Post by Rob Caprio on Dec 13, 2021 21:34:44 GMT -5
All portions ©️ Robert Caprio 2006-2024
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The Assassinaton Records Review Board (ARRB) focused on documents and the autopsy of President John F. Kennedy (JFK) during their tenure in the mid-to-late 1990s. They took medical testimony and worked on medical documents including a number of interviews that the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) performed in the 1970s.
This post will look at Medical Document (MD) 231 which focused on government photographer Joe O'Donnell who was employed with the U.S. Information Agency (USIA). O'Donnell contacted a number of people including researcher Dr. Gary Aguilar because he claimed to know White House photographer Robert Knudsen. He said that Knudsen had shown him a number of JFK autopsy photographs within a week of the assassination. O'Donnell knew Knudsen quite well and called him by his nickname of "Knute".
The first time he saw about 12 black and white photographs of JFK in various positions and included the back of JFK's head. He said that they depicted a wound "about 2" about the hairline, about the size of a grapefruit; the hole clearly penetrated the skull and was very deep." Another photograph showed a hole " in the forehead above the right eye which was a round wound about 3/8' in diameter" which he interpreted as a gun wound. (MD 231, telephone interview with Joe O'Donnell, p. 2)
A few days later he was shown additional black and white autopsy photographs (keep in mind that there is doubt by some that black and white photographs were taken at the autopsy) by Knudsen. Here is what they ARRB wrote about his comments regarding them.
Quote on
history-matters.com/archive/jfk/arrb/master_med_set/md231/pages/md231_0002a.gif
On this second occasion, the back-of-the-head photograph(s) was intact, and showed no hole in the back of the head. Instead of a hole, he remembers seeing neatly combed hair which looked slightly wet, or damp in appearance. (Ibid., p. 3)
www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=753#relPageId=2
Quote off
How did these photographs change in regards to how JFK's head looked? There is no non-conspiratorial answer to this question as either JFK's head had a hole in it or it didn't.
Only tampering could remove the hole in the photographs. O'Donnell had the impression that Knudsen took these photographs himself, but officially he was not at the autopsy. His family was interviewed by the ARRB and said that he was. O'Donnell said that he never asked why the back-of-the-head photographs were different the second time.
O'Donnell said in his discussion with Jackie Kennedy she told him that she was not trying to flee the limousine, but rather was attempting to "retrieve a part of President Kennedy's head from the back of the limousine" (i.e., the trunk lid). (Ibid.)
On his second telephone interview he was asked about his background in photography extensively. I am not sure why this is necessary as any layman can tell whether there is a hole in someone's head or not. While he was with the USIA he was detailed to do White House photography under the Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson administrations. O'Donnell told the ARRB that he was tasked with taking photographs of JFK's visit to Arlington for Veterans Day in 1963 and that he was within earshot of JFK when he said that "I could live up here forever" when viewing the city of Washington, D.C. (Ibid., p. 4) O'Donnell claimed to relay this comment to Jackie Kennedy when she returned from Dallas with the slain president's body and she said, "then that is where we will put him." (Ibid., p. 5)
When asked why he never discussed the photographs with Knudsen, O'Donnell said that he just felt privileged to be able to view them but they were so disturbing that he didn't want to discuss them or see them anymore. (Ibid.) O'Donnell said that he showed Jackie Kennedy the Zapruder film at the USIA building a few weeks after the assassination. When she saw the head shot sequence she told him "I don't ever want to see that again." He said that he took this as an order to remove the halo around JFK's head by removing about 10 feet of film from the Zapruder film despite knowing it was wrong. (Ibid.) How could he do this unless they were viewing the original? If it was the original, how did they get it from Time/Life who owned it? O'Donnell told the ARRB that he had the original, but how? And how could he edit a film that was owned by someone else?
O'Donnell's recollections are intriguing as they confirm what many others have said regarding JFK's head wound. The ARRB was a little unsure of him since he seemed to have some trouble remembering certain details, but since we are not relying on him alone in regards to the head wound I think this is most likely correct. As far as the Zapruder film claim goes all I can say is, who knows for sure in this case? It does seem a little bit incredulous however since Time/Life had the original locked up at the time he claimed to show it to Jackie Kennedy.
chorus.stimg.co/23760368/merlin_44772047.jpg
The Assassinaton Records Review Board (ARRB) focused on documents and the autopsy of President John F. Kennedy (JFK) during their tenure in the mid-to-late 1990s. They took medical testimony and worked on medical documents including a number of interviews that the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) performed in the 1970s.
