Wednesday

Another day on the trail...

Saipan is an unknown, untapped Paradise.  Most folks aren't aware that it's a US protectorate - when you arrive at the airport, it says "Welcome to the US."  Same money, banks, etc.  Just a little harder to get to than Hawaii, but the same climate.   Today began with a rain storm.

Juan Diaz, 84
Today Juan Diaz shared some stories of reports of fellow islanders of a "white woman" or "european woman" who was brought to Saipan in 1937.   Islanders are very precise in not saying who this woman was, but only what they saw or heard.  And he heard his mother saying she had seen a "white woman" in a cell in Garapan.

Thomas Comacho
Former police officer Thomas Comacho shared some of his stories with us during our daily stop at Java Joe's - where two fellows from Katmandu have opened a cafe.  He's read Fred Goerner's books and knew many of the people he interviewed.  He felt it was important to "find out what really happened."

Jared Abraham
We were lucky to run into Jared Abraham, who has years of experience working ground penetrating radar. (GPR)  Gave Captain Cooper a hands on lesson on the equipment we've brought.


The CIA maintained a base here up into the 1960's, run by the NTTU (as reported by Fred Goerner).  Obviously they left some equipment behind.  Just kidding. This was left by the Air Force which tracked satellite junk falling from space.  Didn't use it anymore so they left it.




Rose Mondala D Office on Aging
We visited an old folks home where many older residents are located. Rose regaled us with stories she heard from her mom and dad about the "white flyer" that was seen on Saipan in the late 30's.  She's arranged for us to meet with a number of folks who have stories to tell.
Aluminum piece of an airplane















We will begin digging any day now, just finishing up our permits.  However the island is littered with debris - this piece from a plane was picked up off the ground.

Antonio Sablan who heard his mother's story of seeing a "european woman" in a cell on Saipan
We'll be back at it tomorrow.. please stay tuned!!!

Rich, Juan Diaz, his wife, Mike Harris

Monday

Another day in Paradise

Naftan Point
Getting the proper permits and scouting the locations takes time and a good pair of shoes.  This is out on Naftan Point (means "Graveyard" in local Chomorro lingo) not far from one of our primary locations.
Scott Russell from the Northern Marianas Humanities Council
Executive Director Scott Russell, a historian of the Northern Marianas Council says that he's always been skeptical of stories that Amelia Earhart was on Saipan, but says that he is open to any new evidence that's can be presented. Below, Tyler and Paul from the Dept of Fish and Wildlife make sure we are up to code in our search.

Tyler and Paul from Div of Fish and Wildlife
Typical jungle scene, not far from one of our sites
We have a number of promising sites.  In some sites,  the jungle is dense, difficult to walk, let alone dig - in others, it's not hard at all. We've had some incredible encounters - today ran into an 89 year old man in a bank, who Capt. Cooper happened to strike up a conversation with - turns out he's an elderly gentleman we've been trying to reach.  We interviewed him in the bank line - his sister, still alive, was interviewed by Fred Goerner, claims that she saw Amelia and Fred Noonan when they first arrived on Saipan in 1937.  We will be interviewing her as well. Details to follow...

Zen Buddhist monk Sunim saying a prayer for our expedition
Sunday was a day of reflection.  We stopped in to attend mass at the historic Catholic Church, met a number of Saipan citizens, and in the afternoon made a trip out to the Zen Buddhist center, where the Buddhist monk Sunim did a prayer of good luck for our expedition.  

Each day brings new information, new friends, and great stories about the history and people of Saipan.
Another day in Paradise ends

More to follow....

Saturday

Another research day

Long time resident of Saipan, and wealth of information David Sablan gave us the tour of a lifetime throughout his beloved Saipan.  Here we are not far from the Banzai cliffs where 3400 civilians committed suicide rather than be captured by the American soldiers liberating Saipan in June of 1944.

David showed us where he and his family hid in a cave while the US Marines came ashore.  Having been told by Japanese teachers that the Americans would torture them, would be dressed in white outfits and be 8 feet tall and parachute into the island.  The US Marine who liberated them was 5 feet tall "smelled awful" and was wearing a rosary.  David knew that he was going to be saved.
David with explorer Mike Harris and intrepid Texan Capt. Paul Cooper.  David is 80 years old and knows just about everyone and everything about the island.  A quick wit and a charming guy, everyone on Saipan knows him as well.

The cell where many islanders claim that Amelia Earhart was incarcerated from 1937 until 1942.  We've spoken to a number of new witnesses.  The flooring is gone which would have covered the privy in the back.  The walls have been replastered, but the higher walls still sport bullet holes.  Outside the cells are graffiti from soldiers on Saipan in 1944.
The cell where Fred Noonan was reportedly incarcerated now sports a large tree.
Up above Saipan
  • Saipan Sunset
The story continues.  We've done numerous interviews and have conducted a survey of the old airfield, finding a number of interesting artifacts.  I'd be remiss not to mention one odd event - while entering a large concrete storage bin in the jungle behind the airfield, we all heard a bell ring - the same kind of sound that a shinto bell makes during a religious ceremony.  There was no one around for at least 300 yards, and it was inside this large cement block with giant steel doors we heard it.  We walked for a bit longer in the darkened room, and then heard the bell again - an eerie sound as it was not possible to discern where it might come from - there was nothing in the building other than some flowers that had been left there for the dead soldiers who were once there.   

More to come...

