The Mystery Behind the Disappearance of JFK’s Brain

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. This remains one of the most controversial events in recent history, as there are many mysteries surrounding this event, including whether or not Lee Harvey Oswald acted on his own. However, one of the lesser-known mysteries surrounding JFK’s assassination is the fact that his brain has been missing from the national archives since 1966, three years after his assassination.

Professional and amateur investigators have long speculated about JFK’s brain whereabouts, pointing to the autopsy as one of the key factors behind its disappearance, given that the autopsy was also extremely controversial.

Still, 58 years later, no one knows where the former President’s brain is, but there are some theories put forward by investigators that might further explain this mystery.

How is JFK’s autopsy linked to the disappearance of the brain?

JFK’s autopsy is widely considered botched and imprecise. It was conducted hastily and under unusual circumstances given that the most powerful man on the planet had just been assassinated. The procedure was carried out at Bethesda Naval Hospital.

The official autopsy report has been heavily criticized throughout the years because, according to experts, there are inconsistencies and omissions. There are also recorded inconsistencies on who was present at the autopsy and what procedures were realized.

John F Kennedy’s brain was removed during his autopsy in 1963 and was later discovered to be missing from the National Archives in the late 1960s

The whereabouts of his brain remain unknown pic.twitter.com/kZJlppJeeh

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What is known for a fact, however, is that JFK’s brain was removed during the autopsy. It was then preserved in formalin and taken to the National Archives in a stainless steel container. In 1966, three years after the President was assassinated, the National Archives were taking inventory and discovered the President’s brain was missing.

It is also worth mentioning that the brain was placed in a container alongside tissue samples, bone fragments, photographs, and X-rays. The container was originally moved by Evelyn Lincoln, JFK’s secretary, as part of the organization of the President’s presidential papers.

So where is the brain, and why is it so important?

According to historical sources, JFK’s brain was removed from his body during the autopsy because it could’ve been key in understanding the bullet trajectories. In 1972, a New York Times article reported that it could potentially disprove the Warren Commission’s conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.

Indeed, some of the harshest criticism of the Warren Commission, which was the first investigation into JFK’s assassination, has to do with the bullet trajectory and the fact that its condition is remarkably clean. Many experts have suggested that it would not only be nearly impossible for a bullet to take the trajectory to hit both JFK and Governor Connally, but if it did, it would not be completely clean.

The 1972 New York Times article also suggests that the mystery behind JFK’s missing brain might not be a mystery at all and that the Kennedy family took it.

Despite the article saying that a spokesman for the Kennedy family said that “all evidence surrounding the president’s assassination had been turned over to the National Archives,” a Dr. Cyril H. Wecht thought the Kennedy family took it. At the time of this article, it was revealed that Wecht, one of the Warren Commission’s harshest critics, spent two days at the National Archives looking at the evidence, and it simply wasn’t there.

This is yet another instance of conflicting accounts, as Evelyn Lincoln then disclosed through government interviews that the brain had been delivered to a representative of Senator Robert F. Kennedy in 1965.

The truth is that, 58 years later, no one really knows exactly what happened, and the whereabouts of President John F. Kennedy’s brain remain unknown.