Eyewitnesses who saw Amelia Earhart on Saipan

In light of the History Channel show here are some eyewitness reports from folks who saw Amelia Earhart on Saipan after she landed her plane at Mili atoll. (There's an interesting "new" evidence below)

(Full disclosure - I was asked to participate in the History Channel show. They filmed me for the sizzle reel that they used to sell the show to History Channel. Ultimately, based on my 25 years of research, having worked on all the films about Earhart (both Diane Keaton's and Hilary Swank) and my 30 hours of footage and 5k photographs, I decided to hang onto my research, as we're still hoping to put this together in film form.  That being said, I'm friends with Les Kinney and Dick Spink, have interviewed them, have worked and shared notes with them, and what they have to say about AE's journey is accurate and based upon decades of research. 

(This show is based on their research, Les and Dick worked independently of me and Mike Harris, but a few  years back, we all got together and shared notes. Les told me about his photograph, and I've been waiting all this time to see it. And it's mind blowing.)

Here's a short time line of what the research shows based on eyewitness interviews collected over decades. Mike Harris filmed some of these interviews in the 1980's, we filmed more in Saipan recently, and the US Marines I collected over the years.

1. She landed the Electra on Endriken isle in Mili.  Dick Spink found pieces of her plane on a number of occasions - a former NTSB investigator (Jim Hayton out of Seattle) confirmed "beyond a shadow of doubt" that they could only come from her Electra.

2. She was picked up by the Japanese.  A number of islanders saw her plane land (they were fishing the shallow reefs) and the Queen of Mili was filmed and interviewed by a South African journalist in the 1980's.  Many people saw her come down.  On a recent trip to Mili, an island elder recalled that the Japanese had "ordered" 40 islanders to help drag the Electra off the atoll.

3. The Electra was put aboard a Japanese barge and taken to Majuro first. I got that info from a Navy veteran stationed on Majuro who heard it from a stevedore he worked with. He said they'd transported it to the Koshu Maru.  (Note, in the photo of the ship, there's a barge attached to the Koshu. I never thought there would be a photo of that - but there it is.)

3. Google Earth photos show (from a decade ago) that the drag marks of some large object could be seen from space.  There was Japanese rail equipment found on the island and recovered by Spink, Kinney, Mike Harris and others on a recent trip.  Same gauge equipment Japanese used to haul cane in Saipan.

4. She was transported with Fred and the Electra to Jaluit (where this picture is taken. If you watch the footage you'll see eyewitnesses who boarded the ship and saw her there.)


click to view - about 30 minutes - the links at the end no longer apply

5. She was taken to Saipan - I interviewed Ms. Akiyama a few years back, and this show on Sunday interviews her as well. She's the original source for Fred Goerner's book - and her story has not changed.  I interviewed other islanders (also in this footage) who corroborate her story - one congressman says his father told him the same story of Fred and Amelia being brought ashore.

6. She was held at first in the hospital (interview above) then the military HQ. Fred, according to reports, was beaten, tortured and killed for being a spy. (beheaded)  Amelia was moved from her initial cell which she was a few doors down from Fred (in the footage) to a larger cell closer to the commandant's view.

7. She spent the rest of her days in this cell. She was occasionally allowed to meet with islanders (see "Eye on LA" report in the 1990's for those reports with Chuck Henry) but for the most part lived in a small cell (that is still there, and has a tree growing inside of it.)

8. She died of dysentery.  She was held as a "playing card" for the Japanese to use against the US - but never got around to it. The US invaded June 1944.

9. The Electra was found in a hangar on Aslito field, Saipan June 19th. The man who decoded the messages, guarded the plane, numerous eyewitnesses are cited above in the footage and to the side of this page. Her briefcase was found, dry as a bone,her passport etc, all turned over to the same commander Clarence R. Wallace.  Corroborated reports are cited in the footage.

10. Her body was dug up by two GI's Hanson and Burkes, as reported in Goerner's book "Searing for Amelia" in 1963. However, subsequent evidence points to the fact these two "found an arm and a partial ribcage." Her skull and other bones have not been found or recovered.

