How helpful?

[Paul V McNutt]

John Kennedy's autopsy has been criticized for being incomplete and the doctor, whose qualifications have been unjustly questioned have been accused of making mistakes. This despite the fact that three expert panels have confirmed the autopsy's findings. Both one appointed by Attorney General Ramsey Clark in 1967 and another group chosen by the Rockefeller Commission in 1975. The panel appointed by the House Assassination Committee in 1978, was critical of the autopsy but backed up its findings. The autopsy also backs up the solid evidence of Oswald's guilt. Conspiracy theorists like Oliver Stone have accused the military of controlling the autopsy, which was performed at a Navy hospital. There were problems with autopsy. Jacqueline and Robert Kennedy were at the hospital at attempted to pressure the doctors to hurry up. They also forbid them to look the President's adrenal glands, as to keep his Addison's disease a secret.

I have a plan to give the late President an autopsy with fewer credibility problems. OTL when JFK arrived at Parkland Hospital at 12:38 pm, he had a faint heart beat. The staff attempted in vain to save his life until he expired at 1 pm. ITTL he is DOA. There is a chaplain Catholic priest in the emergency room and he is called over. While he is giving the last rites, an autopsy is arranged. As the priest tries to comfort Jackie, she does not notice that her husband's body has been removed. When President Johnson finds out about Kennedy's death he decides to return to Washington but promises Jackie not leave without her. She decides not leave without her late husband's body. At that point, OLT there was an argument between the Secret Service and the Medical Examiner, who wanted to follow Texas law that required the body be held for an autopsy in Dallas. The Secret Service ended up sizing the body and taking it to the airport. ITTL the Medical Examiner does not tell the Secret Service where the autopsy is being performed. Jacqueline and President Johnson have to wait until 4 pm for the autopsy to be finished.

Since Parkland was the leading hospital in Dallas, I assume they would have pathologists with excellent reputations. It was also an inner city hospital, so they would have experience with gun shot victims. The OTL autopsy doctors were criticized for not looking at Kennedy's clothes. Since he would have been dressed when he got to the autopsy, ITTL the would have examined the clothes. OTL they also did not talk to the Parkland doctors. ITTL they could have more easily done that but it would have been less important, since the Parkland doctors only took Kennedy's pulse. They doctors were not only not in the military but they defied the Feds.

This autopsy like the OTL one would have found that Kennedy was shot from behind. It would have more credibility. Does this do anything to curb the conspiracy theories? I don't think so. Truth does not matter to conspiracy theorists.

 

[Apollo 20]

A few problems with this. First, the ME's office was at Parkland; the autopsies were done there it's not hard to imagine the Secret Service storming in with guns drawn and reclaiming the body. Second, taking the body away with nobody noticing is impossible. The ER was packed with people including JFK's own doctor and the room itself was quite small. The chance of pulling that off is about zero.

Third, a hurried and secret autopsy would be fodder for conspiracy theorists, who would then turn their sights not on alleged shenanigans at Bethesda, but on Texas and Texas officials. Finally, it would be quite unseemly. It's easy to see the conspiracy nuts arguing that the Dallas autopsy was rigged to fix blame on Oswald while the "real assassins" got away with it. Also, while Earl Rose, the ME, was regarded as competent, an autopsy by stealth in the manner described would have drawn immense criticism at the time. It isn't inconceivable that this would discredit otherwise competent results, particularly in the case of a rushed autopsy which federal officials are precluded from attending.

Perhaps the best result would have been one where the autopsy takes place in Bethesda with Rose attending and attesting to the body as being in the same condition as it was at Parkland. Then, his experience with gunshot wounds would have been put to good use. Had Rose acceded to the request to remove the body but insisted on being present at the DC autopsy, he might have been accommodated and it would have been a wholly reasonable request on his part. Insisting on the body staying in Texas was not and per Manchester, his officious demeanor turned people off.

Honestly, though, I don't know that any autopsy would have shut off the conspiracy theories. It was simply one of those events that gave rise to that kind of speculation. I've always thought that it was a simple case where people could not wrap their minds around the notion that someone as insignificant as Oswald could kill Kennedy and change history.