Paperwork and film work...

Things happen on the island on "island time."  Still we're amazed at the lightning assistance we've gotten from the government agencies here.  What normally takes 18 days has been cut down to the wire, and everyone is bending over backwards to help us.  So a hearty thank you to all the folks who are giving us a hand.

Some latest developments.

Ed Williams

Did an interview with a gentleman who lives and works here in Saipan, and he spoke of his flight instructor - a man who was the youngest WWII veteran from Florida.  That gentleman told Ed Williams that he was shot down by the Japanese when he was only 16 years old.  He was a tail gunner on a plane, and he said the Japanese captors were friendly with him, and one spoke English.  That particular fellow didn't say what island he was on, but told the young gunner that he had seen Amelia Earhart when she was under arrest after being "shot down."  He said the pilot was "fastidiousness about her food, washing it before eating it."

We've heard scenarios of her being "shot down" before.  Mike Harris interviewed a couple of fellows in 1983, one whom repeated the same story ("Lotan Jack") about her being shot, or forced down by a zero.  Also Manny Muna recalled the Captain of the Fukud Maru ship claiming that one of the pilots from his ship had "shot down the American pilot."

We've spent more than a few hours shuttling paperwork from one government office to the next.  We try to let them know that we don't want to take anything from the island, and that we are just intent on bringing the story to its conclusion - but as anyone knows, permits take time.  We are committed to stay until we dig where we need to.  Here's one office we spend some time in:

More information coming forth from islanders.  We spoke to a gentleman whose father claimed that when he was ordered to bow his head by the Japanese, he did not - and saw the aviatrix and another "thin man."  Of course, living on the island, away from all media, he didn't know who the "equally tall woman" was, but described her with short hair.  He said they were both "europeans."  The natives here are very precise, very exact about what they say.  In fact in the 20 some interviews we've done, not one will say they saw something they didn't see - in fact they will go out of their way to say "I did not see this, and I cannot verify the person who told me this story was telling the truth, but..."  In our case we are using these secondary sources to back up some of the primary sources that Mike Harris interviewed (Not "Buddy" TC Brennan as is frequently reported - Brennan sought out Mike Harris who was directing the footage being shot about the search - some years later Brennan released a book and documentary, but never received permission from Mike Harris, who still owns and has the original footage.)

We've just had a corroboration of another story from a woman who we will be interviewing in the next couple of days.  She has confirmed the detail that we heard just yesterday about the location of where the American flyer who was a prisoner was executed.  It's not far from here:

Old Japanese Jail

We've already done ground penetrating radar and found some unusual disturbance in the earth.  We did not come here looking for Amelia Earhart's body - or that of Fred Noonan - it was reportedly dug up by Privates Hansen and Burke in 1944 (their own report, posted in the "Stars and Stripes" of all papers, reporting that they dug up here body in Saipan,also reported and interviewed by Fred Goerner "Searching for Amelia" ).  But we are following whatever the story brings our way.

We also spoke with historian Herbert Rosario who did a masterful job of recording the oral histories of the Saipan natives - over 300 individual tapes.  We looked at a number of them, including from a gentleman who was a former policeman.  Herbert was told off camera by one individual that he had seen Amelia Earhart in the cell - but did not want to say it on camera.  It's either that he didn't want to be caught in a lie, or he didn't want to reveal what he knew on camera.  We've found that to be the case with a number of natives - there has been a culture of secrecy for decades here.  We've been invited to interview an elderly gent who says he saw her in her cell, but insists we not publish his name or take footage of his testimony.  We'll report what he has to say.

Meanwhile, the clock is ticking and we're doing our best to hunt down as many leads as we can. Thanks for tuning in....

The Sugar King of Saipan greeting the sunset