11. The Electra, after being guarded for 4-5 weeks in the hangar, was towed to the south end of the field, covered with gas and burned (as reported above.)  It was shoved off the runway into a pit with other planes.  We had permits to excavate that pit a couple of years back, but ran out of the money required to do so. However, I know where the pit is.  According to the NTSB investigator, he could identify the frame of her plane from a field X ray.  That remains to be done.

12. Her briefcase and arm were turned over to the US military.  The next island in the war was Okinawa, and as Robert Wallack points out - "a number of ships were sunk by the Japanese."  Perhaps her arm, rib cage and briefcase went to the bottom of the sea. However, recently, I heard from a reliable source that the briefcase is in the hands of a private collector related to the Earhart family.  That too remains to be seen.


Over 200 people claim to have seen her, nursed her, fed her, washed her clothes when she got to Saipan.  Some of those people are featured in the footage above.  This footage has been posted for years now, and despite being invited to be on the History Channel, I felt that if I did not work on that show, and retained all the rights to my research, I might find another way to tell her story.  And I'm still doing that.

This is not based on a theory, belief or philosophy. These reports are based on consistent eyewitness reports, that have been cross referenced - if one person said one incredible thing (she was shot, she was beheaded) I put it aside to hear corroborating evidence.  When two people said the same thing ("I saw her in the back of a truck in May 1944 being transported by soldiers. I had never seen a white woman in my life, and it's not the kind of thing you forget, even at age 12 - a woman dressed like a man with her arms bound and a blindfold.  She was parked in from of me for 30 minutes.  My brother was next to me." (cited in the footage above.)

Ultimately, people can argue about what people saw or think they saw. Certainly the memory does tricks over the years - but when over 200 people say relatively the same thing, it deserves to be examined. And further - if what they're saying is true - then the US owes her a debt. She was the first victim of World War II and has never been honored for it.

(Sorry that this info disturbs some people - but if you take a look at my other work ("Flipside" "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" and "Hacking the Afterlife" - in which I reveal everything I've learned about Amelia's journey) I go into detail as to why that might not be the case.  

In "Hacking the Afterlife" I submitted the same 20 questions to mediums who claimed they could communicate with AE.  In all three cases, I got the same answers, as well as "new information" that no one knows, that I have confirmed, that could only come from someone who was Amelia, or knew her extremely well.)

Regarding the latest hullabaloo about "the 1937 photo in a 1935 book." Some observations:

There are many things unusual about the photo cited in the History Channel report from the National Archives, that was "found in a book dated 1935 by a blogger in Japan."

It's actually not a book by the way. It's from a loose leaf portfolio of pictures. (If you follow the link to the cover, you'll see what I mean.) That portfolio has a separate copyright page from 1935. The photograph on the docks is not dated. Nor are any photos in the book.

Hand tied portfolio of photos not bound. 

Yet, the exact same photo is in a classified Office of Naval Intelligence file. (Full disclosure, my grandfather Edward A Hayes, National Commander of the American Legion, served as Assistant Sect of the Navy Frank Knox, and in the Office of Naval Intelligence from 1940-1944) How did the exact same photo get into a classified file (if you go to National archives, they have it on their main page.)  More importantly, why?

How'd ONI get the actual negative? It's the exact same photo. Why was it classified? (From my research, it was because they had so few pics of the region of actual docks.) 

There was an issue of docks that precipitated the war - as the Japanese claimed in their permission to mandate the islands (prior to leaving the League of Nations in 36) they would not fortify their docks for war. (They did, and killed people who reported that detail.)   

Photo from the net "Jaluit harbor in the 1930's"
Before they'd been fortified by the Japanese.
Note the pier included in the above foto. Fortified.

If the two westerners in the photograph are not Amelia and Fred -  what male/female westerners were traveling in Jaluit in 35? Someone somewhere must recognize Uncle Pete and Aunt Betty. Jaluit was an odd destination. It was Japanese territory. Completely off limits. (So - this letter came to me today - which I'd seen before, but never transcribe... a French explorer whose ship was confiscated off Mili in 37, who claims to have seen AE in custody). 

