Subject: Aguilar's "Back of the Head" Witnesses - 12 Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2001 02:01:34 GMT From: jmcadams@primenet.com (John McAdams) Organization: Marquette University Newsgroups: alt.assassination.jfk Followup-To: alt.assassination.jfk Gary Aguilar claims to have examined the testimony of 46 witnesses to Kennedy's head wound, at both Parkland and Bethesda, and found that 44 of the 46 described the head wound as contradicting the photos and x-rays of the autopsy as they exist in the National Archives. So does Gary have 44 "back of the head" witnesses? And are his 46 witnesses selected so as to avoid witnesses who placed the wound at the top of the head, or the side of the head? Let's take one example: The following quotes from Aguilar are taken from: http://www.assassinationweb.com/ag6.htm Let me warn the reader that Aguilar includes a lot of extraneous material, but I'm including it all so as not to be accused of "selectivity." ------------------------------------------ 2) ROBERT McCLELLAND, MD In testimony at Parkland taken before Arlan Specter on 3-21-64, McClelland described the head wound as, "...I could very closely examine the head wound, and I noted that the right posterior portion of the skull had been extremely blasted. It had been shattered...so that the parietal bone was protruded up through the scalp and seemed to be fractured almost along its right posterior half, as well as some of the occipital bone being fractured in its lateral half, and this sprung open the bones that I mentioned in such a way that you could actually look down into the skull cavity itself and see that probably a third or so, at least, of the brain tissue, posterior cerebral tissue and some of the cerebellar tissue had been blasted out...." (WC--V6:33) Later he said, "...unfortunately the loss of blood and the loss of cerebral and cerebellar tissues were so great that the efforts (to save Kennedy's life) were of no avail." (Emphasis added throughout) (WC--V6:34) McClelland made clear that he thought the rear wound in the skull was an exit wound (WC-V6:35,37). McClelland ascribed the cause of death to, "...massive head injuries with loss of large amounts of cerebral and cerebellar tissues and massive blood loss." (WC--V6:34) McClelland's unwillingness to change his recollection has recently attracted detractors in the aftermath of Charles Crenshaw's book, "Conspiracy of Silence". McClelland told Posner, "I saw a piece of cerebellum fall out on the stretcher." (Posner, G. "CC.", p. 311, paper). To dismiss McClelland, Posner quotes Malcolm Perry, "I am astonished that Bob (McClelland) would say that....It shows such poor judgment, and usually he has such good judgment." (Posner G. "Case Closed". p. 311, paper.) Perry's own inconsistent and unreliable memory lessens the merit of his opinions of others, as we will see. --------------------------------------------- It's interesting that Aguliar used McClelland as a "back of the head witness in spite of the fact that McClelland *explicitly* said he could not see the back of the head! From McClelland's Warren Commission testimony. ----------------------------------------------- Dr. MCCLELLAND. As I took the position at the head of the table that I have already described, to help out with the tracheotomy, I was in such a position that I could very closely examine the head wound, and I noted that the right posterior portion of the skull had been extremely blasted. It had been shattered, apparently, by the force of the shot so that the parietal bone was protruded up through the scalp and seemed to be fractured almost along its right posterior half, as well as some of the occipital bone being fractured in its lateral haft, and this sprung open the bones that I mentioned in such a way that you could actually look down into the skull cavity itself and see ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ that probably a third or so, at least, of the brain tissue, posterior cerebral tissue and some of the cerebellar tissue had been blasted out. There was a large amount of bleeding which was occurring mainly from the large venous channels in the skull which had been blasted open. [Then later] Mr. SPECTER. Did you observe anything in the nature of a wound on his body other than that which you have already described for me? Dr. McCLELLAND. No. Mr. SPECTER. In what position was President Kennedy maintained from the time you saw him until the pronouncement of death ? Dr. McCLELLAND. On his back on the cart. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Mr. SPECTER. On his what? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Dr. McCLELLAND. On his back on the stretcher. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Mr. SPECTER. Was he on the stretcher at all times? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Dr. McCLELLAND. Yes. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Mr. SPECTER. In the trauma room No. 1 you described, is there any table onto which he could be placed from the stretcher? Dr. McCLELLAND. No; generally we do not move patients from the stretcher until they are ready to go into the operating room and then they are moved onto the operating table. Mr. SPECTER. Well, in fact, was he left on the stretcher all during the course of these procedures until he was pronounced dead? Dr. McCLELLAND. That's right. Mr. SPECTER. Then, at any time was he positioned in a way where ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ you could have seen the back of his body? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Dr. McCLELLAND. No. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Mr. SPECTER. Did you observe any gunshot wound on his back? Dr. McCLELLAND. No. [Then later] Mr. SPECTER. Did you observe the condition of the back of the President's head ? Dr. McCLELLAND. Well, partially; not, of course, as I say, we did ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ not lift his head up since it was so greatly damaged. We attempted to ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ avoid moving him any more than it was absolutely necessary, but I ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ could see, of course, all the extent of the wound. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Mr. SPECTER. You saw a large opening which you have already described? Dr. McCLELLAND. I saw the large opening which I have described. ---------------------------------------------------- So McClelland saw "all the extent of the wound" from his place at the head of the table, looking down into the skull, while Kennedy's head was flat against the pad on the gurney. People often cite as evidence that McClelland was a "back of the head" witness a drawing that appeared in Josiah Thompson's book "Six Seconds in Dallas," that shows the back of the head (mostly occipital bone) blown out. But Thompson has made it clear, in a variety of contexts, that the drawing was neither drawn by McClelland, nor approved by the doctor. Rather, it was done by a medical illustrator based on McClelland's *verbal* description. Interestingly, the drawing showed *no* damage to the top of the head. This should be an embarrassment to people like Aguilar, who believe there most certainly *was* damage to the top of the head. But McClelland has not been consistent in his drawings. In THE MEN WHO KILLED KENNEDY he drew the head wound as a deep furrow from the back of Kennedy's head to the front, on the right hand side. In fact, McClelland has hardly been the model of consistency that Aguilar claims. In 1988, under the auspices of NOVA, he and three other doctors from Parkland went to the National Archives to look at the original autopsy photos and x-rays. Check out this URL: http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/novadocs.htm Then there is the following account of his 1992 testimony, as posted here by Joe Durnavich: >Tracy Riddle posted the following a while back, taken from a conference >hosted by Livingstone. McCelland's statement that he stood above the >wound looking down into it doesn't reconcile with his claim of seeing the >wound in back of the head. Given McCelland's statement below, how could >he see into a wound in back of the head such that he could see a large >cavity that extended "down into the head" with one third of the brain >blasted out? >--- Begin Quote ----------- >Dallas Medical Conference: Researcher H.E. Livingstone gathered together >in the Grand Ballroom of the Stouffer Hotel in Dallas - for the first >time - several members of the Parkland and Bethesda teams for a >discussion, 4/6/1991. It was filmed for a future documentary. Those who >attended included: James Jenkins, Phillip Williams, Floyd Riebe, Paul >O'Connor, Aubrey Rike, Robert McClelland, and Audrey Bell. >... >McClelland made it clear that about one third of the brain had been >blasted out. "That there was not only a horrible gaping wound but that >it was a cavity that extended down into the head. And as I stood there >holding the retractor, I was looking down into it all the time. I was no >more than eighteen inches away from the wound all the time, standing >just above it, which was ten to fifteen minutes at least...And during >that time I had a strong impression that a portion of what appeared to >be the cerebellum fell backward through the wound onto the scalp and >hair that was hanging back from the head...The way the wound was >described by Mr. Jenkins squares very well with what I saw. I think that >the reason my wound [in his drawing made years before] seems lower was >because" of the hair hanging down over part of it. "I could not tell >what percentage of the scalp was missing or still present over the >wound. At the National Archives [for Nova] it was my assumption - and it >was just an assumption - that there was enough of the flap left to pull >up over the back portion of the wound and to hide the back portion and >the front portion of the wound, not because it was covering the front >portion of the wound, but simply from the camera angle it didn't permit >that portion of the wound to be seen." The witnesses remembered a >"graying" area on the right side of the skull above the ear. So it seems he is backing away from the original drawing, and reasonably so. Then there is the fact that, speaking before a Rotary Club in 2013, he said "He was in terrible shape; the right side of his brain had been blown out." Not back. Side. http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/aguilar/McClelland.pdf In sum, McClelland has been about as inconsistent as other doctors that Aguilar believes are now lying about what they saw. Does that make him a liar? No, just a normal witness. Which is why witness testimony is not a reliable means of resolving medical issues like this. .John The Kennedy Assassination Home Page http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/home.htm