The testimony of Dr. William Kemp Clark was taken at 11:50 a.m., on
March 21, 1964, at Parkland Memorial Hospital, Dallas, Tex., by Mr.
Arlen Specter, assistant counsel of the President's Commission.
Mr. SPECTER. Would you stand up please, Dr. Clark, and raise your right
hand?
Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you will give before the
President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy in
this deposition proceeding will be the truth, the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth, so help you God?
Dr. CLARK. I do.
Mr. SPECTER. You may be seated.
Dr. CLARK. Thank you.
Mr. SPECTER. The President's Commission is investigating all facts
related to the Assassination of President Kennedy, and you have been
asked to testify in this deposition proceeding relating to the medical
treatment received by President Kennedy at Parkland Memorial Hospital
and all facts incident thereto.
Dr. Clark, have you received a letter from the President's Commission
enclosing a copy of the Executive Order establishing the Commission and
a copy of a Senate and House Joint Resolution about the Commission, and
a letter relating to the taking of testimony by the Commission?
Dr. CLARK. I have.
Mr. SPECTER. And are you willing to proceed with this deposition today,
even though 3 days have not elapsed between the time you received the
letter and this morning?
Dr. CLARK. Yes.
Mr. SPECTER. Would you state your full name for the record, please?
Dr. CLARK. William Kemp Clark.
Mr. SPECTER. Will you outline in a general way your educational
background, please?
Dr. CLARK. Yes. I graduated from the University of Texas in Austin,
1944. I graduated from the University of Texas Medical Branch at
Galveston in 1948. I interned at Indiana University Medical Center and
was a resident in surgery there from 1948 to 1950. I spent 2 years in
the Air Force and then took my residency in neurological surgery at
Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. This was from 1953 to
1956, at which time I came to the University of Texas, Southwestern
Medical School, as chairman of the division of neurological surgery.
Would you like the professional qualifications?
Mr. SPECTER. Yes; may I have the professional qualifications in summary
form, if you will, please.
Dr. CLARK. I am board certified by the American Board of Neurological
Surgery. I am a Fellow with the American College of Surgeons. I am a
member of the Harvey Cushing Society.
Mr. SPECTER. What is the Harvey Cushing Society, by the way?
Dr. CLARK. It is the largest society of neurological surgeons in the
world.
Mr. SPECTER. And what do your duties consist of with respect to the
Southwestern Medical School of the University of Texas?
Dr. CLARK. I am in charge of the division of neurological surgery
and carry the responsibility of administering this department or
this division, to arrange the instruction of medical students in
neurological surgery and to conduct research in this field.
Mr. SPECTER. What were your duties back on November 22, 1963?
Dr. CLARK. Essentially these. I also, as chairman of the division, have
the responsibility as director of neurological surgery at Parkland
Memorial Hospital which is the major teaching hospital of the medical
school.
Mr. SPECTER. Did you receive notification on November 22, 1963, that
the President had been wounded and was en route to this hospital?
Dr. CLARK. Yes, sir; I did.
Mr. SPECTER. Do you know at approximately what time you got that
notification?
Dr. CLARK. Approximately 12:20 or 12:30.
Mr. SPECTER. And what action, if any, did you take as a result of
receiving that notification?
Dr. CLARK. I went immediately to the emergency room at Parkland
Hospital. I was in the laboratory at Southwestern Medical School when
this word reached me by phone from the hospital.
Mr. SPECTER. And at approximately what time did you then arrive at the
emergency room?
Dr. CLARK. I would estimate it took a minute and a half to two minutes,
so I would guess that I arrived approximately 12:30.
Mr. SPECTER. And who was present, if anyone, upon your arrival,
attending to the President?
Dr. CLARK. Dr. Jenkins, that is M. T. Jenkins, I suppose I ought to
say, Dr. Ronald Jones, Dr. Malcolm Perry, Dr. James Carrico; arriving
either with me or immediately thereafter were Dr. Robert McClelland,
Dr. Paul Peters, and Dr. Charles Baxter.
Mr. SPECTER. What did you observe the President's condition to be on
your arrival there?
Dr. CLARK. The President was lying on his back on the emergency cart.