This post will look at Medical Document (MD) 231 which focused on government photographer Joe O'Donnell who was employed with the U.S. Information Agency (USIA). O'Donnell contacted a number of people including researcher Dr. Gary Aguilar because he claimed to know White House photographer Robert Knudsen. He said that Knudsen had shown him a number of JFK autopsy photographs within a week of the assassination. O'Donnell knew Knudsen quite well and called him by his nickname of "Knute".
The first time he saw about 12 black and white photographs of JFK in various positions and included the back of JFK's head. He said that they depicted a wound "about 2" about the hairline, about the size of a grapefruit; the hole clearly penetrated the skull and was very deep." Another photograph showed a hole " in the forehead above the right eye which was a round wound about 3/8' in diameter" which he interpreted as a gun wound. (MD 231, telephone interview with Joe O'Donnell, p. 2)
A few days later he was shown additional black and white autopsy photographs (keep in mind that there is doubt by some that black and white photographs were taken at the autopsy) by Knudsen. Here is what they ARRB wrote about his comments regarding them.
Quote on
history-matters.com/archive/jfk/arrb/master_med_set/md231/pages/md231_0002a.gif
On this second occasion, the back-of-the-head photograph(s) was intact, and showed no hole in the back of the head. Instead of a hole, he remembers seeing neatly combed hair which looked slightly wet, or damp in appearance. (Ibid., p. 3)
www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=753#relPageId=2
Quote off
How did these photographs change in regards to how JFK's head looked? There is no non-conspiratorial answer to this question as either JFK's head had a hole in it or it didn't.
Only tampering could remove the hole in the photographs. O'Donnell had the impression that Knudsen took these photographs himself, but officially he was not at the autopsy. His family was interviewed by the ARRB and said that he was. O'Donnell said that he never asked why the back-of-the-head photographs were different the second time.
O'Donnell said in his discussion with Jackie Kennedy she told him that she was not trying to flee the limousine, but rather was attempting to "retrieve a part of President Kennedy's head from the back of the limousine" (i.e., the trunk lid). (Ibid.)
On his second telephone interview he was asked about his background in photography extensively. I am not sure why this is necessary as any layman can tell whether there is a hole in someone's head or not. While he was with the USIA he was detailed to do White House photography under the Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson administrations. O'Donnell told the ARRB that he was tasked with taking photographs of JFK's visit to Arlington for Veterans Day in 1963 and that he was within earshot of JFK when he said that "I could live up here forever" when viewing the city of Washington, D.C. (Ibid., p. 4) O'Donnell claimed to relay this comment to Jackie Kennedy when she returned from Dallas with the slain president's body and she said, "then that is where we will put him." (Ibid., p. 5)
When asked why he never discussed the photographs with Knudsen, O'Donnell said that he just felt privileged to be able to view them but they were so disturbing that he didn't want to discuss them or see them anymore. (Ibid.) O'Donnell said that he showed Jackie Kennedy the Zapruder film at the USIA building a few weeks after the assassination. When she saw the head shot sequence she told him "I don't ever want to see that again." He said that he took this as an order to remove the halo around JFK's head by removing about 10 feet of film from the Zapruder film despite knowing it was wrong. (Ibid.) How could he do this unless they were viewing the original? If it was the original, how did they get it from Time/Life who owned it? O'Donnell told the ARRB that he had the original, but how? And how could he edit a film that was owned by someone else?
O'Donnell's recollections are intriguing as they confirm what many others have said regarding JFK's head wound. The ARRB was a little unsure of him since he seemed to have some trouble remembering certain details, but since we are not relying on him alone in regards to the head wound I think this is most likely correct. As far as the Zapruder film claim goes all I can say is, who knows for sure in this case? It does seem a little bit incredulous however since Time/Life had the original locked up at the time he claimed to show it to Jackie Kennedy.