Thursday
The latest eyewitnesses who saw Earhart on Saipan
Monday
Exciting News from the front lines of the Search!
Dick Spink, Jim Hayton, Rich Martini, Mike Harris |
Here's the news story from the KC star:
What the story does not include - I have eyewitness reports of every moment from the point that plane came down to when it was found by US Marines in Saipan in June of 1944.
In "Final Story" Loomis demonstrates how evidence shows she had more fuel on her plane than she actually knew. Evidence shows that on three occassions she "accidentally" flew 200 miles to the north of where she was supposed to go - and her radioman Harry Manning said it was "BECAUSE SHE HAD A TENDENCY TO DRIFT WHILE SHE WAS FLYING THE PLANE." He mentioned how she had drifted "200 miles" to the north when he flew on the Electra with her. (He was supposed to be on her world flight, but got off after her crash in Hawaii.) Harry Manning. If the Electra drifted 200 miles North, she would have enough fuel to make it to the Marshalls. But the important detail is THAT MANY PEOPLE SAW HER COME DOWN, MANY SAW HER AND THE PLANE AFTER SHE DISAPPEARED.
But Dick followed up on these stories recently, because he knows and loves the people of the Marshalls, and with the help of a local "chief" or "king" of the islands, went out and found a small piece of a plane and brought it back to Seattle to his friend Jim Hayton, the aviation expert.
The Good Year Airwheel from the Electra |
He also explained to me: "The reason it is made of aluminum instead of steel, is that, since it is attached to the magnesium wheel, a steel dust shield would instantly corrode the wheel."
Her plane was found by US forces on this airfield in June of 1944. In the foreground is a plane that was burned, but the wings were not destroyted. |
Wednesday
A day of remembrance... for Amelia Earhart on July 2, 2014
She disappeared from the newspapers, and from the radar - but not from the planet.
And not from our hearts...
For those who'd like to know "What happened?" you've come to the right place.
She may not have found Howland, but she did find land. In Mili Atoll. (Oliver Knaggs, a South African author went to Mili and interviewed a number of people, including the Queen of Mili. They all said they saw her plane come down and land on the beach.)
She was then arrested by the Japanese. (At the time, the Japanese had mandated these islands, were not supposed to be reinforcing the harbors for war, but they were, in violation of the League of Nations. Be that as it may, they'd beheaded a British couple the year before for spying. So when she showed up, they assumed she was a spy - whether or not she actually was one.)
She and Fred Noonan and the plane were taken to Majuro. (The Electra was put aboard a barge - this report comes from the footage below). She was then taken to Jaluit - where a number of people saw her, including a young doctor's assistant, who was interviewed a number of times. And his business partner vouches for his honesty in the footage below. She was then taken (by ship, possibly to Truk and Kwajalein, I've heard these reports but haven't followed them up yet) to Japan.
Let me say that again: She was taken to Japan.
Japan?
Yes. Japan. Saipan was part of Japanese territory effectively in 1914, and officially in the 1920's. The headquarters for the Japanese Navy was based in Saipan. (It's estimated 30,000 Japanese soldiers died defending Saipan - once the airfield was taken, the US could bomb Tokyo and refuel).
She was seen entering Saipan by Josephine Blanco (in the footage below) arriving at the Seaplane harbor with Fred Noonan. She was taken to a hospital (son of a nurse interviewed below) where her wounds were attended to. She was then put into the jail on Garapan - spent an indeterminate time in a smaller cell (according to an eyewitness who was incarcerated next to her cell, and down the hall from Noonan) and she was then, at some point transported to a larger cell (across from the Commandant's office.) She spent a number of years in that cell.
A number of people saw her in the prison, heard she was in the prison, or saw her plane at Aslito. All are referenced in the footage below
The last verifiable sighting of her was in 1944. She was on the back of a truck being guarded by two soldiers. Two people (eyewitnesses who don't know each other, but both came forward to say they saw her on that same day) in the footage below saw her on that truck in late May or early June of 1944. As one of the eyewitnesses said "I was 12 years old. I have never seen a caucasian woman in my life. And here was one wearing man's clothes, her hands tied, with two soldiers guarding her with guns. It's not something you'd ever forget." (His brother was an eyewitness as well, and still lives on Saipan).
According to a woman who lives near the jail, her Japanese grandfather told her that the "american female pilot was beheaded and cremated." An interview with that woman is in the footage below and a visit to the crematorium.
Her plane was found on Aslito airfield on June 19th, 1944.