Dr. Perry was performing a tracheotomy. There were chest tubes being
inserted. Dr. Jenkins was assisting the President's respirations
through a tube in his trachea. Dr. Jones and Dr. Carrico were
administering fluids and blood intravenously. The President was making
a few spasmodic respiratory efforts. I assisted in withdrawing the
endotracheal tube from the throat as Dr. Perry was then ready to insert
the tracheotomy tube. I then examined the President briefly.
My findings showed his pupils were widely dilated, did not react to
light, and his eyes were deviated outward with a slight skew deviation.
I then examined the wound in the back of the President's head. This was
a large, gaping wound in the right posterior part, with cerebral and
cerebellar tissue being damaged and exposed. There was considerable
blood loss evident on the carriage, the floor, and the clothing of
some of the people present. I would estimate 1,500 cc. of blood being
present.
As I was examining the President's wound, I felt for a carotid pulse
and felt none. Therefore, I began external cardiac massage and asked
that a cardiotachioscope be connected. Because of my position it was
difficult to administer cardiac massage. However, Dr. Jones stated that
he felt a femoral pulse.
Mr. SPECTER. What is a femoral pulse?
Dr. CLARK. A femoral artery is the main artery going to the legs, and
at the junction of the leg and the trunk you can feel the arterial
pulsation in this artery. Because of my position, cardiac massage was
taken over by Dr. Malcolm Perry, who was more advantageously situated.
Mr. SPECTER. What did the cardiotachioscope show at that time?
Dr. CLARK. By this time the cardiotachioscope, we just call it a
cardiac monitor for a better word----
Mr. SPECTER. That's a good word.
Dr. CLARK. The cardiotachioscope had been attached and Dr. Fouad
Bashour had arrived. There was transient electrical activity of the
President's heart of an undefined type. Approximately, at this time the
external cardiac massage became ineffectual and no pulsations could be
felt. At this time it was decided to pronounce the President dead.
Mr. SPECTER. At what time was this fixed?
Dr. CLARK. Death was fixed at 1 p.m.
Mr. SPECTER. Was that a precise time or an approximate time, or in what
way did you fix the time of death at 1 o'clock?
Dr. CLARK. This was an approximation as it is, first, extremely
difficult to state precisely when death occurs. Secondly, no one was
monitoring the clock, so an approximation of 1 o'clock was chosen.
Mr. SPECTER. Who was it who actually fixed the time of death?
Dr. CLARK. I did.
Mr. SPECTER. And did you have any part in the filling out of the death
certificate?
Dr. CLARK. Yes.
Mr. SPECTER. And what did you do with respect to that?
Dr. CLARK. I filled out the death certificate at the request of Dr.
George Burkley, the President's physician at the White House, signed
the death certificate as a registered physician in the State of Texas,
and gave this to him to accompany the body to Washington.
Mr. SPECTER. Did you advise anyone else in the Presidential party of
the death of the President?
Dr. CLARK. Yes; I told Mrs. Kennedy, the President's wife, of his death.
Mr. SPECTER. And what, if anything, did she respond to you?
Dr. CLARK. She told me that she knew it and thanked me for our efforts.
Mr. SPECTER. Were any bullets or parts of bullets found in the
President's body?
Dr. CLARK. Not by me, nor did I see any such missiles recovered at
Parkland Hospital.
Mr. SPECTER. Were you a part of any press conference which followed on
the day of the assassination?
Dr. CLARK. Yes, sir; I was.
Mr. SPECTER. And who made the arrangements for the press conference?
Dr. CLARK. Mr. Malcolm Kilduff, the Presidential press secretary.
Mr. SPECTER. At what time did the press conference occur?
Dr. CLARK. Approximately 2:30.
Mr. SPECTER. Where was it held?
Dr. CLARK. It was held in room 101-102, Parkland Hospital.
Mr. SPECTER. What mechanical instruments were used, if any, by the
press at the conference?
Dr. CLARK. Tape recorders and television cameras, as well as the usual
note pads and pencils, and so forth.
Mr. SPECTER. And who was interviewed during the course of the press
conference and photographed?
Dr. CLARK. Dr. Malcolm Perry and myself.
Mr. SPECTER. No one else?
Dr. CLARK. No.
Mr. SPECTER. What, if anything, did you say then in the course of that
press conference?