But there is proof they were on the docks, as depicted in the photograph in this letter.

(Oliver Knagg's book Chapter 11 AE: Her Last Flight 1983
has a slightly different (inaccurate) translation, but this is the original doc in English)

The message reads: "January 7th, 1939. Report of Amelia Earhart as Prisoner of the Marshall Islands." 

"Mr. Happenot, the chief of the French Foreign office, allowed the writer to read some papers found in a bottle washed ashore near Bordeaux. This communication... will be delivered to the American embassy here." 

He then describes a fellow walking on the beach along the Atlantic "On 30th October (1938), a Mr. Barret, aged 37" found a bottle that was half pint sized, with wax on over the top.  There was a sample of chestnut brown hair inside, with a note that said "May God guide this bottle, I confine my life and friends to it." 

Then in French, here in English;  "Have been prisoner at Jaliut (Marshalls) by the Japanese in a prison at Jaliut. In the prison there I have seen: Amelia Earhart (aviatrix) and in another cell her mechanic (a man), as well as several other European prisoners held on charges of alleged spying of the gigantic fortifications erected on the atoll."

(A key detail, as they were forbidden by the League of Nations to build fortifications for war, in their being allowed to mandate the islands. The photo above is of a fortified docks - as in ready for war.) 

"Earhart and her companion were picked up by Japanese hydroplane and will serve as hostages, say Japanese.  I was a prisoner because I disembarked on Mila (sic) Atoll.  My yacht 'VEVEO' sunk, crew (3 Maoris) killed, my yacht (85 tons, sailing ship) was equipped with radio." (Another detail - she was transported from Jaluit to Saipan in a seaplane, as has been reported elsewhere)."

On the other side of the note he continues: "Having been kept a long time at Jaluit as prisoner, I was forcibly enrolled as stokehold hand, (coal shovel) simply fed, on board 'Nippon Noa?' (his question mark) bound for Europe.  Will try to escape when ship near to coast.  Carry this message to Gendarmerie immediately in order so that we can be freed. " 

"This message is to be thrown overboard probably near Santander (Spain), and should arrive in Brittany or at the latest, October, 1938. (Wow. He had that correct.) This is message No. 6. To have a good chance of freeing Miss Earhart and her companion, as well as other prisoners, police should arrive incognito at Jaluit I shall be with (name indecipherable in text above, in book it's "Jo....eux") and if I succeed in escaping.... because if the Japanese are asked to free the prisoners they will say that they have none are detained at Jaliut. One must be tricky."

"The hair (enclosed in the bottle - where did he get that? from her? a brush? or asked her for it?) is Miss Earhart's and will prove the veracity of this story and that I have seen Amelia Earhart (-) supposedly dead. This bottle will serve as a float for a second bottle containing some objects of Miss Earhart. (!!!)"    
"I am writing on my knees because I have only a little paper,  some left over when police took finger prints." (Finger prints? On Jaluit? Cool. Let's find 'em.) Bottom of the page reveals: Letter was stamped at the bottom with initials V. B. 2


A good friend of mine forwarded this to me. There are other verifiable details to this letter. The explorer Eric de Bisschop, who was also detained in Jaluit in July of 1937, says that when he told the Japanese authorities he had been sailing near "Mila Atoll" (sic) they became suspicious and searched his boat (the Fou Po) for spying equipment. Later Bisschop was asked by the French military if he had seen Earhart while he was detained in Jaluit. While he said he had not seen her, he confirmed that he'd heard of others who had been detained.

But beyond that - the details of this letter confirm a number of details that are in the photo, and in the eyewitness reports .

First it's really an odd artifact. (It was found in a bottle on the beach in Brittany)  This explorer claims he was taken prisoner in Jaluit in 1937, where he saw Earhart and "her mechanic" in custody. (Sorry Fred, we can't all get credit even in death).  