How do I know that date? Because the man who decoded the message (footage below) remembered the date, and it matches when they took the airfield. Her plane was in a hangar. It was seen by numerous GI's (12 so far and counting) and it was then flown "around the field" - witnessed by a number of GI's. The plane was destroyed by US forces (for unknown reasons) a few weeks later - and the man who decoded that order is in the footage below.
He's a US Marine. So are many other eyewitnesses. You think the Marines would make this up? I suggest walking up to any Marine and suggesting the same to their face. Not very likely.
Her body was obviously never recovered, but her briefcase, maps and passport was. The Marine who found those objects is also in the footage below. It was turned over to the proper authorities. Who have kept this story a secret for all these years. Why? I don't know. But I don't particularly care - I'm not interested in their mistakes, or their cover up, or their reasons for keeping this woman's death an enduring mystery. I'm just interested in what happened.
So it's wonderful to honor the memory of Amelia Earhart. But it's really about time to honor her memory with the truth.
The truth, you see, is the thing that's supposed to set us free. It's in the good book. It's also carved into the wall of the CIA. So, hey, how about a little truth?
In honor of Amelia Earhart and her sacrifice for this country (it appears the only reason she was executed because she was an American and the US was on their way to liberate Saipan), I salute her and present this information to everyone to see for themselves.
Happy Birthday Amelia!
Today a number of people have posted her quote:
"Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace; the soul that knows it not knows no release."
We are still in the process of trying to help grant her that peace.
We've been discussing a return to Saipan to continue our search for her airplane.
Just to recap:
We went to Saipan to see if anyone knew anything about her presence there after 1937. We spoke to many people, some of whom we put on camera and asked them to tell us their story. Their stories were consistent, and the details that the people spoke of, about their own lives during WWII and before, could be verified.
We also spoke to US Marines who found her plane in 1944. It was parked out on Aslito airfield. We've collected a number of these eyewitness reports on camera, some in print. We are convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that these men are telling the truth. They found Amelia Earhart's Electra parked in a hangar in June of 1944. They guarded it, they spoke about it, they even saw it fly. And then they saw it destroyed by US Forces on the airfield a few weeks later.
Why?
We've yet to hear a definite reason why - at least one that more than one eyewitness can corroborate. But since it only took us three weeks to get 17 NEW EYEWITNESSES to seeing Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan on Saipan, we are confident we will find more. Either the sons and daughters of those eyewitnesses, or god willing, the eyewitnesses themselves. See for yourself:
We've spoken to a few people about creating a permanent exhibit on Saipan after we find a piece of her plane. We've been asked why we'd do something like that. Because the story of Saipan and the history and the plane are intertwined, and the wreckage of the plane, and her burial - whether cremation, or burial - belong to Saipan, belong to this island that has given so much to so many countries for so many years. Spain, Germany, Japan, and now the US have all laid claim to its land and spectacular views.
It's not Saipan's fault that it was overrun by these different countries - but it is up to Saipan as to what they want to do with its own history. So we'd like to work with them to create something that's worthy of the people and history of this wonderful island as well as tell the true story of what happened after she disappeared from history books - after she was declared officially "lost at sea" - after she was declared legally dead by her husband, George Putnam, who came to Saipan during WWII when he was stationed in Tinian. Perhaps he wanted to hear the stories for himself.
What would the exhibit be? That has yet to be determined. It might just be what we found on our trip to Saipan and what we've learned from that trip. It might include the history of Saipan and all the occupying forces - it might include some of the stories we've gathered from eyewitnesses. It might be more than that - but first we'd have to find that piece of her plane that we are convinced exists on Saipan. Over 200 people claim they saw Amelia Earhart after she disappeared in 1937. New eyewitnesses place her on the island as late as 1944. Doesn't the memory of Amelia Earhart deserve some honor for what she suffered possibly the last seven years of her life?
Buried in the dirt of the airfield? Perhaps. Buried at sea? Less likely, but also possible. We will leave no stone (not literally, any digging we do is supervised by the Historians and archeologists on Saipan) unturned in our search for her. As soon as we can confirm our return plans, to continue our search for a piece of the Electra, we'll announce it here.
But HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMELIA.
Tuesday
The Search for the Electra
New information has come in and we are having it translated as we speak. Meanwhile, we're beginning a fund to raise money to return to Saipan to survey the airfield and if possible, locate a piece of the Electra.
If you are interested in helping us return to Saipan to find a piece of the plane, please contact us at MartiniProds at Gmail for further information, or find the donate link on this page. Every nickel helps!! Thank you.
