From: grant_jo@ripple.enet.dec.com (Joel Grant)
Subject: HSCA vs. Lattimer, part one
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: 28 SEP 92 15:15:20 PDT


From Donahue, pp. 328-330


(2)  the back-neck case

(142) According to the autopsy photographs, the first bullet to 
strike Kennedy entered his back slightly about [?] his shoulder blade
and slightly to the right of his backbone.  (See fig. II-13) This
bullet passed through soft tissue hitting no bone, and exited at
the front of his neck. (47)  Independent determinations by the
Photographic Evidence Panel showed the entrance wound to be from 
4 to 5 centimeters from Kennedy's center plane and the exit wound to be 
on the center plane or as much at 0.5 centimeters to its left.
When seen in the autopsy position, the outshoot wound was described
as being at about the same height (or slighly higher) relative to the
inshoot wound.  The distance between the wounds was determined to
be 14 centimeters.

(143) Based on the acoustics results (48), the camera blur study
(49) and the visual observations made by the Photographic Evidence
Panel (50) it was determined that Kennedy was struck by this 
bullet at a time corresponding approximately to Zapruder fame
190.  [Lattimer believes it to be closer to Z-film 220 - jg]
Accordingly, to determine Kennedy's orientation at that point,
frame 190 and adjoining frames were closely scurtinized. (51)
(See JFK exhibits JFK F-225-227)

(144) The best record of Kennedy's posture, torso inclination,
and shoulder "hunching" is a photograph taken by Robert Croft
at about the time of Zapruder frame 161. (See fig. II-14, JFK
exhibit F-135).  This correlation was established by the
Photographic Evidence Panel by examining features in the Croft
photograph and studying Croft's movements as recorded in the
Zapruder film.

(145) In Croft's picture, Kennedy and other persons in the 
limousine are seen from a perspective that permits a reasonable
determination of their posture and orientation.  Kennedy's 
upper torso/neck region was inferred from this photograph
to have been inclined forward at an approximate angle of
11 degrees to 18 degrees relative to a line drawn upward from and
perpendicular to the road surface.  The range of this angle is
well within a much larger range derived from studies of many 
other photographs taken during the motorcade.  Although the
Croft photograph corresponds to Zapruder frame 161, there is
no indication in the Zapruder movie that Kennedy changed his
inclination substantially before he was hit in the back.  (53)
(See JFK exhibits F-226-242)

(146)  The Croft photograph also shows Kennedy's torso facing
nearly straight forward.  At Zapruder frame 190, however, he
is seen to turn his head about 60 degrees to his right (See
JFK exhibit F-226), and it is reasonable to expect that he also
would have rotated his shoulders a small amount in the same
direction.  Most probably, this rotation was only 5 degrees
or less, as judged by the absence of obvious large shifts in
body position in the Zapruder movie.  Thus, it was assumed
that, except for turning his head by about 60 degrees and his
torso perhaps by 5 degrees, Kennedy made no major changes in
posture after frame 161.  This assumption is supported by
a photograph taken by Phillip Willis at about the time of
Zapruder frame 202.*  [there is a footnote in Donahue at
this point: "*Establishing when the Willis photograph was
exposed in reference to the Zapruder film was done by the 
Photographic Evidence Panel by studying the Zapruder film
and determining when Willis could actually be seen snapping
his picture.  In the study of the back/neck wounds trajectory,
calibration photographs of the anthropometric dummy were
taken but not used (that is, for measurement analysis)
because, unlike the head, the torso is quite mobile, and
consequently there is no stable relationship between the
various body parts.  It was decided that to rely on the
calibration-photograph technique in this instance would have
given a false sense of accuracy to the analysis. - footnote
ends]   

(147)  the Panel then had to adjust slightly the wound locations
that had been provided based on the autopsy photographs and
X-rays because of their difference in body position from that
at the time of the shooting.  During the autopsy, Kennedy was
in an anatomical position with his face tilted as if looking
upward about 35 degrees, a posture and conformation significantly
different from those at the time of the assassination.  

(to be continued)

Joel Grant (speaking on his own behalf)


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