Newly declassified files show a window of time-between Dallas and Bethesda-where JFK’s body and casket may not have traveled together.
🕑 A Missing 18 Minutes
Officially, President Kennedy’s body was flown aboard Air Force One in a bronze ceremonial casket, accompanied by Jackie Kennedy.
But according to Bethesda Naval Hospital entry logs-now fully declassified-the casket that arrived at the morgue was a lightweight military shipping container.
The time of arrival?
18 minutes earlier than Air Force One touched down.
📁 The Gawler Memo: “Body Received in Alternate Container”
A memo from Gawler’s Funeral Home, dated November 23, 1963, notes:
“Upon arrival, body was already prepped and placed in a different casket than described by Secret Service detail.”
This memo had been redacted until the 2025 release. The section now visible says:
“Surgical incisions were present that did not match Bethesda prep log or Parkland ER records.”
⚰️ Chain of Custody: Broken
The 2025 ARRB Summary Sheet confirms that:
- Two caskets were logged by Bethesda staff between 6:35 PM and 6:55 PM
- Two sets of arrival photos exist-but only one was archived officially
- Multiple naval personnel on site testified to seeing the body being transferred quietly, without full honor detail
Internal note from Rear Admiral Burkley:
“Unclear who authorized switch. Circumvented standard entry protocol.”
🧠 The Head Wound That Changed
A key inconsistency noted by Dr. Charles Crenshaw in Dallas:
“Large avulsive wound in the occipital-parietal region.”
Yet Bethesda’s official report shows:
“Massive frontal damage. Rear intact.”
The 2025 files include an unclassified photo inventory list with a blank entry marked:
“Pre-Bethesda cranial angle – removed per DCI order, 11/24.”
That photo has never surfaced.
🧩 Two Autopsies?
A partially redacted memo titled “AFIP Correlation Exercise” suggests that a second autopsy was quietly performed on the body-possibly before the official one at Bethesda.
The memo notes:
“Initial cranial impressions inconsistent with 6:45 PM reports. Follow-up to proceed under compartmentalized protocol.”
Translation:
They had a version of the body that didn’t match what the public was told.
🔚 The Body Tells the Story-Unless It’s Changed
The 2025 documents don’t just suggest the possibility of a body switch.
They confirm the timeline allowed for it.
And that top officials-civilian and military-were aware.
The truth may have flown on Air Force One.
But something else arrived at the morgue.
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