Meanwhile, here's a bit of the information that we've been working on:
Monday
Josephine Blanco Akiyama
Went up to see Josephine Blanco Akiyama this past weekend and her husband Max, both from Saipan.
It was with Josephine that the story on Earhart on Saipan began back in the 1940's.
Josephine Blas Blanco as a young girl on Saipan. Photo courtesy JB Akiyama |
She wasn't the first person to see Amelia, of course. The Queen of Mili atoll saw her plane come down and land in Mili (Oliver Knagg's book), then Amelia was seen by Bilimon Amaron (later Jerry Kramer's business partner, who Jerry vouches for "100%") - she spoke to Bilimon in English, unfortunately he didn't speak English, but heard the crew calling her "Ameera." (his words).
Then we have a host of new people who've come forward who saw Amelia on Saipan - some say she was the "first caucasian woman" they'd ever seen, and that she was dressed like a man, so needless to say her appearance on Saipan - as it would be anywhere in the world - was something that everyone noted.
However, because of the time and place - Saipan - people were afraid to come forward and discuss it. Which I confirmed with an extensive interview with Ms. Akiyama - who at 87 recalls these events as if they were yesterday.
Tan Josephine today in Foster City |
Mr. and Mrs. Juan Blanco. Photo courtesy JB Akiyama |
The Blanco family, Josephine last row rear left. Korean brother in law who forgot his lunch is the groom. Juan Blanco front row. Photo courtesy JB Akiyama |
Dinner for Japanese dignitaries in the Blanco Home. Photo courtesy JB Akiyama |
Old Garapan City, and a typical bicycle on its dirt street. Photo courtesy JB Akiyama |
This was a hospital before and during the war, now home to the CNMI Museum - one of our witnesses says his mom heard about Amelia and Fred being treated here. Photo courtesy JB Akiyama |
Dr. Schifft. Josephine is far right. She told Shifft about seeing the female pilot dressed as a man, and he told Paul Briand. Photo JB Akiyama |
So here we are in 2013 interviewing a woman about what she saw, when she saw it, how she saw it. She told other stories about Saipan, all of which can be corroborated, about the war, about what happened to her family. The stories we've heard about the war are very common. She also told the dramatic story of having her home taken by the Japanese, how she snuck back into her home one day to get some fresh water and was almost executed, how she and her fellow students became slave workers for the military government, how they were abused - but also how when the shelling began, there was a moment when it looked like her family of ten would be killed by the falling bombs - and a Japanese soldier showed them an underground shelter -- which saved her life.
Josephine around the time she came to the States. Photo courtesy JB Akiyama |
Including Fred Noonan and Amelia Earhart.
Fred & Amelia. Photo Purdue Archive |
Wrong place, wrong time.
But they both died patriots - because they were both killed for being Americans. Isn't it about time we honor that sacrifice?
Thank you Josephine for telling us this story on camera. Stay tuned...
Public Talk about the interviews and conclusions made of the Earhart on Saipan research
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!
Saturday
CNMI Culture Center/Earhart Exhibit moves forward, along with more eyewitnesses, "In Veritas Libertas"
Lt. Gov Hofschneider, ARA's Paul Cooper & Gov Eloy Inos. Photo by Robert Rustin |
Estella Cabrera holding a picture of her family. photo by Chris Neltner |
Captain Cooper with the Cabrera family. Photo Chris Neltner |
Mr. Santos contacted us to let us know he was also there in Chalan Kanoa and also saw Amelia on the back of the truck with two shirtless prisoners. (We did not publish the part of the two other prisoners on the website - and when he claimed he saw her with two other prisoners, that confirms beyond a shadow of a doubt that he saw the same event ON THE SAME DAY in May of 1944.)
David M Sablan, Vincente Santos and Paul Cooper. Photo by Robert Rustin |
Mr. Santos, former teacher, a well respected member of the community, had a prominent role as member of the negotiating team that negotiated the political status of the CNMI |
Lotan Jack's story as told to Mike Harris in 1983 |
Either way, it confirms Jack Salas' story. Thank you very much Mr. Santos!!!
Manny Muna from Mike Harris' documentary |
The story continues....
