GET UPDATES BY RSSUpdate #11: Thanks again!!! "Dot Dash"
Posted about 1 hour ago
to all you Kickstarters for kicking in. 45 hours to go. Hmm. Do I land? Do I turn back? What to do?
In Amelia's case, imagine how frustrating that must have been. Harry Manninghad been aboard the ship originally as her radio man - he'd organized the radio transmissions with the Coast Guard to all be in Morse Code. Then she crashed in Hawaii, and he left the mission. Why? No one's sure. Some say he didn't get along with her. Either way, no one notified the Coast Guard that he wasn't on the plane.
Cut to a year later. She's at one of her stops and is talking to some Thai air pilots. They get around to the subject of Morse code. She admits she never learned it. She writes about it to her husband George, and when the book is published it's in"Last Flight." Neither she nor Fred Noonan were conversant in Morse Code. (Elgen Long details this in his book - however Elgen didn't know that she'd mentioned it in her book. I pointed that out for him.)
The Coast Guard sends 90% of the messages in Morse Code - except for one. Through voice they say "Broadcast the letter A." Dot Dash. Everyone knows that. She sends "Dot Dash" instead of saying "I DON"T KNOW MORSE CODE!" once she sends dot dash, the letter A, they go back to transmitting in Morse Code. She can't understand them. They hear her, but can't figure out why she doesn't respond to their calls.
According to the new "Dateline Theory" by Liz Smith, who's actually been to Howland to search for the Electra - she was off course. I revisited her theory yesterday - it looks like it's about 60 miles NW of Howland. According to maps I can find, Mili Atoll, the place that everyone says they saw her plane come down - it's about 400 miles NW of Howland.
Could she have continued on that path, trying to find the nearest atoll? Could she have made it 200 miles on a whiff of gas left in her tanks? There are reports that there was a Pacific Storm that blew in at the time - could the winds have carried her that far? All I know for certain is - there's dozens of eyewitnesses who saw her come down, who saw her plane on board the Koshu Maru, and who either saw her or Fred after 1937. So - simple logic tells us that she came down in a place where she could be picked up. I have at least 6 folks who claim they saw (or heard it from someone else) that she landed on Barre Island in Mili. In a South African journalist's Knagg research, he went there and interviewed on camera islanders who claim they saw her come down there. One even claimed she "buried a metal box" near the plane. I'm still tracking down that footage for the doc.
So let's not give up hope entirely. I admit - it was a risk to suggest the full amount to finish the documentary the way that I wanted to finish it. I've fallen short of that goal. But you see, I'm haunted by this project. These US Marines who told me there story - they're eager for me to get it into the world. They're tired of being laughed at, tired of being told they're delusional, tired of being the only ones on the planet who saw her Electra on Aslito airfield in June of 1944.
They speak to me, even from beyond the grave - and let me know they're still counting on me to tell their story. And come hell or high water (he said, as his plane plows through the surf and winds up on a sandy shore), I will finish the doc. But thanks for the shove (or kick) in the right direction.
Some final thoughts on the next and final update. Thank you!!!
Rich
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Update #10: Running North and South. Low on Fuel.
Posted 3 days ago
Here we are at the finish line.. and I can't thank my Kickstarters enough to help me visualize this process. I'm speaking to a couple of people about how to finance the whole shebang, as well as considering revisiting the structure of financing - one piece at a time!!!
On July 3rd, 1937, Amelia left Lae, New Guinea - she flew in the dark, through the night to get to Howland. According to Liz Smith, Earhart fan and filmmaker, her new DATE LINE THEORY
put the Electra 200 miles NW of where she was supposed to be. For those of you who are tighar.com fans, please refer to the notebook published on their site by the young Ham Radio operator who heard Amelia's voice over the radio - it's not in the transcript - but it's clearly on the page. She's written in a margin "225 NW" - if she was 225 NW of where Liz Smith's new theory put her - that would be on MILI ATOLL.
As revealed in Elgen Long's book "The Mystery Solved" and spoken of by Amelia herself in "The Last Flight" she didn't speak Morse Code. According to Elgen, 90% of the communications to her where in Morse Code - in fact the only time they communicated is when they asked her to transmit the letter A. Even Amelia could do that. But little else.
So Liz Smith's theory, which makes sense to me, puts her 200 miles closer to Mili Atoll, where numerous Islanders saw the Electra crash. That means she'd have to fly that final 200 miles on whatever gas she had left, and probably a lot of fumes. All I know is, I have tracked down NUMEROUS EYEWITNESSES who saw the plane transported to Majuro, to Jaluit aboard the Koshu Maru, and to Saipan where it was housed until it was found on June 19th 1944 by US MARINES.
