National Archives Releases New Amelia Earhart Records
The National Archives has made public a second collection of documents pertaining to the enigmatic disappearance of Amelia Earhart in 1937. This latest release, dated November 25, includes over 3,700 pages and 56 PDF files that delve deeper into the circumstances surrounding her vanishing.
Among the notable contents is a memo detailing a conversation that took place on July 13, 1937, between then-Secretary of State Cordell Hull and Japanese Ambassador Hiroshi Saito. While the involvement of Japan in the search was already known, this memo sheds light on the specific cooperation between the two nations.
It states that Japan had dispatched two ships to assist in the search for Earhart. “Japanese officials in Hawaii and other locations have been instructed to observe the search efforts closely, hoping to offer help,” the document notes.
The released files also feature a transcript from a press conference where President Franklin D. Roosevelt discussed the search operations. During a conversation on July 20, 1937, he indicated that the search had cost around $4 million. Roosevelt mentioned logistics, clarifying that Navy planes needed to log hours annually, and participation in the searches counted toward those hours.
“There are no additional costs… It’s either this type of search issue or whether they were conducting sabotage operations,” Roosevelt remarked.
Interestingly, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt also played a role in the quest for answers related to Earhart’s disappearance. She corresponded with Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, Jr., expressing gratitude for securing crucial radio records for pilot Paul Mantz. These records represented the final communication with Earhart’s plane.
Additionally, the collection includes a newspaper clipping featuring a 1949 statement from Earhart’s mother, Amy Otis Earhart. In this statement, she suggested that her daughter met her end in Japan during a U.S. government mission rather than in the ocean, which is a perspective that adds another layer to the ongoing theories about Earhart’s fate.
Amy Earhart expressed her conviction, saying, “I’m pretty sure she didn’t crash land in the ocean.” Many conspiracy theories still circulate, often implicating Japan in her mystery. Some researchers theorize that instead of a crash at sea, Earhart may have landed on Nikumaroro Island and eventually died there.
In other news, Purdue University has postponed its expedition to locate Earhart’s missing aircraft, planning to push it back to the next year due to permitting delays and concerns regarding the hurricane season.
Amelia Earhart made history as the first woman to fly solo nonstop across the United States on August 24, 1932. Her legacy continues to captivate the public and researchers alike.
