The line of damage through the neck into the throat
There is a widespread belief among JFK researchers that after Dr. Finck was unable to use his finger to probe the path of the bullet that entered JFK's neck/upper back, that was the end of it, and any connection to the wound in the lower throat was tenuous and guesswork. In fact, these two wounds are connected much more tightly than that: the autopsy surgeons found at least three more sites of inner damage that formed a straight line between the two wounds. Here are the passages from the autopsy report that describe these wounds:
Back/neck wound (page 3)
"Situated on the upper right posterior thorax just above
the upper border of the scapula there is a 7 x 4 millimeter oval wound. This
wound is measured to be 14 cm. from the tip of the right acromion process and 14
cm. below the tip of the right mastoid process."
Throat wound (page 3)
"Situated in the low anterior neck at approximately the
level of the third and fourth tracheal rings is a 6.5 cm. long transverse wound
with widely gaping irregular edges. (The depth and character of these wounds
will be further described below.)"
Back/neck wound and throat wound again (pages 4–5)
"2. The second wound presumably of entry is that
described above in the upper right posterior thorax. Beneath the skin there is
ecchymosis [escape of blood into the tissues from ruptured blood vessels] of
subcutaneous tissue and musculature. The missile path through the fascia and
musculature cannot be easily probed. The wound presumably of exit was that
described by Dr. Malcolm Perry of Dallas in the low anterior cervical region.
When observed by Dr. Perry the wound measured "a few millimeters in
diameter", however it was extended as a tracheostomy incision and thus its
character is distorted at the time of autopsy. However, there is considerable
ecchymosis of the strap muscles of the right side of the neck and of the fascia
about the trachea adjacent to the line of the tracheostomy wound. The third point
of reference in connecting these two wounds is the apex (supra-clavicular
portion) of the right pleural cavity. In this region there is contusion of the
parietal pleura and of the extreme apical portion of the right upper lobe of the
lung. In both instances the diameter of contusion and ecchymosis at the point of
maximal involvement measures 5 cm. Both the visceral and parietal pleura are
intact overlying these areas of trauma."
Thoracic cavity (page 5)
"The bony cage is unremarkable. The thoracic organs are
in their normal positions and relationships and there is no increase in free
pleural fluid. The above described area of contusion in the apical portion of
the right pleural cavity is noted."
Lungs (page 5)
"The lungs are of essentially similar appearance the
right weighing 320 Gm., the left 290 Gm. The lungs are well aerated with smooth
glistening pleural surfaces and gray-pink color. A 5 cm. diameter area of
purplish red discoloration and increased firmness to palpation is situated in
the apical portion of the right upper lobe. This corresponds to the similar area
described in the overlying parietal pleura. Incision in this region reveals
recent hemorrhage into pulmonary parenchyma."
Summary (page 6; third paragraph)
"The other missile entered the right superior posterior
thorax above the scapula and traversed the soft tissues of the supra-scapular
and the supra-clavicular portions of the base of the right side of the neck.
This missile produced contusions of the right apical parietal pleura and of the
apical portion of the right upper lobe of the lung. The missile contused the
strap muscles of the right side of the neck, damaged the trachea and made its
exit through the anterior surface of the neck. As far as can be ascertained this
missile struck no bony structure in its path through the body."
My summary
The autopsy doctors are telling us that five points of damage
formed a straight line between the entry of the bullet high in the back/neck and its exit
low in the throat: (1) the entrance wound just above the right shoulder blade; (2)
the tissues and muscles just inside that wound; (3) the top of the right
lung and protective tissue; (4) the right strap muscles of the neck and the
trachea, both near the point of exit; and (5) the exit wound in the low throat.
Nonmedical people may understandably find this series of wounds
and the strong evidence they collectively present hard to picture. Dr. John K.
Lattimer, the first non-Warren physician to examine the photos and X-rays from
the autopsy that were being stored in the National Archives, anticipated this problem and prepared the following
drawing and commentary, which appear on pages 180 and 181 of his 1980 book Kennedy
and Lincoln: Medical & ballistic comparisons of their assassinations.
Lattimer's explanation of the diagram
"This diagram of the neck wound is based on personal
observations of the photographs and X-rays. Because the National Archives
requested that no tracing be made, it is not precise. Its purpose is to clarify
the relative positions of the wounds in the neck and the various findings which
together indicated that all were consistent with the entry of a bullet into the
upper back that ranged downward and medially through the base of the neck and
exited low on the trachea in the midline, just below the collar button, causing
a nick in the knot of the necktie. The findings were:
A. Bullet Hole in Back of Suit Collar and Shirt. The
coat and shirt were probably humped up on the back of the President's neck (see
fig. 83) when the first bullet struck him. The FBI found a punched-in round hole
in the back of the coat consistent with a 6.5 mm bullet, with the broken cloth
fibers bent inward, indicating that this was a wound of entry. The cloth fibers
of the shirt were bent inward in the same manner. Traces of copper from a bullet
such as Oswald used were found on the margins of this hole in the coat by the
FBI, also indicating that it was a wound of entrance.
B. Bullet Hole in Back. The bullet hole in Kennedy's
upper back, about two inches below the crease of his neck, and about two inches
to the right of the midline.
C. Halo around Bullet Hole. The bullet hole had around
it a faint but definite halo, or circumferential bruise, typical of a wound of
entry from a high-speed bullet.
D. Spine Struck by Bullet. Tiny slivers of bone could
be seen in the upper (rear) area of the bullet track on the A-P X-ray film of
the right shoulder and neck area. Since no lateral X-ray film was taken of this
area, it was possible to determine only that they lay near the high (rear) end
of the bullet track, but not the exact distance they lay from the surface. They
were near the tip of the transverse process of the cervical vertebrae, which the
bullet obviously grazed. They are represented diagrammatically only. (See fig.
82.)
E. & F. Pleura and Lung Bruised. The autopsy
report described a 5 cm bruise on the dome of the right pleura and also on the
upper tip of the right lung, but no perforation of either, compatible with the
passage of a high-speed bullet close above this point.
G. Air in Tissues. There were tiny traces of air,
visible in the X-rays, in the tissues along the bullet track, near the hole in
the trachea.
H. Hole in Trachea. There was a ragged hole in the
right side of the trachea, seen by the surgeons at Parkland.
I. Tracheostomy. There was a gaping 6.5 cm transverse
tracheostomy incision low on the neck where the Dallas surgeons had enlarged the
bullet hole in order to insert a tracheostomy tube. (See fig. 80.)
J. Holes in Front of Shirt. There were 1 cm vertical
slits in both sides of the overlapping portion of the shirt immediately below
the collar band and touching it just below the collar button. (See fig. 84.)
K. Nick in Necktie. There was a nick or crease through
only the outer layer of fabric of the lower left side of the knot, compatible
with the passage of a spinning 6.5 mm bullet at high speed. A bloodstain
extended downward from this nick. (See fig. 85.) (J. K. Lattimer,
Resident and Staff Physician, May 1972)"
My comment
This striking analysis by Dr. Lattimer removes any remaining
doubt that a bullet from the rear entered high on Kennedy's back/neck and exited
at the bottom of his throat, just as the Warren Commission concluded it did.
From here it must have hit either Connally or the limousine. Since Connally was
hit in his right back by a nonpristine bullet and that part of the limousine was
not hit by any bullet, it is obvious that the bullet from Kennedy also passed
through Connally. This clearly and simply establishes the single-bullet theory.