Dr. CLARK. I described the President's wound in his head in very much
the same way as I have described it here. I was asked if this wound was
an entrance wound, an exit wound, or what, and I said it could be an
exit wound, but I felt it was a tangential wound.
Mr. SPECTER. Which wound did you refer to at this time?
Dr. CLARK. The wound in the head.
Mr. SPECTER. Did you describe at that time what you meant by
"tangential"?
Dr. CLARK. Yes, sir; I did.
Mr. SPECTER. What definition of "tangential" did you make at that time?
Dr. CLARK. As I remember, I defined the word "tangential" as
being--striking an object obliquely, not squarely or head on.
Mr. SPECTER. Will you describe at this time in somewhat greater detail
the consequences of a tangential wound as contrasted with another type
of a striking?
Dr. CLARK. Let me begin by saying that the damage suffered by an organ
when struck by a bullet or other missile----
Mr. SPECTER. May the record show that I interrupted the deposition
for about 2 minutes to ascertain what our afternoon schedule would be
here because the regular administration office ordinarily closes at 12
o'clock, which was just about 15 minutes ago, and then we resumed the
deposition of Dr. Clark as he was discussing the concept of tangential
and other types of striking.
Go ahead, Doctor.
Dr. CLARK. The effects of any missile striking an organ or a function
of the energy which is shed by the missile in passing through this
organ when a bullet strikes the head, if it is able to pass through
rapidly without shedding any energy into the brain, little damage
results, other than that part of the brain which is directly penetrated
by the missile. However, if it strikes the skull at an angle, it must
then penetrate much more bone than normal, therefore, is likely to shed
more energy, striking the brain a more powerful blow.
Secondly, in striking the bone in this manner, it may cause pieces of
the bone to be blown into the brain and thus act as secondary missiles.
Finally, the bullet itself may be deformed and deflected so that it
would go through or penetrate parts of the brain, not in the usual
direct line it was proceeding.
Mr. SPECTER. Now, referring back to the press conference, did you
define a tangential wound at that time?
Dr. CLARK. Yes.
Mr. SPECTER. And what else did you state at the press conference at
2:30 on November 22?
Dr. CLARK. I stated that the President had lost considerable blood,
that one of the contributing causes of death was this massive blood
loss, that I was unable to state how many wounds the President had
sustained or from what angle they could have come.
I finally remember stating that the President's wound was obviously a
massive one and was insurvivable.
Mr. SPECTER. What did Dr. Perry say at that time, during the course of
that press conference, when the cameras were operating?
Dr. CLARK. As I recall, Dr. Perry stated that there was a small
wound in the President's throat, that he made the incision for the
tracheotomy through this wound. He discovered that the trachea was
deviated so he felt that the missile had entered the President's chest.
He asked for chest tubes then to be placed in the pleural cavities. He
was asked if this wound in the throat was an entrance wound or an exit
wound. He said it was small and clean so it could have been an entrance
wound.
Mr. SPECTER. Did he say anything else that you can recollect now in
response to the question of whether it was a wound of entrance or exit?
Dr. CLARK. No, sir; I cannot recall.
Mr. SPECTER. Were you a part of a second press conference, Dr. Clark?
Dr. CLARK. Yes, sir.
Mr. SPECTER. And when did that second press conference occur?
Dr. CLARK. On Saturday, the 23d.
Mr. SPECTER. At about what time?
Dr. CLARK. Sometime in the morning, as I recall.
Mr. SPECTER. Going back to the first press conference for just a
minute, which television networks were involved on that?
Dr. CLARK. Without sounding facetious, everyone, including some I had
never heard of.
Mr. SPECTER. Can you recollect any besides the three major
networks--ABC, CBS, and NBC?
Dr. CLARK. This is all I remember. I remember seeing in the room
two reporters from Dallas newspapers whom I know and the radio and
television stations were also present.
Mr. SPECTER. Now, going back to the second conference which I had
started asking you about, had you had an opportunity to tell me what
time of day that was?
Dr. CLARK. It was in the morning, as I recall.
Mr. SPECTER. And what television stations or networks were involved in
that conference?
Dr. CLARK. Again, all three major networks, and I believe through our
local affiliates. It does not seem as though this one was as jammed and
as full as the first one.