Some people have suggested that these Marines are lying. I mean really. WWII veterans trying to gain a little spotlight time for what reason? and I dare anyone to tell a Marine he's lying. Kind of a stupid suggestion, if you ask me. They were told WE HAVE FOUND AMELIA EARHART'S AIRPLANE (even via a decoded message which I have the man who decoded that message) and later WE ARE GOING TO DESTROY AMELIA EARHART'S PLANE - and more than one Marine watched it torched by US soldiers. I didn't ask why. Because that would be conjecture. It's up to me to find out why. All I asked was "What did you see?" One of my interviewees said "I'll never forget it. I remember it like it was yesterday." That's what Marines do. Fight like hell, and live to tell the truth.
So where is the plane? I've gotten these Marines to pinpoint where they saw the plane destroyed - and where on the runway it was pushed to, and buried under dirt. JPAC could find it in a heartbeat - made out of aluminum, you can burn the material, but you can't make it disappear. And there weren't many aluminum planes that landed on Aslito airfield.
So again, thanks to all you Kickstarters for pushing me in the right direction, and I will bug you at a future date when I figure out how to break this process into manageable bites. all the best, your intrepid explorer, Rich
Update #9: A week to go!!! Running Low on Fuel...
Posted 4 days ago
EEK!
a very knowledgeable pal of mine, who has filmed in the outer reaches of the planet, from Sudan to Godknowswhere, suggested that I rethink this process, and do the film in 3 stages. I've shot most of the footage so far, the interviews part - I have 3 or four I'd still like to do, but they're in far flung spots.
His idea, phase one, head to Saipan and dig up what I can. The publicity from that part of it will help fund phase two - finishing up the interviews and the edit.
Phase three would be post - and of course Phase four is getting the tuxedo out to walk the red carpet. Hopefully not the one my mom has in her back yard that leads from the garage. A fancier carpet, one would hope.
What does everyone think? Good idea? I'm not sure if I can reboot my project - it's all or nothing. Do I go down in flames at the end of the week? Is it like the end of Bozo's Circus (circa 1965 Chicago, where the grand prize game has flashing arrows that cross over little boys faces until it winds up on one stunned one?) (passing me over completely).
I'm open for any suggestions.. my backers are all pals of mine, and I"m proud to say I know who you are who would step up and take a swing at the plate on my behalf. Very cool, and I won't forget it. You're all stand up peeps.
Okay, just an update to say thanks to all of you - my first and my last kickstarters who are closing their eyes and throwing a dart in my direction - and hopefully it'll hit the balloon!!!
Thanks again.. 7 days to go.. and Mt. Kailash to climb. xxx Rich
Julian Baird 4 days ago
Rich, how much money do you have so far? Is it enough to fund phase one of a new plan to send you to Saipan? Surely that part is the guts of your whole project. I would retain my pledge to apply to phase one only, if necessary -- provided of course that you invite me to put on my tux and watch you walk the carpet at the end of the project.XO,Julian- Carl Weathers 3 days ago
Filmmaking is a perilous enteerprise. Raising funds for the film, is far more so. Earhart may be calling out from the great beyond, for someone just like you. Rich, you have my support because I believe in you and what you're chasing. So you don't have the total you set out to get. Mon ami, I say take what you have, with our blessing, and go forward one stage at a time.
XX
Carl W.
Update #8: Ten Days To Go!
Posted on September 1
Yes, I know. I've taken the big gamble, the rough road, hoping that people outside of my close pals would be curious as to what happened to Amelia Earhart. So, just ten days to go - and my deadline is looming large.. either way I can't thank you supporters enough! You know I'm a crazed individual, but the rest of the planet.. well not yet anyways.
I have garnered some interest from a distributor, so that's good news. I'm just going to plow ahead... and all you backers,no matter what, I will keep you appraised of each step of the process.. I feel glad to say that you won't have to spend a dime if we don't make the goal - as weird as that sounds. It's the same way with working on a big feature - there's a studio tapping their watches and crossing their arms and wondering how the heck you're going to spend their money. In this case.. I'll be glad if my friends don't have to spend their money.
Some stats for you: Google "Amelia Earhart" and you get About 4,730,000 results (0.22 seconds)
"Amelia Earhart Saipan" About 37,300 results (0.30 seconds)
Some results from my stuff - Part of this mission is to stir up the pot, get people interested and involved, and if I get the kind of backing I need to finish this film properly - great - if not,those who know me well, know that come hell or high water (Irene notwithstanding) I'll finish the film one way or another!!! Thanks again for all your support...
