Dr. SHAW. May I add one sentence there?
Mr. SPECTER. Please do.
Dr. SHAW. The bullet, in passing through the Governor's chest wall
struck the fifth rib at its midpoint and roughly followed the slanting
direction of the fifth rib, shattering approximately 10 cm. of the rib.
The intercostal muscle bundle above the fifth rib and below the fifth
rib were surprisingly spared from injury by the shattering of the rib,
which again establishes the trajectory of the bullet.
Mr. SPECTER. Would the shattering of the rib have had any effect in
deflecting the path of the bullet from a straight line?
Dr. SHAW. It could have, except that in the case of this injury, the
rib was obviously struck so that not too dense cancellus portion of the
rib in this position was carried away by the bullet and probably there
was very little in the way of deflection.
Mr. SPECTER. At this time, Dr. Shaw, I would like to call your
attention to an exhibit which we have already had marked as Dr.
Gregory's Exhibit No. 1, because we have used this in the course of his
deposition earlier today and this is a body diagram, and I ask you,
first of all, looking at Diagram No. 1, to comment as to whether the
point of entry marked on the right shoulder of Governor Connally is
accurate?
Dr. SHAW. Yes. The point of entry as marked on this exhibit I consider
to be quite accurate.
Mr. SPECTER. Is the size and dimension of the hole accurate on scale,
or would you care to make any adjustment or modification in that
characterization by picture?
Dr. SHAW. As the wound entry is marked on this figure, I would say
that the scale is larger than the actual wound or the actual depicting
of the wound should be. As I described it, it was approximately a
centimeter and a half in length.
Mr. SPECTER. Would you draw, Dr. Shaw, right above the shoulder as best
you can recollect, what that wound of entry appeared at the time you
first observed it? Would you put your initials right beside that?
(The witness, Dr. Shaw, complied with the request of Counsel Specter.)
Mr. SPECTER. Now, directing your attention to the figure right beside,
showing the front view, does the point of exit on the lower chest of
the figure there correspond with the point of exit on the body of
Governor Connally?
Dr. SHAW. Yes; I would say that it conforms in every way except that it
was a little nearer to the right nipple than depicted here.
Off the record, just a minute.
(Discussion between Counsel Specter and the witness, Dr. Shaw, off the
record.)
Mr. SPECTER. Dr. Shaw, in our off-the-record conversation, you called
my attention to your thought that the nipple line is incorrectly
depicted on that figure, would you, therefore, in ink mark on there the
nipple line which would be more accurate proportionately to that body?
Dr. SHAW. Yes; I feel the nipple line as shown on this figure is a
little high and should be placed at a lower point on the body, which
would bring the wound of exit, which I feel is in the proper position,
more in line with the actual position of the nipple.
Mr. SPECTER. Now, with the wound of exit as it is shown there, does
that correspond in position with the actual situation on Governor
Connally's body as you have redrawn the proportion to the nipple line?
Dr. SHAW. It does.
Mr. SPECTER. Would you put an "X" through the old nipple line so we
have obscured that and put your initials beside those two marks, if you
would, please?
Dr. SHAW. By the "X-1"?
Mr. SPECTER. Yes, please.
(The witness, Dr. Shaw, complied with request of Counsel Specter in
drawing on the figure heretofore mentioned.)
Mr. SPECTER. Now, as to the proportion of the hole depicting the point
of exit, is that correct with respect to characterizing the situation
on Governor Connally?
Dr. SHAW. It is, and corresponds with the relative size of the two
wounds as I have shown on the other figure.
Mr. SPECTER. Would you at this time, right above the right shoulder
there, draw the appearances of the point of exit as nearly as you can
recollect it on Governor Connally?
Dr. SHAW. This is right.
Mr. SPECTER. You say the hole which appears on Governor Connally is
just about the size that it would have been on his body?
Dr. SHAW. Yes; it is drawn in good scale.
Mr. SPECTER. In good scale to the body?
Dr. SHAW. Yes.
Mr. SPECTER. Would you draw it on another portion of the paper here in
terms of its absolute size?
Dr. SHAW. Five cm. it would be--about like that--do you want me to mark
that?
Mr. SPECTER. Put your initials right in the center of that circle.