ed & Preseed & pPresed

Volume V

Page 63

has heretofore been identified in prior Commission proceedings as that worn by Governor Connally on November 22, 1963?

            Mr. FRAZIER. Yes; I did.

            Mr. SPECTER. I now hand you what purports to be the Governor's coat, and may the record show that has been heretofore marked as Commission Exhibit No. 683?

            (At this point the Chairman left the hearing room.)

            Mr. DULLES [presiding]. The record may so show.

            Mr. SPECTER. Have you had opportunity heretofore to examine that coat?

            Mr. FRAZIER. Yes; I have.

            Mr. SPECTER. What did your examination reveal with respect to the back side of the coat?

            Mr. FRAZIER. There was found on the coat by me when I first examined it, near the right sleeve 1 1/8 inches from the seam where the sleeve attaches to the coat, and 7 1/4 inches to the right of the midline when you view the back of the coat, a hole which is elongated in a horizontal direction to the length of approximately five-eights of an inch, and which had an approximate one- quarter inch height.

            Mr. SPECTER. Were you able to determine from your examination of the Governor's clothing whether or not they had been cleaned and pressed prior to the time you saw them?

            Mr. FRAZIER. Yes; they had.

            Mr. SPECTER. Is that different from or the same as the condition of the President's clothing which you have just described this morning?

            Mr. FRAZIER It is different in that the President's clothing had not been cleaned.  It had only been dried.  The blood was dried.  However, the Governor's garments had been cleaned and pressed.

            Mr. SPECTER. Had the President's clothing been pressed then?

            Mr. FRAZIER.  No, sir.

            Mr. SPECTER. Will you proceed to describe any other characteristics----

            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.

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by  tomnln