James DiEugenio recently wrote a two-part series on Dr. Wecht. And somehow he omitted that conclusion:
Wecht did so [visiting Burke Marshall who controlled access to the autopsy materials] and he finally got permission to view the materials on August 24-25th in 1972.
Wecht measured where the holes were in Kennedy’s clothing as being 5 ¾ inches down from this collar. Which, to him, made the single bullet theory even more ridiculous. He held CE 399 in his hand and was shocked at how intact it was after shattering two heavy bones in Governor John Connally. He also saw pictures of similar bullets that were fired into cotton wadding, the rib of a goat corpse, and a human cadaver. Even the bullet fired into wadding showed more deformity than CE 399.
Wecht asked to see Kennedy’s brain. The archivist, Marion Johnson, said it was not there. Wecht asked him where it was and when the last inventory was taken. Johnson said he did not know where it was and the date of the last inventory was in 1966. The only thing more stunning to Wecht than the brain being missing was the fact that no one had reported its disappearance before him. This included Dr. John Lattimer and the Ramsey Clark Panel. Wecht told Graham about his visit and the brain being gone.
That Sunday, August 27, Wecht picked up the New York Times. On the front page was the headline, “Mystery Cloaks Fate of Brain of Kennedy.” Graham quoted Wecht as saying, “Who would have taken the responsibility to destroy the brain?” This puzzle haunted Wecht the rest of his life. He later concluded that the reason the brain was gone was due to the fact that it would reveal two shots to Kennedy’s head.
DiEugenio's article mentions Wecht's objections to the single-bullet theory, JFK's missing brain, but not a word about Wecht's very important conclusion from his examination of the autopsy X-rays and photographs.
Most likely, the brain would not have indicated two shots. Wecht clearly understood that the intact left hemisphere meant that JFK was not shot from the grass knoll. Sectioning the brain would have just helped to indicate the path of the bullet through the skull.
Wecht's belief that the autopsy materials show that JFK's fatal head shot came from behind is the conclusion that dare not speak its name.
Previous Relevant Blog Posts on Dr. Cyril Wecht
Dr. Cyril Wecht (1931 - 2024) זיכרונו לברכה
My obituary for Dr. Cyril Wecht.
Wecht fights with Posner over Connally's coat bulge.
A letter from Dr. Wecht to Thomas Stamm on the head shot.
A letter from Dr. Wecht to Sylvia Meagher on the head shot.
Dr. Wecht exchanges letters with Sylvia Meagher.
Wecht writes Harold Weisberg about Garrison.
A ridiculous claim from Wecht's book.
Wecht revisits an old controversy.
Dr. Wecht believes that JFK's throat wound was one of exit.
Wecht believes that David Ferrie died of natural causes.
Wecht makes an error on Ruby's nightclubs.
He wears it like a badge of honor.
Dr. Wecht writes that Cherami was not killed by a gunshot.