Earhart made history in 1932 as the first woman to fly nonstop and solo across the Atlantic.
President Donald Trump has pledged to order the release of all government records related to Amelia Earhart and the legendary aviator’s ill-fated attempt to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world.
“I have been asked by many people about the life and times of Amelia Earhart, such an interesting story, and would I consider declassifying and releasing everything about her, in particular, her last, fatal flight,” the president wrote on Sept. 26 on Truth Social.
“I am ordering my Administration to declassify and release all Government Records related to Amelia Earhart, her final trip, and everything else about her,” he said.
Earhart made history in 1932 as the first woman to fly nonstop and solo across the Atlantic. By 1936, she was preparing to fly around the world with navigator Frederick Noonan, but their first attempt ended in Hawaii due to technical problems.
In May 1937, the pair made a second attempt, flying East. After reaching New Guinea, they set off toward Howland Island, a tiny speck of land with an airstrip lying about halfway between Hawaii and Australia. They never arrived.
Earhart and Noonan’s disappearance sparked one of the largest government rescue missions of its time, involving an aircraft carrier with 54 aircraft, a Coast Guard ship, two destroyers, and a battleship.
Despite the massive operation, no trace of the aviators or their plane was ever found. On July 19, 1937, the U.S. Navy called off the search, and Earhart and Noonan were presumed dead.
The incident remains one of aviation’s enduring mysteries. Over the decades, teams of public and private expeditions have searched the Pacific in hopes of finding wreckage of Earhart’s aircraft, but none have succeeded.
Different theories about her fate have emerged, including the claim that she was captured by Japan—at a time of tense relations with the United States—and executed under suspicion of being a spy.
“Amelia made it almost three-quarters around the World before she suddenly, and without notice, vanished, never to be seen again,” Trump wrote in his Truth Social post.
“Her disappearance, almost 90 years ago, has captivated millions.”
By Bill Pan
