This book is chock-full of dense passages of medical terminology. I managed to slog my way through but I honestly have very little comprehension of what I read except at the most basic level. The author was present at the autopsy of JFK. His memories do not jibe with much of what has been released into public record. He feels that many of the autopsy photos available to the public were taken someplace other than the "official" autopsy ... That the body was extensively examined - probably even autopsied - prior to arriving at Bethesda Naval Hospital.

One interesting aspect of this particular story is that the author wasn't all that familiar with the conspiracy theory culture that has developed over the years so there is a sense that his memories have not been influenced to any great extent by what others believe.

The author hesitates to take sides on exactly what happened that November day in 1963, he sticks to his own personal experience as an assistant at the autopsy. The biggest claim he makes is that there are photos that were almost certainly not taken at the official autopsy.

I would hesitate to recommend this book to anyone who isn't a hardcore JFK enthusiast. More specifically an enthusiast with a strong interest in the controversy surrounding the President's assassination. This really is NOT for the casual reader.

***Thanks go to NetGalley for providing me with a free digital copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

James Jenkins was on duty at Bethesda Naval Hospital on November 22, 1963. His story is documented in this book.

This book begins with the sentence “Who would have thought that a small town southern boy would find himself standing at an autopsy table assisting with the postmortem on an assassinated president of the United States of America.” He proceeds to tell what he saw, how it was different from other reports and how he thought the discrepancies could have occurred.

While many medical terms are present and can be overwhelming, stick with it. This book gives cause to those who believe something wasn’t right in the investigations of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. I respect James Jenkins for not attempting to sway the reader to a particular theory. He describes what he saw. He is honest about his lack of memory after 50 years and does not pretend to know why an additional autopsy may have been performed but just lays out the facts showing it did.

Learning about the varied x-rays and photographs, the “wrong” brain falling out of the president’s skull and changing locations of bullet holes will fascinate you.

The research of Michael Chesser, M.D. is included. His intent was “. . . I will try to explain why I think the pathologists were overruled, and why they were told that they could not believe what their eyes told them.

This was a phenomenal book. In fact, I spent most of the first night after I got it reading. Even if you are not a fan of conspiracy theories, you will be convinced after you read this book. In fact, I think this book will turn the entire world of the Kennedy assassination upside-down. You will never look at the government as honest again.