Mr. SPECTER. And who arranged that press conference?
Dr. CLARK. That press conference was arranged by Mr. Steve Landregan,
assistant administrator and public relations officer for the hospital.
This is his office.
Mr. SPECTER. And who spoke at that press conference while the
television cameras were grinding?
Dr. CLARK. Dr. Perry and myself.
Mr. SPECTER. And what did you say at that time?
Dr. CLARK. Essentially the same thing as I had on the first press
conference, again defining tangential, and again describing the
President's wound as being massive and unsurvivable.
Mr. SPECTER. And what did Dr. Perry, at that time, say?
Dr. CLARK. Dr. Perry said very little. He described the President's
condition as he first saw him, when he was first called, and he
described the manner in which he was called to the emergency room.
Mr. SPECTER. Did he say anything about whether the neck wound was a
point of entry or exit?
Dr. CLARK. I do not remember--I specifically discussed this--may I add
something to what I said in the first press conference?
Mr. SPECTER. Yes; please do, if you find something that comes to mind,
please feel free to add that.
Dr. CLARK. All right. Let me check what I remember Dr. Perry said at
the first press conference. He was asked if the neck wound could be a
wound of entrance or appeared to be a wound of exit, and Dr. Perry said
something like "possibly or conceivably," or something of this sort.
Mr. SPECTER. And, did he elaborate as to how that projectory would have
been possible in that press conference?
Dr. CLARK. He did not elaborate on this. One of the reporters with
gestures indicated the direction that such a bullet would have to take,
and Dr. Perry quite obviously had to agree that this is the way it had
to go to get from there to the top of his head.
Mr. SPECTER. But that was a possible trajectory under the circumstances?
Dr. CLARK. Yes.
Mr. SPECTER. How would that have been postulated in terms of striking
specific parts of the body?
Dr. CLARK. Well, on a speculation, this would mean that the missile
would have had to have been fired from below--upward or that the
President was hanging upside down.
Me. SPECTER. Did Dr. Perry discuss anything with you prior to that
second conference about a telephone call from Washington, D.C.?
Dr. CLARK. Yes; he did.
Mr. SPECTER. Would you relate briefly what Dr. Perry told you about
that subject?
Dr. CLARK. Yes; Dr. Perry stated that he had talked to the Bethesda
Naval Hospital on two occasions that morning and that he knew what the
autopsy findings had shown and that he did not wish to be questioned by
the press, as he had been asked by Bethesda to confine his remarks to
that which he knew from having examined the President, and suggested
that the major part of this press conference be conducted by me.
Mr. SPECTER. Was anyone else present when he expressed those thoughts
to you?
Dr. CLARK. I believe that Mr. Price and Dr. Shires were present. I
could be wrong on that.
Mr. SPECTER. Now, were you a part of a third press conference?
Dr. CLARK. Yes, sir.
Mr. SPECTER. And when did that occur?
Dr. CLARK. During the following week--I have forgotten exactly the day.
Mr. SPECTER. And what networks were involved at that time?
Dr. CLARK. It was CBS.
Mr. SPECTER. Was that a television conference?
Dr. CLARK. Yes; this was filmed.
Mr. SPECTER. And who arranged that conference?
Dr. CLARK. Again, Mr. Landregan.
Mr. SPECTER. And who spoke at that conference?
Dr. CLARK. Dr. Shaw, Dr. Shires, Dr. Baxter, Dr. McClelland, Dr.
Jenkins, Dr. Gieseke, and myself.
Mr. SPECTER. Was Dr. Perry there at that time?
Dr. CLARK. Yes; Dr. Perry was there.
Mr. SPECTER. Would you outline briefly what you said at that time, if
it differed in any way from what you said before?
Dr. CLARK. No, sir; it did not.
Mr. SPECTER. What did Dr. Perry say at that time?
Dr. CLARK. Essentially the same thing that he had said before,
describing the wound in the throat, describing the condition of the
President, how he was called and so forth.
Mr. SPECTER. Did he comment at that time as to whether it was an
entrance wound or an exit wound or what?
Dr. CLARK. I don't remember.
Mr. SPECTER. And what did Dr. Shaw say at that time?