Godfather's Bar & Grill - where most everyone on Saipan winds up at some point in the evening. And a good source of intel! |
Aslito airfield from Jerry Facey's balcony. Thanks Jerry! |
Saipan site of the wreck of Magellan's Concepcion - another buried treasure but they left a chest of gold! |
Mike Harris and Rich Martini at the old church - site where Marine Robert Wallack found Earhart's briefcase |
Photographer Robert Rustin. Thank you Robert! |
This gentleman's mother was a nurse in Saipan's hospital prior to the War - She told her son the story of a woman pilot and her navigator who were brought into the hospital in 1937 |
New eyewitness testimony suggests Amelia Earhart spent up to 7 years incarcerated here before being executed perhaps weeks or even days prior to the American invasion. |
Another day comes to a close... |
Wednesday
The Airfield, The 2nd Eyewitness, The One who started it all...
Digging on the airfield. Note the Japanese bunker in background |
Digging at Alsito airfield. Captain Cooper and Jerry Facey assisting. Photo by Robert Rustin |
Hydraulic Fluid Level Indicator |
So what happened to the plane after it burned?
And does aluminum burn along with other plane parts?
Electra in a museum in Tucson, Arizona |
Our premise is this; the Electra was made of an unusual alloy of aluminum. Each part of the plane was identified, or stamped, and x-rayed in Burbank after it was repaired from her first mission. If there is a plane part to be found, it would not be rusted, it would not be filled with moss (as the lesser aluminum alloy of Zeroes are) and it would be identifiable by the part number stamped on it or from its x-ray image.
Under the Electra during her Last Flight |
However, the airfield is large - and what we need to do is use various different pieces of equipment that can differentiate between ferrous material and aluminum. We are focusing on areas where eyewitnesses claim they saw the plane burned. By that process of elimination we are hoping to find one piece of the Electra.
Again, we aren't making up the story that the plane burned at Aslito. We are following the eyewitness reports of over a dozen US Marines who claim to have seen it there, seen it fly, or seen it burned. Its possible that in the subsequent years, every piece of the plane was dug up and used as scrap metal. It's possible that the plane was removed entirely from the field. But that's not likely - as we know it was destroyed on the runway, and the standard operating procedure is still the same for burning planes - to push it off the runway and bury it.
Double rivets on the engine. The propellers were unique as well. |
Rivets on a piece of aluminum from a plane found near the field |
Jack Salas's story of seeing Earhart for 30 minutes on the back of a truck corroborated by another Saipanese islander yesterday |
We do.
Thanks for tuning in....
Thursday
The investigation continues...
Connie and Paul - photo by Robert Rustin |
Remains of the house where the ring once lived. Photo by Robert Rustin |
Paul getting the details - Photo by Robert Rustin |
Meanwhile, permits came in on some of our digging sites; here's our backhoe out at the old Aslito airfield. When the US came in a took over the field, they renovated it extensively and changed the angle of the runway slightly - which allowed some of the old structures of the airfield to remain in their same position that can be verified on maps and photographs. We've pinpointed a number of likely sites for where the Electra was burned and pushed off the runway - and here's a couple of them:
Directing the backhoe to the right spot - Photo by Robert Rustin |
Digging it - photo by Robert Rustin |
David M Sablan, Connie Kaufter, and Captain Cooper - Robert Rustin photo |
EYEWITNESS REPORTS
Eyewitness Accounts: Published
EYEWITNESS: THE AMELIA EARHART INCIDENT BY THOMAS E DEVINE WITH RICHARD M DALEY
Pg 40. “Glancing out on the runway ramp.. an area not the main part of Aslito Field, but an extended arm of the airstrip at the southwest corner… Near an embankment was (AE’s plane). (LATER) .. a muffled explosion at Aslito Field erupted into a large flash fire… I crouched and crawled toward the airfield. When I could see what was burning, I was aghast! The twin engine plane was engulfed in flames! I could not see anyone by the light of the fire… in July 1944.”
THE SEARCH FOR AMELIA EARHART BY FRED GOERNER
Goerner gathers dozens of eyewitnesses to Earhart’s incarceration and second hand info about her execution.
AMELIA EARHART: LAST FLIGHT
Amelia reveals she did not know Morse code (and neither did Fred Noonan)
AMELIA EARHART:HER LAST FLIGHT
By OLIVER KNAGSS
South African journalist gathers numerous eyewitnesses at Mili, Majuro and Jaluit. There is footage of these interviews, but it exists somewhere in Miami – still trying to locate the negative.
AMELIA EARHART: THE MYSTERY SOLVED By ELGEN M LONG AND MARIE K LONG
Elgen shows how the original plan devised by radio man Harry Manning was adhered to by the Coast Guard Itasca – they didn’t know Manning got off the plane in Hawaii and wasn’t on the electra. So 90% of all their communication was in Morse code – something neither AE or FN knew.
