it."

[pfflier]

Bummer. No conspiracy fodder, just facts from someone who was there.

[joesnuffy]

The Facts...straight from that august body...The Warren Commision....and Arlyn Spector's

MAGIC BULLET Bwahahahahahahahaha

[oceanview]

Cyril Wecht, paging dr Cyril Wecht...

[GeorgiaMike]

This month has got to be rough for the Kennedy family. I hope it passes quickly.

I've read several books on President Kennedy, and I've come to admire the man. Despite his personal and professional flaws, he had backbone against our enemies during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He showed little tolerance for Democrats who wanted to appease the Soviets. He cut taxes. He's this conservative's idea of a moderate Democrat. I wish the Democrats had men like him today.

As for his personal life, much has been written regarding his affairs. What I found to be far more interesting - and to his credit - is that Kennedy also suffered physical pain most of his days, with ailments that nearly killed him. And by the time he became president, he already lost his two older siblings. Shortly before his death, he lost an infant son.

A good man.

[BushMeister]

I read an interesting book by a man named Howard Donahue, who was selected to duplicate Oswald's shooting in a subsequent investigation.

Donahue actually bettered Oswald's performance, but that wasn't the most interesting part. Donahue, a ballistics expert, believes that the fatal head shot Kennedy received came from an inadvertent discharge of a 5.56mm round from a Secret service short-barreled AR-15 rifle. Donahue claims that the SS agent, in a vehicle behind Kennedy's car, took the safety off his weapon, and that the accidental discharge came when his car suddenly braked.

[hattend]

believes that the fatal head shot Kennedy received came from an inadvertent discharge of a 5.56mm round from a Secret service short-barreled AR-15 rifle. Donahue claims that the SS agent, in a vehicle behind Kennedy's car, took the safety off his weapon, and that the accidental discharge came when his car suddenly braked.

Back...and to the left. Back...and to the left. Back...and to the left.

Yeah, yeah, I know it's an Oliver Stone movie. But I've blown up enough melons to see that a shot from the rear doesn't make the melon fly back towards the line of fire.

[katana]

I could be wrong, but I doubt that the Secret Service had AR-15's as they were only evaluated for defense department use about one year before Kennedy was shot. Now it may be possible they were armed with Uzi's but I've never heard before that anybody was using the AR-15 (precursor to the M-16), much less a short barrel version, in 1963.

[nonsporting]

Bonar Menninger's book about Howard Donahue ("Mortal Error") has a photo of one of the motorcade vehicles with a Secret Service agent holding an AR-15 (A1). It appears to be a 20" barrel model.

[pfflier]

I never said that. The Warren commission presented conclusions.

[nonsporting]

Back...and to the left. Back...and to the left. Back...and to the left.

I have a copy of the digitally preserved Zapruder film. Bodies that are shot don't react the way most folks think. A head shot causes all kinds of physical reactions.

The right front of Kennedy's head is cleary an outshoot (an exit wound). Liquid filled objects such as plastic milk jugs (don't laugh), melons and presumably heads, have a small inshoot (entry) and a dramatic outshoot (exit). The entry must have been left and rear. Menniger's book ("Mortal Error") also has drawings (autopsy?) showing a left rear entry, approximately 6mm in diameter.

[Scenic Sounds]

A few of his 52 exposures went missing,

Well, that helps prove something, doesn't it?

[BlueNgold]

I read that as well. Great detail on a lot of the forensic aspects!

[katana]

I stand corrected then.

[Oztrich Boy]

I've read Donahue's book, his theory is "interesting" but goes against Occam's Rule in that it is an attempt to explain the assumption that a Carcano could not have caused the head wound damage.

What I think is significant is that you can add Donahue to the long list of people with moderate to good firearm experience who agree that Oswald could have made the shots.

In his Kennedy and Lincoln John Lattimer notes that both his teen-aged sons were able to do it

(Only those inexperienced with firearms have argued that it's "amazing, incredible" shooting)

[mlo]

The Warren Commission never proposed such a trajectory, nor has anyone else. The diagram you posted is a peice of dishonest propaganda by those pushing some conspiracy theory. They've intentionally tried to make the trajectory look absurd by misrepresenting the positions of the bodies and the wounds.

[mlo]

Yeah, yeah, I know it's an Oliver Stone movie. But I've blown up enough melons to see that a shot from the rear doesn't make the melon fly back towards the line of fire.

There are films of melons doing exactly that, not that it matters.

The "back and to the left" motion was not caused by any bullet.

[aruanan]

Bummer. No conspiracy fodder, just facts from someone who was there.

"there" being the autopsy.

These were statements from someone who photographed JFK at the autopsy, not the assassination.