But he notably reports he was arrested for spying on the "fortifications of the atoll" (getting ready for WWII in 1937) and that she was "taken away in a seaplane."

Fred Goerner's book in 1963 spoke to a number of people who saw a "silver plane" fly overhead just prior to her arrival on the island. (In the footage above, Ms. Blanco Akiyama, and a Congressman from the Marianas whose father saw the same event).

The docks where Ms. Blanco saw AE was at the seaplane dock in Garapan (as noted in the History Channel episode)  A small but notable confirmation that this fellow is accurate. (Other than the fact that he was a famous explorer and later lauded for his exploits. Not anonymous. A real human person who spoke about what happened to him later in life.)  

Back to the photograph of Jaluit: two British citizens were executed in the Marshalls for spying in 1936. It's not exactly a place you stop off during your trip. A male and female dressed in men's clothing, black pants - not exactly the outfit worn by sailors either. 

People have claimed the ship is not the Koshu Maru. Is it the Koshu? The show claims it is - but so does the  portfolio pic. (In the caption it's called "Koshu.") So the ship is identified as the Koshu. What's it doing with a 38 foot long plane on a barge?

If you explore the footage link above, (eyewitnesses) you'll see Andrew Bryce, Navy Vet talk about the stevedore in Majuro who told him he moved the Electra by Japanese barge to Jaluit and a Japanese ship parked there. You'll see Bilimon Amaron talk about boarding the ship. You'll see his business partner defend his reputation.

The match of Fred's nose was pretty clear as per the show.  A match of her shoulders too. If it's not them who are these mysterious westerners out for a cruise in Jaluit in any year prior to World War II? 


So this photograph is not dated - it's in a portfolio, not a book, and the identical photo is in a classified file in the Office of Naval Intelligence. How'd it get into Office of Naval Intelligence? 

(I love that Tighar has found a shoe, found turtle bones, demonstrated a photo of a plane part in the ocean, found a body that was identified as male but is now female - (9 expeditions?) and has now got cadaver dogs searching the island. When I spoke to the editor of National Geographic in an hour long interview, I was told "When people come to us with a new Earhart story, we're told to run in the opposite direction."  I guess not anymore.)

Nat Geo did report on Les Kinney and Dick Spinks' (with Mike Harris, Jim Hayton) trip to Mili to find more plane parts (sponsored by Alcoa).  And now they're allowing Tighar to use their name (and her legacy with National Geographic) to continue this story. 

Yet, in a single day, because a blogger (who has posted on Tighar) says that the photo is from a 1935 book (it's not from a book! It's from a hand tied portfolio! none of the pix are dated!) everyone rushes to "debunk" "discredit" or the millions of other things that people say when faced with another narrative. 

Ignoring all of the people who corroborate what's in the photograph.

I suggest following up these questions. Follow up the eyewitness reports I've posted above. And ignore the hysteria about every new detail that comes across the transom. There will be future reports of "cadaver dog finds." (In my interview with Elgen Long  for the film "Amelia," he predicted they eventually run out of options and "discover" a plane part (one he says is tied to AE that he's already examined) I recently heard a "nasty rumor" that "someone" may "plant an artifact" of Fred Noonan's (size of a fingernail) to indicate/prove the search has been on the right island all along. It hasn't happened yet, it's a nasty unfounded rumor, but if or when it ever does, you'll have heard it here first. (7-14-17) It was Elgen who first alerted me to the concept "something could be planted" to justify the expense of these searches.  His words, not mine.)

It's taken 80 years to turn this ship in the correct direction, it's going to take more to get there.  (More eyewitnesses in the footage posted above.)

Addendum:

Some photographs that corroborate the argument made above.

1. Jaluit Harbor in 1906.  

SS. Germania 1906 Jaluit

Wooden Dock in Jaluit 1906. 

2. Jaluit Harbor in the 1930's when Japan was still in the League of Nations.

Photo caption "Jaluit Harbor in the 1930's. 

3. Jaluit harbor after it's had "fortifications" done - i.e. building a dock and a port for battle ships.  Strictly forbidden by the League of Nations which Japan left in 1936.