Dr. CLARK. Dr. Shaw described Governor Connally's chest wound. He
described what was done for him, the operation in some detail. He
described the fact that Governor Connally was conscious up until the
time he was anesthetized in the operating room.
Mr. SPECTER. And what did Dr. Shires say at that time?
Dr. CLARK. Dr. Shires described the wounds suffered by Oswald and what
was done in an attempt to save him.
Mr. SPECTER. And how about Dr. Gieseke, what did he say?
Dr. CLARK. Dr. Gieseke corroborated Dr. Shaw's statements regarding
Governor Connally's condition and his remaining conscious until he was
anesthetized by Dr. Gieseke.
Mr. SPECTER. What did Dr. Baxter say at that conference?
Dr. CLARK. Dr. Baxter described President Kennedy's condition as he saw
it, stated that he had assisted in the placing in the chest tubes on
President Kennedy, and that he had been present at Oswald's operation.
Mr. SPECTER. Did Dr. Baxter describe the neck wound that President
Kennedy suffered with specific respect as to whether it was point of
entry or exit?
Dr. CLARK. I don't remember--I don't believe he did.
Mr. SPECTER. Now, have we covered all the doctors who spoke at that
press conference?
Dr. CLARK. Except Dr. Jenkins.
Mr. SPECTER. And what did Dr. Jenkins say at that time?
Dr. CLARK. Dr. Jenkins described being called to attend President
Kennedy, how he got there with his anesthesia machine, that he found
an endotracheal tube had already been inserted. He hooked up and he
described the activities in the emergency room, operating room No. 1,
and he described the stopping of the President's heart and the decision
to pronounce him dead. He went ahead to describe the operation on Mr.
Oswald and the extent of blood loss, etc., which he had sustained.
Mr. SPECTER. Now, were you involved in still a subsequent press
conference?
Dr. CLARK. Yes, sir; I was.
Mr. SPECTER. And with whom was that press conference?
Dr. CLARK. This was with NBC and was approximately 2 weeks after the
assassination.
Mr. SPECTER. And who arranged that press conference?
Dr. CLARK. Mr. Landregan.
Mr. SPECTER. And was that filmed?
Dr. CLARK. Yes, that was also filmed.
Mr. SPECTER. And who spoke at that time?
Dr. CLARK. I spoke alone as a representative of the department and so
stated in the conference.
Mr. SPECTER. And what did you say at that time?
Dr. CLARK. Essentially the same thing as had been stated before.
Mr. SPECTER. Now, were you a part of still another press conference?
Dr. CLARK. Yes.
Mr. SPECTER. When was that?
Dr. CLARK. The week after the assassination.
Mr. SPECTER. And with whom was that press conference?
Dr. CLARK. With BBC.
Mr. SPECTER. Who arranged that?
Dr. CLARK. Mr. Landregan, again.
Mr. SPECTER. And did anyone else participate in that press conference
with you?
Dr. CLARK. No.
Mr. SPECTER. And was that televised, filmed, or simply recorded?
Dr. CLARK. It was simply recorded.
Mr. SPECTER. And what did you say at that time?
Dr. CLARK. Exactly the same thing as I have said at the previous
conferences, describing the President's condition, his wound, and what
transpired after I arrived.
Mr. SPECTER. At any of the press conferences were you asked about a
hole on the left side of the President's head?
Dr. CLARK. Yes.
Mr. SPECTER. At which conference or conferences?
Dr. CLARK. I was asked about this at the CBS conference and I stated
that I personally saw no such wound.
Mr. SPECTER. And who asked you about it at that time, if you recall?
Dr. CLARK. The man who was conducting the conference. This was brought
up by one of the physicians, I think Dr. McClelland, that there was
some discussion of such a wound.
Mr. SPECTER. Did Dr. McClelland say that he had seen such a wound?
Dr. CLARK. No.
Mr. SPECTER. What was the origin, if you know, as to the inquiry on the
wound, that is, who suggested that there might have been a wound on the
left side?
Dr. CLARK. I don't recall--I don't recall.
Mr. SPECTER. Had there been some comment that the priests made a
comment that there was a wound on the left side of the head?
Dr. CLARK. I heard this subsequently from one of the reporters who
attended the press conference with NBC.
Mr. SPECTER. Were priests actually in trauma room 1?
