New Guinea - Amelia Earhart & Fred Noonan, en route to Howland Island, 2 July 1937

[Unalienable Rights]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/07/politics/amelia-earhart-fbi-employees-record-search

October 7, 2025

The Trump administration has ordered FBI employees in Washington, DC, and New York to immediately search their workstations and digital media for any records pertaining to the disappearance of Amelia Earhart, two law enforcement sources told CNN.

Employees in the FBI’s DC and New York field offices received a highly unusual message from their leadership flagged with high importance late Tuesday telling them: “Per a priority request from the Executive Office of the President of the United States, please search any areas where papers or physical media records may be stored, to include both open or closed cases, for records responsive to Amelia Earhart.”

FBI employees were given a priority deadline of Wednesday to respond to the request....

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[Richard]

Amelia Earhart went missing with her aircraft and navigator Fred Noonan on 2 July 1937. The official conclusion was that she ran out of fuel and ditched in the Pacific Ocean. From the earliest news reports, hope and theories that she had survived the crash landing and was sending out radio messages were expressed.

In the 1960's some researchers believed that she and Noonan had been captured by the Japanese in the Marshall Islands and held prisoner on Saipan. That belief was supported by testimony from various islander witnesses.

In more recent times, the theory that they ditched or crash landed on Gardiner Island (now called Nikumaroro) has been widely publicized. A group called TIGHAR has raised large amounts of money and conducted a number of unsuccessful search missions to Nikumaroro, never finding any solid evidence that she was there.

LINK:

MSN

 

[Chimera]

Amazing how this case lives on.
Even finding her plane would answer so many questions ......

 

[PrairieWind]

Amazing how this case lives on.
Even finding her plane would answer so many questions ......

It is a fascinating story from so many angles. I have always been interested in the case.
Where did she go? Why has the plane not been found. Lots of theories. I do think that eventually something will be found.

 

[PrairieWind]

I would add that the fact that her plane has not yet been found, is perhaps a clue in and of itself.

 

[Richard]

I would add that the fact that her plane has not yet been found, is perhaps a clue in and of itself.

Not necessarily. There actually is testimony from a number of people who claim that the plane was recovered by the Japanese Navy and transported to Saipan.

Some veteran US servicemen claimed to have seen the plane intact in a hangar at Aslito Field on Saipan in July 1944, and that it was taken out and destroyed (burned) by US forces.

 

[Gators North]

Does anyone think that there will be any further information available when the files are released (as per the President’s instructions)?

 

[PrairieWind]

Does anyone think that there will be any further information available when the files are released (as per the President’s instructions)?

I don't know. Good question. There were many Marshallese and Japanese who claimed Amelia and Fred had been captured. The US military clearly gathered information on that. Admiral Nimitz apparently believed she had been taken by the Japanese as did General Erskine. So, there should be something to show why. I originally didn't think there was anything to the "Japanese capture" theories, but as I have learned more, I realized that it wasn't so crazy. There were a lot of people that said they saw her. We need to see what the records release shows us.

 

[Unalienable Rights]

I went on a business trip to Saipan in the 1990s (it's hard to believe that was 30 years ago!) While I was there, a business associate who was a lifelong resident, took me on a drive around the island and pointed out sites of historical interest. One site was said to have been an area that was associated with Amelia Earhart's plane. He was very enthusiastic in relating Earhart lore....the research he had done and stories his parents and other older residents had told him. I wish I could remember everything he said! It will be interesting to see what is in the soon to be released documents.