New dock - note the metal posts for tying up large ships. 
It's not the people that make this classified - it's the dock.

Closer. With the Koshu (as identified above) with a plane on a barge.

Just noticed this.
Is that fellow in the middle with the long hair, 
the French Sailor who penned the note? "VB2"

4. Jaluit Harbor in 1947.  Same dock from a different angle.

Jaluit Dock looking towards shore 1947

Jaluit Dock - 1947

5. The reason the photo was in the office of Naval Intelligence was because it proved that Japan was fortifying the docks illegally to prepare for war.

Note they're standing on the newly fortified docks. Office of Naval Intelligence

6. The above letter states the same details - fortifications for war, and seeing Amelia and "her mechanic" Fred on the same dock in 1937.

Which makes me wonder. Is the Frenchman who wrote this letter
in the photo above?

Wouldn't that be amazing?  All three of them in one photo.

Waiting for the results of the forensic tests...

Just a note to say we're still waiting on the forensic tests being done on the over dozen pieces recovered from Mili Atoll.

Two of the pieces have been examined by a forensic aviation expert, and he believes they are from the Electra.

Recently, members of the team that went to Mili, including a former Federal investigator, a former United Pilot who owns an actual piece of the Electra, Dick Spink who found the pieces, and forensic expert Jim Hayton met with representatives from the company that sponsored the trip to Mili - Parker Aviation, along with a reporter from National Geographic Magazine, and representatives from Alcoa who will be able to determine in their labs the exact amount of aluminum found in the various pieces.  

One of these hangars may have been where they found the plane,
which resembled this burnt out plane on the runway.

I'm told that some pieces from Japanese airplanes were also brought for testing (not recovered at Mili Atoll, as it was not the site of any aerial battles in WWII) and they will be used for comparison.

Amelia being thorough as usual.

To reiterate, Mike Harris went to the Marshalls in the 1980's and interviewed a number of people who claimed to have seen Earhart or hear that she had landed in Mili Atoll.  Harris and crew returned to Mili and this time interviewed a local man who recalled when the Japanese ordered 40 island men to help them "move the Electra" from where it had come down onto a barge.

A Marshallese man who tended to her wounds, interviewed by Harris in 1980.
His business associate is interviewed in the footage below attesting to his honesty.

The tools used to transport the plane at that time have also been recovered.

There is no rail track on Mili, but these rail cars were apparently used to move the plane

In the following clip are first person accounts from a number of sources.  This footage was shot by Richard Martini along with Mike Harris on Saipan in early 2014.  In the footage, a number of new people come forward to speak about their memories of her arrival on Saipan.  It includes an interview with a business associate of Bilimon Amaron, who said that he tended to Ms. Earhart and Mr. Noonan's wounds when their plane was hoisted onto the Kyoshu in dock in Jaluit.

Ms. Blanco saw Amelia and Fred come ashore, and told the same to Fred Goerner, CBS news man in 1964

There's an interview with the woman that Fred Goerner originally spoke to back in 1964 where she spoke of seeing Amelia and Fred Noonan being brought ashore.  Josephine Blanco. She recounts that story in detail in the longer version of this footage.

There are interviews with various people from Saipan - the son of a nurse who tended to her wounds in a hospital on Saipan, as well as others who saw or heard of her presence there.  

The hospital on Saipan where she was tended to by a Saipanese nurse

And finally, interviews with the US Marines who found her briefcase, who found the Electra parked in a hangar at Aslito airfield in 1944.  And with servicemen who saw the plane burned by US forces.

Nabers decoded the messages for commander Louis Wallace. He says he decoded one
that said "We have found AE's plane Aslito field." He was ordered to guard the plane for 24 hours
and let no one in.  Some soldiers tried to get in, and there's an interview with one of the soldiers who overheard
that argument. (Thomas E Devine). Mr. Nabers also decoded the message that announced they would
fly the plane, and finally the message where they said they were going to destroy it.  He claims
he went to the field and watched as it burned. His account is corroborated by others who witnessed
the same event.