Dr. CLARK. Yes, sir.
Mr. SPECTER. Where were they in relation to the President at that time?
Dr. CLARK. They were on the right side of the President's body.
Mr. SPECTER. Now, you described the massive wound at the top of the
President's head, with the brain protruding; did you observe any other
hole or wound on the President's head?
Dr. CLARK. No, sir; I did not.
Mr. SPECTER. Did you observe, to make my question very specific, a
bullet hole or what appeared to be a bullet hole in the posterior
scalp, approximately 2.5 cm. laterally to the right, slightly above the
external occipital protuberant, measuring 15 by 6 mm.
Dr. CLARK. No, sir; I did not. This could have easily been hidden in
the blood and hair.
Mr. SPECTER. Did you observe any bullet wounds or any other wound on
the back side of the President?
Dr. CLARK. No, sir; I did not.
Mr. SPECTER. Was the President ever turned over while he was in the
emergency room?
Dr. CLARK. Not in my presence; no, sir.
Mr. SPECTER. And did you leave before, with, or after all the other
doctors who were in attendance?
Dr. CLARK. I left after all the other doctors who were in attendance,
because I stayed with Dr. Burkley until we had the death certificate
signed and the arrangements had been made to transport the President's
body out of Parkland Hospital.
Mr. SPECTER. You say Dr. Burkley or Buckley?
Dr. CLARK. Dr. Burkley.
Mr. SPECTER. That's the President's private physician?
Dr. CLARK. Yes.
Mr. SPECTER. Dr. Clark, would your observations be consistent with some
other alleged facts in this matter, such as the presence of a lateral
wound measuring 15 by 6 mm. on the posterior scalp approximately 2.5
cm. laterally to the right and slightly above the external occipital
proturberant--that is to say, could such a hole have been present
without your observing it?
Dr. CLARK. Yes, in the presence of this much destruction of skull and
scalp above such a wound and lateral to it and the brief period of time
available for examination--yes, such a wound could be present.
Mr. SPECTER. The physicians, surgeons who examined the President at the
autopsy specifically, Commander James J. Humes, H-u-m-e-s (spelling);
Commander J. Thornton Boswell, B-o-s-w-e-l-l (spelling), and Lt. Col.
Pierre A. Finck, F-i-n-c-k (spelling), expressed the joint opinion
that the wound which I have just described as being 15 by 6 mm.
and 2.5 cm. to the right and slightly above the external occipital
protuberant was a point of entrance of a bullet in the President's
head at a time when the President's head was moved slightly forward
with his chin dropping into his chest, when he was riding in an open
car at a slightly downhill position. With those facts being supplied
to them in a hypothetical fashion, they concluded that the bullet
would have taken a more or less straight course, exiting from the
center of the President's skull at a point indicated by an opening
from three portions of the skull reconstructed, which had been brought
to them--would those findings and those conclusions be consistent
with your observations if you assumed the additional facts which I
have brought to your attention, in addition to those which you have
personally observed?
Dr. CLARK. Yes, sir.
Mr. SPECTER. Dr. Clark, in the line of your specialty, could you
comment as to the status of the President with respect to competency,
had he been able to survive the head injuries which you have described
and the total wound which he had?
Dr. CLARK. This, of course, is a question of tremendous importance.
Just let me state that the loss of cerebrellar tissue would probably
have been of minimal consequence in the performance of his duties. The
loss of the right occipital and probably part of the right parietal
lobes would have been of specific importance. This would have led to a
visual field deficit, which would have interfered in a major way with
his ability to read, not the interpretation of reading matter per se,
but the acquisition of information from the printed page. He would have
had specific difficulty with finding the next line in a book or paper.
This would have proven to be a specific handicap in getting information
on which, as the President of the United States, he would have to act.
How much damage he would have had to his motor system, that is, the
ability to control or coordinate his left extremities, I would not
know. This conceivably could have been a problem in enabling him to
move about, to appear in public, et cetera. Finally, and probably most
important, since the brain, as far as at its higher levels, largely as
a unit, the loss of this much brain tissue likely would have impaired
his ability in abstract reasoning, imagination; whereas, the part of
the President's brain struck is not that part specifically concerned
with these matters. The effect of loss of considerable brain tissue
does affect the total performance of the organ in these matters. There
would be grave doubts in my mind as to our ability as physicians to
give a clear answer regarding his ability to function as President of
the United States.
