November 22, 1963, remains etched in history as a day of profound national trauma, the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. For many, the memories of that day are vivid and indelible. Now, a new documentary, “JFK: What the Doctors Saw,” available on Paramount+, delves into the immediate aftermath of this tragedy through the eyes of the medical professionals who were present in Parkland Memorial Hospital’s emergency room when President Kennedy was brought in.
The genesis of this compelling documentary is rooted in a personal connection. Jacquelynn Lueth, the executive producer, recounts how a conversation with her physician, Dr. Lawrence Klein, sparked the project. Dr. Klein, then a third-year medical student at UT Southwestern, was working at Parkland on that fateful day. His account of being in the emergency room as President Kennedy arrived ignited Lueth’s journalistic curiosity and set her on a path to explore a largely unheard perspective on this pivotal historical event.
Initially conceived as a book, the project evolved into a documentary, driven by the power of visual storytelling and the desire to capture the firsthand accounts of the doctors who were there. Lueth embarked on a journey to interview the surviving physicians who were in the Parkland ER on November 22, 1963. She meticulously recorded individual interviews with seven doctors, later bringing them together for the first time since that tragic day. Notably absent were Dr. Malcom Perry, the attending surgeon, and Dr. Kemp Clark, chief of neurosurgery, due to health reasons.
What emerged from these interviews were recollections that were remarkably sharp and consistent, as if the passage of time had done little to dim the intensity of that day. A pivotal moment in the interviews occurred when autopsy photos were shown to the doctors. Their reactions were strong and revealing. While not in complete agreement on every detail, a consensus emerged: the condition of President Kennedy’s body as they observed it at Parkland Hospital differed significantly from what was depicted in the official autopsy photographs taken at Bethesda.
To broaden the scope of inquiry, Lueth also interviewed Jim Jenkins, the sole surviving member of the autopsy team. This interview aimed to compare the observations from Parkland with those from the autopsy itself. Further adding depth to the documentary is Robert Tanenbaum, the former deputy chief counsel for the House Select Committee on Assassinations. Tanenbaum’s insights shed light on information that was disclosed and, crucially, withheld from the public, reinforcing questions surrounding the official narrative. His resignation from the committee due to concerns about the sincerity of the truth-seeking further underscores the complexities of the JFK assassination investigation.
Years of research by Lueth and her husband, Bill Garnet, culminated in significant conclusions presented in “JFK: What the Doctors Saw.” The documentary emphasizes the extensive experience of the Parkland doctors in treating gunshot wounds and their unbiased perspective, focused solely on saving the President’s life. Crucially, several doctors believed the neck wound they observed was an entrance wound. Furthermore, multiple doctors reported seeing a significant gaping hole in the back of President Kennedy’s head.
The documentary posits that the discrepancies between the Parkland doctors’ observations and the official autopsy findings led to governmental efforts to discredit and intimidate these medical professionals. This alleged campaign aimed to negate their accounts, which directly contradicted the Warren Commission’s single “magic bullet” theory. Ultimately, “JFK: What the Doctors Saw” concludes that a cover-up occurred, and the full truth about the assassination has remained concealed from the public. This new documentary offers a powerful and vital perspective, urging viewers to reconsider established narratives and examine the events of that fateful day through the critical observations of the doctors who were there, providing crucial insights into “Jfk What The Doctors Saw”.