Here's the an hour long documentary (from Richard Martini) that includes footage from the US Marines mentioned above:

Public Talk about the interviews and conclusions made of the Earhart on Saipan research

Here in its unadulterated form (meaning there's an hour and change of footage) is the talk we gave at the American Pavilion on Saipan, sponsored by the NMI Humanities Council.


Apologies for any sound or picture issues, we just had the one camera set up for the shoot.  Paul Cooper on the left, Rich Martini in the middle, and Mike Harris on the right.  Enjoy!

Amelia's Ring, a prison tale and a ghost story...

Digging continues on Saipan.

Captain Paul Cooper has been diligently pursing all leads, sometimes with a magnatometer, sometimes with a GPR, and sometimes with intuition. (Helped by a shovel and some good luck).

Talking to Connie about the ring - photo by Robert Rustin

Connie Kaufer, a relative of the woman who Amelia gave a ring to, has been helping in the effort.  She met with Robert Hunter, curator of the CNMI museum on Saipan (an excellent museum if you're even in the area), and Connie described the ring so that he could generate some sketches.

Meanwhile, Paul has been on site with the help and assistance of the photographer Robert Rustin, looking in the ruins of the family home to see if it can be located.  It was lost during a typhoon, went under the floorboards... and perhaps is still there.

Looking for the ring - photo by Robert Rustin

One of the friends of this blog, Woody Peard, contacted us about the ring.  He supplied us with a photograph that was sent to him by Ann Pellegreno.  Ann is the aviatrix who recreated Amelia's flight in 1967, flying in an Electra.  While she was in Lae, New Guinea, she met the famed photographer James Francis, who has done a number of books about the history of the island.

At some point she was given this photograph - I'm not sure if it was taken by Francis, but if memory serves me correctly (and I think the story of the photograph can be found in "Last Flight" - Amelia's book about her last flight) she met with a local mission on the island, and a number of people came to meet the famed Aviatrix after she had dinner with them.  I've been looking at photos of Amelia and her last flight for 30 years, and I have seen another foto of this same meeting - not sure if it was the same photographer, or if it was with someone else's camera - and I have to dig through the files to find out where it currently is being held.

Lae with AE and Fred - photo courtesy Ann Pellegreno & Woody Peard

But the story is that the woman on the far left of the photograph is holding a ring in her hand, and it's been reported that that was the ring that was given to Amelia before she left on her last flight.

Holding what looks like a ring - Photo courtesy Ann Pellegreno & Woody Peard

And may, perhaps, be the same ring that Amelia gave to Mathilde Arriola (interviewed by Fred Goerner and Father Arnold in 1960 for "Searching for AE") when Amelia was incarcerated on Saipan.  Forensic technology can help us get a better view of the bauble in the woman's hand, as well as help us see if there are any written accounts of this woman giving her that same ring.  But we're on a path and we are pursuing it.

Sam being interviewed by Alexie of the Marianas Variety & Saipan Tribune
photo Robert Rustin

We also got a request from Sam McPhetres, local historian and co founder of the Northern Marianas College.  Sam has been instrumental in our research, helping us with searching the archives for eye witness accounts, and many other leads.

Scott Russell from the NMI Humanities Council - photo Robert Rustin

Sam had one request; could we help him drain the large water tank located in the middle of the jail in Garapan?  This cistern contains water that hasn't been disturbed since 1944, when the jail was taken by US forces.  Sam suspected there was a detention room under that cistern, a "hot box" for prisoners who were given extreme punishment.  With all the permits involved with getting our first shovel into the ground, we thought it was unlikely we'd be able to fulfill that request.  However, Captain Cooper insisted that he could and would do so, and here's some photos of that historic event.

Draining the cistern at the jail - photo Robert Rustin

 Finally, we had a wonderful interview with Tan Escolastica, who has been a historian of sorts, one of the frequently interviewed people on Saipan for her memory of people and events.  We spoke to her first when we arrived on the island, and then a few weeks later when she helped us find an old hidden cemetery, and finally, another interview where she wanted to recount a profound vision she had the night before.  She was in her home and saw a figure appear in the hallway.  She described the figure as tall, thin, wearing khaki and when she turned towards Tan Escolastica, she clearly saw that it was Amelia.