Our ability to judge this is sometimes sorely tried when dealing with
people with considerably less intellectual and moral demands made upon
them.
Mr. SPECTER. Doctor, did you prepare certain written reports based on
your participation in the treatment of President Kennedy?
Dr. CLARK. Yes, sir; I did.
Mr. SPECTER. And I now show you a document which has been supplied to
the President's Commission, which we have marked as Commission Exhibit
No. 392, and I now show you the second and third sheets, which purport
to be the summary made by you and ask if that was prepared by you?
Dr. CLARK. Yes, sir; it was.
Mr. SPECTER. And, are the facts set forth in those two sheets true and
correct?
Dr. CLARK. Yes, sir.
Mr. SPECTER. And I now show you a 2-3/4-page summary which purports to
bear your signature, being dated November 22, 1963, and I ask you if
that, in fact, is your signature?
Dr. CLARK. Yes; it is.
Mr. SPECTER. And, was, in fact, this report made in your own hand
concerning the treatment which you rendered to the President?
Dr. CLARK. Yes, sir.
Mr. SPECTER. And are the facts set forth therein true and correct?
Dr. CLARK. Yes, sir.
Mr. SPECTER. Have you made any other written report or other writings
of any sort concerning this matter?
Dr. CLARK. No; I have not.
Mr. SPECTER. Have you been interviewed or discussed this matter with
any Federal representative prior to today?
Dr. CLARK. Yes, sir; I have.
Mr. SPECTER. And whom did you talk to?
Dr. CLARK. I talked to an FBI agent a few days after the assassination,
in Mr. Jack Price's office.
Mr. SPECTER. And who is Mr. Price, for the record at this point?
Dr. CLARK. He is the administrator of Parkland Memorial Hospital. This
agent asked me if I had recovered any missiles or fragments of missiles
from the President's body. I said I did not, and he asked me if I knew
of anyone in Parkland Hospital who had recovered such evidence and I
assured him I did not.
Mr. SPECTER. Did he ask you anything further?
Dr. CLARK. No, sir.
Mr. SPECTER. Did you tell him anything further?
Dr. CLARK. No, sir. I offered to answer any questions he might have
asked and he said that was all he wished to know.
Mr. SPECTER. And did you talk to any other representative of the
Federal Government at any time before today?
Dr. CLARK. Yes; I talked to a member of the Secret Service
approximately a month after the assassination. I talked to him on
two occasions, once by phone, and he asked me if I had a copy of the
written report submitted by Dr. Ronald Jones, and I told him I did not.
I subsequently talked to him in person. He showed me the summary that I
prepared and sent to Dr. Burkley, the same document I just identified
here, and my own handwritten report of the events of the afternoon of
the 22d of November. He asked me if I prepared these and I told him I
had. He asked me if I had any other written records. I told him I did
not. He said, "Do you have any additional information than you have
written?" I said I did not. He thanked me very much for coming.
Mr. SPECTER. Have you now summarized all of the conversations you have
had with any representative of the Federal Government prior to today?
Dr. CLARK. Yes, sir.
Mr. SPECTER. And have you had any conversations with any representative
of the State government prior to today?
Dr. CLARK. No, sir.
Mr. SPECTER. Before you were sworn in to have your deposition taken,
did you and I have a discussion about this matter?
Dr. CLARK. Yes, sir; a pleasant discussion of what the function of this
Commission is.
Mr. SPECTER. And, also, all of what I would be asking once the record
was open and we started taking your deposition?
Dr. CLARK. Yes, sir.
Mr. SPECTER. And have we covered on the record with the court reporter
transcribing all the subjects which you and I discussed informally and
prior to the start of the more formal session here?
Dr. CLARK. Yes, sir.
Mr. SPECTER. Do you have anything which you would care to add, which
you think might possibly be helpful to the Commission in any way, Dr.
Clark?
Dr. CLARK. No, sir; I'm afraid I don't.
Mr. SPECTER. Thank you very much for coming. We surely appreciate it,
Dr. Clark. Thank you, Dr. Clark.
Dr. CLARK. Thank you.