CHRIS MESSNER SAID:
When the 2nd bullet hit Tague, which bullet hit the manhole cover and which the windshield and which the frame then?
DAVID VON PEIN SAID:
The second bullet definitely didn't hit Tague. You picked the ONLY shot that couldn't have struck Tague--the 2nd shot, which was the SBT/CE399 bullet, of course.
And there was definitely no "manhole cover" bullet. No bullet hit any manhole, and nobody can prove otherwise. Not every "mark" in the Plaza was caused by a bullet (despite what CTers believe).
The windshield and chrome strip were struck by CE567 and CE569, which were the fragments that came out of JFK's head after Oswald's third bullet hit Kennedy's head, killing him.
Hence, we have TWO damaged limo areas in the front of the car, and TWO bullet fragments (from Oswald's rifle) in the same front-seat area. A perfect fit.
Tague was hit by either the first or third shots. I favor Shot #1, which was probably deflected by the oak tree. But if it was Shot #3, it would have been a large fragment that exited JFK's head and then hit the curb/Tague.
BTW, Dr. John Lattimer did many tests with Oswald's type of 6.5mm MC/WCC ammunition. Lattimer fired about 700 rounds from the four lots of bullets exactly like Oswald's, and Lattimer found that "the jacket of the bullet usually separated from the core" after striking a very hard object, like the various test skulls that Lattimer used in his shooting experiments in 1974 and 1975.
[The above quote comes from page 253 of Dr. Lattimer's 1980 book, "Kennedy And Lincoln".]
It's not unreasonable, therefore, to believe that Oswald's first shot could have struck the oak tree in front of the Book Depository, with the core and jacket becoming separated, with the lead core striking the Main Street curb (resulting in James T. Tague's slight cheek injury), while the copper jacket portion of the bullet hit Elm Street behind the limousine (hence, some witnesses reported seeing "sparks" coming off the street to the rear of the car).
Also -- If the telescopic sight attached to Oswald's Carcano rifle was really misaligned at the time of the assassination (with the first shot ending up "high and to the right" of the intended target, as was the case in post-assassination tests with the scope), this fact could conceivably be a very strong reason for Oswald missing with his first shot, with that bullet striking the tree, which was, after all, located to the RIGHT of the target at the time (at circa Z160), as we can see in this Warren Commission exhibit.
David Von Pein
April 27, 2010