Tan Escolastica telling her story. Photo Chris Neltner

Science will tell us that because of the stirring up of events, the search for her plane, that this "vision" of Amelia's ghost was just an imaginary event.  That may very well be the case.  However, as we've outlined in previous posts, we've left no stone unturned in our search. And that includes interviews with "dowsers" who were able to pinpoint ley lines on Saipan that Paul Cooper also found independently, and in my case, it involved a psychic who I happened to meet while working on the feature film "Salt."  I was having lunch with an old friend, and this old friend had brought her friend Pattie Canova to our brunch.  At some point, Pattie offered to do a "reading."

Pattie Canova - www.pattiecanova.com

I told her that was very kind, I didn't need to do a reading, as I've done my own research into the world of ESP, and I was very comfortable with the results I'd gotten - no need to do one.  She insisted, and I said "Ok."  She had me flip over some playing cards and said "You're doing a project about a female pilot.  Is it Amelia Earhart?"  I look at my friend in chagrin, assuming she must have said something.  I didn't know that Pattie is renowned in NYC, and does this kind of thing for a living.  I've become friends with her and believe beyond a shadow of doubt, she knew nothing about the famed flier.

Amelia and her Electra

So I set aside my skepticism for an hour - and instead of trying to get her to prove she was accurate, I dove into an interview with someone, or something that knew more about Amelia Earhart than anyone I've spoken to, past or present.  And I know a lot about her - from family secrets, to other secrets that have never been published, but were part of my research for the film "Amelia."

So - when we say that it could have been Amelia's ghost visiting Escolastica - we mean literally that whatever energy that is out there in the Universe that contains the engrams of memories that belong to the Aviatrix, it may very well have made a visit to this gentle older Chomorro, who is very religious, who has never claimed to have seen Amelia on Saipan, despite knowing many folks who have, and who isn't making this claim to satisfy any modicum of fame, fortune.. or to appear on this blog.

So.  Take it for what you will.  A dear elderly lady, who has been instrumental in helping the historians of the island, gave us a call and wanted to tell us about her encounter with Amelia's ghost.  We will include a transcript of it when we get around to completing our book, film and exhibit; Earhart on Saipan.

Thanks for tuning in....

Earhart mystery brings 3 to Saipan...

http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?newsID=125376&cat=1

Rich, Mike, David, Paul

SAIPAN TRIBUNE

LOCAL

Monday, February 18, 2013

Earhart mystery takes 3 to Saipan

By Haidee V. Eugenio

Reporter

Could a journey back to Saipan lead a group of experts to finally lay to rest the 76-year mystery of the disappearance of legendary aviatrix Amelia Earhart? That is what U.S.-based film director, producer, screenwriter, and freelance journalist Richard Martini, famed aircraft recovery lead investigator Michael Harris, and aircraft recovery specialist Capt. Paul H. Cooper are trying to answer in their ongoing research on Saipan.

The three are here to examine evidence whether Earhart, her co-pilot Fred Noonan, and their Lockheed Electra were on Saipan after they disappeared during their round-the-world flight in 1937.

Martini said there's over 200 islanders who claimed Earhart was here after 1937, and about a dozen U.S. Marines who claimed they found her plane on this U.S. island.

“Doesn't it make sense to follow the research to see if maybe she was here as opposed to where they have been looking in, in Nikumaroro, where there was no single eyewitness, where she was never in that direction?” Martini told Saipan Tribune in an interview on Friday afternoon.

Another group of experts is searching the Nikumaroro island, a tiny coral atoll some 300 miles southeast of Earhart’s target destination, Howland Island.

Martini said their mission on Saipan is two-fold.