“WITH OUR OWN EYES – EYEWTINESSES TO THE FINAL DAYS OF AMELIA EARHART” MIKE CAMPBELL WITH THOMAS E DEVINE
PG 32. Robert Sosbe, 1st battalion 20th Marines, 4th marine division) Sosbe said he saw the Electra before and during its destruction) “on or about D+5 after our infantry had captured Alsito, the night before, then were driven off, only to capture it again, our Co was called up to fill a gap between our infantry and the 27th Army infantry. The trucks carrying us stopped off the opposite side of the runway from the hangars and tower about 3 to 5 hundred yds. This two engine airplane was pulled from the hangar to off the runway where it was engulfed in flames from one end to the other. I can still remember exactly the way it burned, how the frame and ribs because it was visible. It was about half dark. It burned approximately 15-30 minutes.”
Same page: a letter from Earskine Nabers: “I am seeking Marines who were placed on duty at Aslito to guard a padlocked hangar containing AE’s plane. The hangar was not one of those located along the runway. It was located near what may have been a Japanese administration building, and an unfinished hangar at the tarmac, in the southwest corner of the airfield.
The follow up letter (pg 33)
…”we had to get Col. Clarence R Wallace to sign all the messages that came through the message center.) Hq 8th moved back to bivouac area. I was dropped off at the Hangar for guard duty at the main road that went by west side of hangar. The road that went out to hangar, I was placed on the right side, just as it left the main road….
Pg 34 The best I can recall the plane was pulled on the field by a jeep.. the plane was facing north after the plane was parked and jeep moved. A plane came over real low and on the next pass he strafed the plane and it went up in a huge fireball. (We were sitting on the west side of the airfield about one hundred yards from the plane. We were on higher ground. As far as I remember, the (men) that pulled the plane on the field and us guys from H & S 8th were the only ones there.”
Pg 36 Marine Capt Earl Ford of Fallbrook, CA, artillery master sgt with 2nd Marines. Interview 6-7-88 by Paul Cook. “The aircraft was about 100 yards (from me) maybe less. We all saw it. No way we could miss it. A civilian twin engine. No way it was military. American aircraft in civil registration… some officers were saying it was Amelia’s… it had only two windows on the side, back here.”
Arthur Nash, Air Corps Corps, P47 group on Aslito. Claims he saw the plane on July 4, 1944 (book says 1945, must be a misprint based on following) pg 40:
“After landing on Isley.. at 2:30 pm, Japanese soldiers were running around the airstrip, one killed himself in the cockpit of a P47D with a grenade…” I slept fairly well (in the hangar) and (in the morning) wandered over to a large hole in the hangar wall facing the other hangar. The hangar floor and the area between the hangars was littered with debris, displace with siding from the hangars, maybe 65 yards apart, but close enough to get a good look at a familiar aircraft outside the other hangar. My eyesight was acute and what I saw was Amelia Earhart’s airplane!... the next morning I went over to see it but it was gone.”
Jerrell Chatham, 1st platoon, I company, 3rd regiment, 2nd marine deivions: “I was driving trucks .. on Saipan… when we went ashore I saw the hangar where Amelia Earhart’s plane was stored, I also saw the plane in the air. They told us not to go close to the airplane hangar and we did not…”
Pg 44: Howard Ferris, US Marines: “Sent to Saipan for guard dutey… an old hangar structure at end of a runway. This hangar was not large,.. small trees in front of big doors.. (then he recounts the same Marine argument that Devine and Nabers recount – where some Navy brass attempted to get in, but a Marine (Nabers) refused them entry.)” Howard was not present at the fire, but one of his buddies was. The buddy said a truck arrived with many gas cans and the guards saturated the entire hangar.. and it burned totally.
Pg 50 Robert Sowash, 23rd regiment 4th Marines Division: “I saw a plane in a building that was not a military plane.. I remember other Marines saying it was the same as Earhart’s. Later the place was cordoned off..”
Pete Leblanc, 121st Naval CB’s, 4th Marine division: “some of our guys were sneaking over towards the airfield to try and see (AE’s plane). We heard there were guards there. Then it was burned up later.”
AMELIA EARHART: LOST LEGEND - DONALD MOYER WILSON
Over 200 eyewitnesses as gathered by all the different authors with the various reports of her landing on Mili, being brought to Jaluit and incarcerated in Garapan prison.