but if not, how would you explain the difference of the courses of the fragments which you traced and described as, I think, being discovered behind the right eye?
Commander HUMES. Yes, sir.
Senator COOPER. And the course of the fragment which was believed caused the large defect?
Commander HUMES. Caused the large defect?
Senator COOPER. How do you explain.
Commander HUMES. The discrepancy?
Senator COOPER. The difference in the courses.
Commander HUMES. Yes, sir.
As this missile penetrated the scalp, it then came upon a very firm substance, the hard skull, and I believe that this track depicted by the dotted lines on Exhibit 388 was a portion of that missile which was dislodged as it made its defect in the skull. And that--that another portion, and, as I say, presumably, by the size of the defect, a more major portion made its exit through the right lateral side of the skull.

Mr. Mccloy.

Is this piece of pyramidal bone that was brought in to you subsequently as I understand it--
Commander HUMES. Yes, sir.

Mr. Mccloy.

Was that part of the outer table or the inner table?
Commander HUMES. It was both tables, sir.

Mr. Mccloy.

Both tables?
Commander HUMES. Yes, sir; had it only been one it might have been difficult to ascertain whether it was.

Mr. Mccloy.

Shelving or not?
Commander HUMES. Yes, sir; in or out, but it encompassed both tables, sir.

Mr. Dulles.

Is the angle of declination that you--one sees there from in and out approximately the angle you think at which the bullet was traveling at the time of impact and exit?
Commander HUMES. That is our impression, sir.

Mr. Dulles.

So then the shot would have been fired from some point above the head of the person hit?
Commander HUMES. Yes, sir.

Mr. Specter.

Dr. Humes, would you elaborate a bit on the differences in the paths, specifically why the bullet went in one direction in part and in part in the second direction, terminating with the fragment right over the right eye?
Commander HUMES. Yes, sir.
I will make a drawing of the posterior portion of the skull showing again this beveling which we observed at the inner table of the skull.
Our impression is that as this projectile impinged upon the skull in this fashion, a small portion of it was dislodged due to the energy expended in that collision, if you will, and that it went off at an angle, and left the track which is labeled 388, which is labeled on Exhibit 388 from "A", point "A" to the point where the fragment was found behind the eye.
Why a fragment takes any particular direction like that is something which is difficult of scientific explanation. Those of us who have seen missiles strike bones, be it the skull or a bone in the extremity, have long since learned that portions of these missiles may go off in various directions and the precise physical laws governing them are not clearly understood.

Mr. Specter.

Would the angle be accentuated in any way if you were to assume the President was in a moving automobile going in a slight downhill direction?
Commander HUMES. There are many variables under these circumstances. The most--the crucial point, I believe to be the relative position of the President's head in relation to the flight of the missile.
Now, this would be influenced by how far his head was bent, by the situation with regard to the level of the seat in the vehicle, off of the horizontal, and so forth.

Mr. Specter.

How about a decline in the path of the road itself?
Commander HUMES. I think that that would have a tendency to accentuate this angle, yes, sir.

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