“One is we're looking for the plane. But we're also talking to natives and people from here or anyone who has a story of what it was like during the war on Saipan and/or if they have any information that they heard secondhand or from anyone regarding Amelia Earhart's presence here or a European woman or someone they thought was American and we found at least a dozen people here who are giving us new testimony that's never been recorded before,” Martini said.

The group regularly uploads updates about their Saipan expedition on their website, earhartonsaipan.com.

For the group, or at least for Harris who found the first sonar in the Titanic, the Earhart project has been a 30-year journey and counting.

The public is encouraged to help in this project by providing information about Earhart's supposed presence on Saipan in 1937 and onwards.

During this trip, they said they have received help from multi-awarded businessman David Sablan Sr., Gov. Benigno R. Fitial, and other residents, including those who provided testimony to them claiming they saw Earhart.

The story about Saipan as Earhart's final resting place has been in circulation for decades. In 1966, for example, CBS correspondent Fred Goerner published a book claiming Earhart and Noonan were captured and executed when their aircraft crashed on Saipan while it was still under Japanese occupation."

<<there is also an article in "Mariana's Variety" but hasn't been posted online yet.. stay tuned>>

Our Expedition Team

D. Michael (Mike) Harris; Mr. Harris is a professional explorer and film-maker and has been at it his entire life. On his first expedition in 1971 he took a group of divers to the Marshall Islands and dove on warships that were sunk by atom-bomb testing. His film “Deadly Fathoms” featured Rod Serling and won a Silver Medal at the Atlanta International Film Festival. Mike also made epic trips to search for Noah’s Ark on Mt. Ararat in Turkey, his film “Expedition to Noah’s Ark” featured Hollywood star Joseph Cotton. Mike also produced a film in Mexico “Pancho Villa’s Treasure” which featured another film and television star Cesar Romero. Then Mike was the first to lead expeditions to search for the Titanic in the North Atlantic. His film “Search for the Titanic” featured legendary actor Orson Welles, as his on-camera host and narrator. Mike is a member of The Explorer’s Club in New York and fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in London.

Rich Martini; Mr. Martini is a journalist and award winning documentary filmmaker who has been researching the Earhart saga for 25 years. He’s written and/or directed eight theatrical feature films and was hired to help provide research and background for the feature film “Amelia” starring Hillary Swank. His documentary film “Earhart’s Electra” is based on eyewitness reports of what happened to Amelia Earhart’s plane. When U.S. Marines invaded Saipan in 1944, they not only defeated the Japanese, they also say they found Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Electra.  

Joseph Pio Asterita; Mr. Asterita brings the team a variety of valuable experiences in aviation and corporate project management. His project management experience spans 23 years; he has managed and coordinated multimillion-dollar telecommunication projects for the multinational companies IBM and Siemens. He specialized in coordinating multiple technical disciplines creating a harmonious workplace and successful projects. A commercial pilot with 2500 flight hours along with his military experience in aircraft structural maintenance will aid in identifying the discovered Electra parts. He has a BS in Organizational Management and holds the nationally certified Project Management Professional title.

Captain Paul H Cooper; Mr. Cooper brings multi-faceted skills and experience to the project and will perform duties as on-site coordinator. 36 year employee for Southwest Airlines; 17-years experience as an Airline Captain, 6-years experience as a Loadmaster on a C130 in the USAF Reserves, U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner, Heavy Equipment Operator and Logger, Truck driver Class A CDL, Certified MAUI Diver, 16-year Member of the Timber Framers Guild, Served as Past Master of Huffman Masonic Lodge, Founded and Implemented Local Woodworking Program for Troubled Youth (C.O.L.T.S.) Gifted with the ability to persevere through adverse circumstances.

Anthony J. Asterita; Mr. Asterita has 30 years experience in project management and systems development for both the United States Air Force and the commercial sector. He has been successful in developing master plans, organizing teams, and orchestrating development efforts to complete aeronautical and electronics projects successfully, within cost schedule. Several of his projects have resulted in systems, subsystems and components presently in use with the Department of Defense. He has extensive operational experience having flown high performance aircraft. Mr. Asterita has a BS in Aeronautical Engineering and an MS in Systems Management.