Mr. DULLES. Had been dried artificially or let nature take its course?
Mr. FRAZIER. It appeared to be air dried.
Mr. DULLES. Air dried, artificially?
Mr. FRAZIER. I couldn't say whether any outside heat had been applied
but it did not appear that any heat had been applied to the blood.
Mr. SPECTER. Proceed.
Mr. FRAZIER. On the hole on the back of the coat although it had the
general appearance and could have been a bullet hole, possibly because
of the cleaning and pressing of the garment. I cannot state that it
actually is a bullet hole nor the direction of the path of the bullet,
if it were a bullet hole.
Mr. SPECTER. Is the nature of the opening consistent with being a
bullet hole?
Mr. FRAZIER. Yes, sir; it is.
Mr. SPECTER. And is it consistent with a bullet hole caused by a
missile traveling from the back to the front of the wearer of the
garment?
Mr. FRAZIER. I could not determine that.
Mr. SPECTER. You couldn't determine that it was, but could it have been?
Mr. FRAZIER. It could have been, yes; either way.
Mr. SPECTER. All right. Will you now turn to the front side of the coat
and state what, if any, damage you observed on the body of the garment?
Mr. FRAZIER. When considered from the wearer's standpoint, on the right
chest area of the coat there is a hole through the lining and the outer
layer of the coat which is located 6-1/2 inches from the right side
seam line and also 6-1/2 inches from the armpit which places this hole
approximately 5 inches to the right of the front right edge of the coat.
This hole was approximately circular in shape, three-eights of an inch
in diameter, and again possibly because of the cleaning and pressing
of the garment, I could not determine whether it actually was a bullet
hole or whether or not it entered or exited if it were a bullet hole.
Mr. SPECTER. Was the hole consistent with being an exit bullet hole?
That is to say, could it have been caused by an exiting bullet?
Mr. FRAZIER. Yes, sir.
Mr. SPECTER. Did you find any damage on the right sleeve of the jacket?
Mr. FRAZIER. Yes, sir; on more or less the top portion of the right
sleeve very near the end of the sleeve there is a very rough hole which
penetrates both the outside layer, the lining and the inside layer of
the sleeve.
Mr. SPECTER. Were you able to observe sufficient characteristics to
formulate any conclusion as to the cause of that tear?
Mr. FRAZIER. This also did not indicate direction from the condition of
the fibers, possibly due to the cleaning and pressing of the garment.
However, it could have been a bullet which struck the garment at an
angle to the surface which caused a slight elongation. The hole was
approximately five-eights of an inch in length, and three-eights of
an inch in width. The elongation could also have been the result of a
mutilated bullet having struck the garment or it could have been caused
by a fold in the garment at the time the object or bullet struck.
Mr. SPECTER. Did you have occasion to examine the shirt, which was
purportedly worn by Governor Connally, and which has heretofore been
identified by the Governor in Commission proceedings, as that worn by
him on November 22, 1963?
Mr. FRAZIER. Yes; I did.
Mr. SPECTER. May the record show at this point that Mr. Frazier is
examining the shirt heretofore identified on the back side with a
photograph marked Commission Exhibit 685 and on the front side with a
photograph marked Commission Exhibit 686.
Now, referring to that shirt, Mr. Frazier, what, if anything, did you
observe on the rear side by way of an imperfection, hole or defect?
Mr. FRAZIER. I found a hole which is very ragged. An L-shaped tear
actually is what it amounted to in the back of the shirt near the right
sleeve, 2 inches from the seam line where the sleeve attaches to the
shirt, and 7-1/2 inches to the right of the midline of the shirt, the
right side being as you look at the back of the shirt.
This tear amounted to a five-eights of an inch long horizontal and
approximately one-half inch long vertical break in the cloth, with a
very small tear located immediately to its right, as you look at the
back of the shirt, which was approximately three-sixteenths of an inch
in length.
This hole corresponds in position to the hole in the back of the coat,
Governor Connally's coat, identified as Commission No. 683.
Mr. SPECTER. Were there sufficient characteristics observable to
formulate a conclusion as to the cause and direction of that hole?
Mr. FRAZIER. No, sir; there were no characteristics on which you could
base a conclusion as to what caused it, whether or not it was a bullet
and if it had been, what the direction of the projectile was.
Mr. SPECTER. Could it have been caused by a 6.5-mm. bullet coming from
the rear of the wearer toward his front?
Mr. FRAZIER. Yes, sir.
Mr. SPECTER. Referring now to the front side of the Governor's shirt,
what, if anything, did you observe with respect to a tear or a hole
thereon, as to the body of the shirt?
Mr. FRAZIER, I found in the right chest area of the shirt, considering
the shirt when it is being worn, a very irregular tear more or less
in the form of an "H," of the letter "H." This tear was approximately
1-1/2 inches in height, with the crossbar tear being approximately 1
inch in width, which caused a very irregularly shaped and enlarged
hole in the front of the shirt. The hole is located 5 inches from the
right-side seam, and 9 inches below the top of the right sleeve. The
9-inch figure is from the top of the right shoulder where the sleeve
adjoins the yoke of the shirt.
Mr. SPECTER. Had that garment been cleaned and pressed, Mr. Frazier,
prior to the time you examined it?
Mr. FRAZIER. Yes, sir.
Mr. SPECTER. Were there sufficient characteristics then remaining on
the hole on the front side to enable you to formulate an opinion as to
the cause of the hole?
Mr. FRAZIER. No, sir.
Mr. SPECTER. Could it have been caused by a 6.5 millimeter bullet
exiting from the chest of the Governor?
Mr. FRAZIER. Yes, it could.