Thursday

Saipan interviews

We've begun our interviews with islanders who speak of the war years, and the persistent stories from many different islanders who saw, heard, or knew someone who heard of Earhart's presence on Saipan.  Each day brings different stories, some that collaborate others, some that are a mystery unto themselves.
Reportedly the prison AE was in

Earhart's reported cell
Museum curator Robert recounts many stories of AE's incarceration
Our mission is simple; what happened?  Not focusing on the why, or theories about why - just simple questions of "what did you hear?" "what did you see?" "what did they tell you?"  Like looking at the facets of a diamond from different close angles, its difficult to see the overall shape and texture of the actual objects - but by examining each story, each account in its own detail, we are able to get a clearer picture of what we are looking at.  More to come...

Wednesday

artifacts from saipan...

Here are some artifacts from our recent digs.


Liquidometer aluminum float circa 44

double riveted aluminum plate with registration numbers

Here are some fotos of the church tower from the church destroyed in Garapan.  Shot some footage in the cell that locals claim Amelia Earhart was incarcerated in after her coming down in Mili atoll.  There are a number of eyewitnesses to her presence here, including Jesus Sablan, who claims he shared the cell next to hers at some point.  We are gathering eye witnesses and filming first and second person accounts.
Aslito airfield with Tinian in the background


intrepid explorers
flag from garapan prison
Lau Luana beach

Sunday

Was Amelia Earhart on Saipan?

We've undertaken the task to examine the evidence on whether Amelia Earhart was on Saipan after she disappeared on her round the world flight in 1937.

We've seen the research that says it wasn't possible for her plane to fly to Saipan.  We've also seen the new dateline theory that shows her plane may have been off course by enough miles to accomplish what eyewitnesses claim.

Fred Goerner, a CBS correspondent, followed the story in the 1960's.  He went to Saipan and researched extensively the details surrounding these reports.  Mike Harris Sr. went to the Marshall Islands in the 1980's and interviewed a number of eyewitnesses who claimed Earhart was there.  They claimed to have seen her or her plane, Fred Noonan, and claimed that she was brought to Saipan and incarcerated. Oliver Knaggs, a South African journalist, went to the Marshall Islands in the 1980's and interviewed a number of eyewitnesses in print and on camera.

Other authors have weighed in as well; Thomas E Devine claimed he saw her plane on Saipan and gathered other eyewitness reports with the help of Mike Campbell in their book.  Many authors have examined this evidence, including Randall Brink, Donald Wilson - many with varying conclusions as to what happened to her.  Tighar.org has examined this evidence, according to their website, and found it lacking.

Our premise is simple; why would all these various people make this story up?  There are over 200 islanders who claim she was brought to the island, incarcerated and executed during World War II.  Why did the Japanese govt not report they'd captured her at some point, or used her as a pawn during the war? When the airfield at Aslito was captured on June 18, 1944, numerous eyewitnesses claim they saw her plane on Saipan when the airfield was liberated. (Earskin Nabers, US Marine, Thomas E Devine, US Army, Robert E Wallack, US Marine, Doug Bryce, US Army Air Corps, and in the case of Andrew Bryce, US Navy worked with a stevedore on Majuro who claimed he transported her plane from Mili Atoll to Majuro).

Two of these veterans (and numerous others as reported by Mike Campbell and Thomas E Devine) claim they witnessed the destruction of Earhart's Electra by US forces.  There are various theories as to why that happened, but as a team, we've agreed to set theory aside.  We are investigating these eyewitness reports, following by an archeological dig to bring up artifacts from the liberation of Aslito airfield.

This project will be the most extensive research ever done on record with regard to Earhart's presence on Saipan.  Mike Harris Sr has had the benefit of being there befoe, in the 1980's when he interviewed numerous people who claimed she was there.  Richard Martini has gathered the six US soldiers who claim that they, along with their friends and comrades, saw the plane in the hangar, decoded the message that it had been found, discovered her dry briefcase and examined her passport and maps, watched as it was taken  on a test flight, and then witnessed it being destroyed by US Forces.

Frankly we aren't concerned with the why. We are however concerned with the what. What can we find? Who can we speak to about these events?

The results will be published in book/film and exhibition form.  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.

Saturday

Earhart on Saipan

Investigating the numerous reports that Amelia Earhart was on Saipan after she disappeared.

We are exploring all avenues, conducting interviews and examing the evidence.  We have no opinion one way or the other as to the truth of these claims - we are investigating them and will report the results to the public.  Once we have gathered enough eyewitness reports and artifacts that point to a conclusion, we will publish it.

In the meantime, we've created this webpage to follow along on our journey to get to the heart of the matter; was aviatrix Amelia Earhart ever on Saipan?  How did this happen? Why did this happen? What was the sequence of events? Is there any eyewitnesses alive to tell what they saw? Is there any artifact that can be found that will point to a conclusion one way or the other?

Stay tunes....
This webpage examines the eyewitness accounts and other evidence that shows Amelia and Fred were arrested and taken to Saipan. There were over 200 individuals who claimed they saw her, this site examines who they were, and what they heard or saw. It includes details of evidence the Electra was found on Saipan, interviews with people who saw her and the Electra before and after they were taken to Saipan. Interviews with over two dozen Saipanese who claim they saw her there and over a dozen US Marines who claim they found the Electra, her passport, briefcase and other details.

EYEWITNESS REPORTS

THE EYEWITNESS REPORTS VIDEO IS NOW .99 CENTS

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.