Governor CONNALLY. Yes, sir.
Senator COOPER. As you moved down?
Governor CONNALLY. Yes, sir.
Senator COOPER. Were you aware at all of any sounds of rifleshots from
the direction of the overpass, from the embankment?
Governor CONNOLLY. No, sir; I don't believe there were such.
Senator COOPER. Well, you know, there have been stories.
Governor CONNALLY. Yes, sir; but I don't believe that.
Senator COOPER. I wanted to ask you if you were very conscious of the
fact--you were conscious of a shot behind you, you were not aware of
any shot from the embankment or overpass. The answer is what?
Governor CONNALLY. I am not aware of any shots from the overpass,
Senator. Senator, I might repeat my testimony with emphasis to this
extent, that I have all my life been familiar with the sound of a
rifleshot, and the sound I heard I thought was a rifleshot, at the time
I heard it I didn't think it was a firecracker, or blowout or anything
else. I thought it was a rifleshot. I have hunted enough to think that
my perception with respect to directions is very, very good, and this
shot I heard came from back over my right shoulder, which was in the
direction of the School Book Depository, no question about it. I heard
no other. The first and third shots came from there. I heard no other
sounds that would indicate to me there was any commotion or disturbance
of shots or anything else on the overpass.
Senator COOPER. Would you describe again the nature of the shock that
you had when you felt that you had been hit by a bullet?
Governor CONNALLY. Senator, the best way I can describe it is to say
that I would say it is as if someone doubled his fist and came up
behind you and just with about a 12-inch blow hit you right in the back
right below the shoulder blade.
Senator COOPER. That is when you heard the first rifleshot?
Governor CONNALLY. This was after I heard the first rifleshot. There
was no pain connected with it. There was no particular burning
sensation. There was nothing more than that. I think you would feel
almost the identical sensation I felt if someone came up behind you and
just, with a short jab, hit you with a doubled-up fist just below the
shoulder blade.
Senator COOPER. That is all.
Mr. SPECTER. I have just one other question, Governor. With respect to
the films and the slides which you have viewed this morning, had you
ever seen those pictures before this morning?
Governor CONNALLY. I had seen what purported to be a copy of the film
when I was in the hospital in Dallas. I had not seen the slides.
Mr. SPECTER. And when do you think you were hit on those slides,
Governor, or in what range of slides?
Governor CONNALLY. We took--you are talking about the number of the
slides?
Mr. SPECTER. Yes.
Governor CONNALLY. As we looked at them this morning, and as you
related the numbers to me, it appeared to me that I was hit in the
range between 130 or 131, I don't remember precisely, up to 134, in
that bracket.
Mr. SPECTER. May I suggest to you that it was 231?
Governor CONNALLY. Well, 231 and 234, then.
Mr. SPECTER. The series under our numbering system starts with a higher
number when the car comes around the turn, so when you come out of the
sign, which was----
Governor CONNALLY. It was just after we came out of the sign, for
whatever that sequence of numbers was, and if it was 200, I correct my
testimony. It was 231 to about 234. It was within that range.
Mr. SPECTER. That is all.
The CHAIRMAN. Are there any other questions?
Mr. DULLES. I have one or two. Governor, were you consulted at all
about the security arrangements in connection with the Dallas visit?
Governor CONNALLY. No, sir; not really; no, sir; and let me add we
normally are not.
Mr. DULLES. I realize that.
Governor CONNALLY. Mr. Dulles, the Secret Service, as you know, comes
in, they work with both our department of public safety and the various
city police, and the various localities in which we are going. So far
as I know, there was complete cooperation on the part of everyone
concerned, but I was not consulted.
Mr. DULLES. I think you mentioned that there was a slight change in
plans before the arrival in San Antonio. I don't know whether it
affects our investigation at all. Do you recall that?
Governor CONNALLY. Yes, sir; I don't know whether it--I don't think it
affects the testimony at all. I was merely trying to relate some of
the problems that had gone into planning a Presidential trip into four
cities.
Mr. DULLES. Yes.
Governor CONNALLY. And trying to arrange this all initially within
about a 12-hour period which had been expanded into a little more than
that because the President finally agreed to come the day before, and
come into San Antonio on the afternoon before the Thomas dinner on
Thursday night.
Mr. DULLES. That was the change you had in mind?
Governor CONNALLY. This was the change. This gave us much more latitude
because it permitted us to go into San Antonio, which is one of the
major stops, which was the major stop, really, because he dedicated
the Aerospace Medical Center on Thursday, which meant we did not have
to crowd Thursday. But there was a change, but not significant to this
investigation.
Mr. DULLES. Do you happen to recall in general when the decision was
reached that the visit would include a trip to Dallas, or was that
always a part?
Governor CONNALLY. I think it was always a part.
Mr. DULLES. Of the planning?
Governor CONNALLY. Yes; I think it was always a part. There was
consideration given, if you had to leave out some place, let us leave
out Dallas or let us leave out this one or that one, but there was
no question, I don't think, in anyone's mind if we made more than one
stop in the big cities that we were going to try to make them all, San
Antonio, Houston, Dallas, and Fort Worth.
Mr. DULLES. You do not recall seeing anyone approach the car outside
of those who were in the procession just prior to the shooting, anyone
from the sidewalk or along the street there, in the park, which was on
one side?
Governor CONNALLY. No, sir; I sure don't.
Mr. DULLES. You and one other happen to be the only witnesses who have
indicated that they recognized it as being a rifleshot. The other
witness, like you, was a huntsman. Most of the witnesses have indicated
they thought it was a backfire; the first shot was a backfire or a
firecracker.
Can you distinguish, what is there that distinguishes a rifleshot from
a backfire or a firecracker? Can you tell or is it just instinct?
Governor CONNALLY. I am not sure I could accurately describe it. I
don't know that I have ever attempted to. I would say a firecracker
or a blowout has more of a hollow, bursting kind of sound, as if you
popped a balloon, or something of this sort. A rifleshot, on the other
hand, to me has more of a ring, kind of an echo to it, more of a
metallic sound to it. It is a more penetrating sound than a firecracker
or a blowout. It carries----
Mr. DULLES. That gives me what I had in mind. I realize that. That is
all I have, Mr. Chief Justice.
The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much. We are very appreciative of the help
you have given us.
Senator COOPER. May I ask just one question?
The CHAIRMAN. We hate to have you review all of this sordid thing again.
Senator COOPER. May I ask a rather general question? I would like to
ask, in view of all the discussion which has been had, was there any
official discussion of any kind before this trip of which you were
aware that there might be some act of violence against the President?
Governor CONNALLY. No, sir.
Senator COOPER. Thank you.
Governor CONNALLY. No; let me say that there have been several news
stories----
Senator COOPER. Yes, I know.
Governor CONNALLY. That purportedly quoted me about not wanting the
President to ride in a motorcade or caravan in Dallas. That is very
true. But the implication was that I had some fear of his life, which
is not true.
The reason I didn't want him to do it at the time it came up was simply
we were running out of time, and that, I thought, we were working him
much too hard. This again was before the change, moving San Antonio to
Thursday instead of having it all on one day, and I was opposed to a
motorcade because they do drain energy, and it takes time to do it, and
I didn't think we had the time.
But once we got San Antonio moved from Friday to Thursday afternoon,
where that was his initial stop in Texas, then we had the time, and I
withdrew my objections to a motorcade.
The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much, Governor.
Governor CONNALLY. Thank you, sir.