- ►
The Martini Shot
www.richmartini.com/ - CachedThe Martini Shot. Writer/Director/Raconteur Rich Martini's blog ... Well, I've finally posted a link to my Amelia Earhart Doc - through Kickstarter. If you have a ... Earhart's Electra: Eyewitnesses To What Really Happened by Rich ...
www.kickstarter.com/.../earharts-electra-eyewitnesses-to-what-really... - CachedJul 28, 2011 – Rich Martini is raising funds for Earhart's Electra: Eyewitnesses To What Really Happened on Kickstarter! Amelia Earhart disappeared over the ...What Happened to Amelia Earhart's Electra - YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS3p6KQyKhE6 min - May 26, 2011 - Uploaded by MartiniProds
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Uploaded by MartiniProds on Oct 18, 2010. I've interviewed three veterans who ... Tags: Amelia Earhart · Richard Martini ... Uploader ...The Martini Shot: My Kickstarter Campaign
richmartini.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-kickstarter-campaign.html - CachedWell, I've finally posted a link to my Amelia Earhart Doc - through Kickstarter. ... Posted by Rich Martini at Tuesday, August 23, 2011. Labels: Amelia ...
Update #7: Two weeks to go...
Posted on August 27
a huge hill to climb! but you just never know.. Aviation Weekly said they were going to write something about it - please forward the link to anyone you think might be interested in the topic. Earhart is consistently in the top ten of "non celebrity searches" according to my internet friends who know about this stuff. So she's in the hearts and minds and on the internet...
Crowd funding is an unusual way to go via the internet. I know they've spent millions of dollars searching the ocean floor around Howland Island, you'd think they'd spent just a little bit of money searching above ground where eyewitnesses actually can place her plane.
There are numerous sites dedicated to finding her somewhere else -www.tighar.com is a wonderful site that really goes in dept with forensic evidence. However, for some reason I can't fathom they've ignored the over 200 islanders who claim to have seen her or her plane after 1937. Dismissing one or two of them - or even dozens of them for some monetary motivation makes sense - although no one has made any money from claiming to have seen her - but over 200 is insane. And then when you factor in the 6 US GI's who saw her, noble servicemen who have nothing to say but what they saw - I mean, I just don't get why people down hunt this story down the way it should have been done years ago.
As mentioned, Fred Goerner's book, at least the second edition, covered pretty much all the bases. In the second edition he interviewed the GI's who dug up her body in 1944 and reported it to the "Stars and Stripes." Goerner didn't know it had been published, I found that in my research when I began back in 1989. Any library that has back issues of the Stars and Stripes will have it. It's referenced in 1944. (so you have to go to a library - what's that? - to see the article) Why that's not appeared in a book is also confusing. But the GI's who dug her up were interviewed by more than one author, so it's not a secret.
Anyways, as I said before, I'm trying to focus on the plane. Someone wrote to ask me if I had permission to dig in Saipan.. what a funny question. As a filmmaker, I'm used to hiring the folks who get the permission. As a documentary filmmaker, I have to film, shoot and edit what I'm interested in - I don't have the luxury of saying "Oh, by the way, we're filming downtown LA on Thurs, make it happen, would ya?" But I've been in contact with veterans organizations on Saipan as well as individuals who can help - and thankfully, the location where the plane was burned and buried is far enough away from the administration buildings and runway, that any excavation wouldn't disrupt the workings of the airport.
One of my subjects, Tom Devine, went with Goerner to Saipan to help direct him where an islander had told him she was buried. When they got there he was dismayed to see Goerner talking to other islanders who claim her body was buried "over here." (I have two locations from eyewitnesses - two different cemeteries, where in the middle of the war, islanders told them a white woman and man are buried HERE." - two different cemeteries in the middle of the war!) But her body was dug up in 1944, so there's no point in looking for her grave. But when Tom was there, he was so frustrated they weren't looking where he saw her grave, he went over to the location by himself, and started digging, with his hands.. and found a large bone! (which, I'm sorry to say, I had Dr. Michael Badenexamine and tell me was a cow bone).
However, I'm looking for the Electra - and her plane was buried, and left behind.. and that is worth trying to dig up. She may not be there, but her plane is.
And I'm sure there are a few treasure hunters who'd like to get there before me. That's great! All power to them. I'm not trying to raise money to find a piece of the Titanic - I'm trying to raise money to tell the truth about what happened to her and her plane - and frankly don't care how the truth comes out. I hope it inspires someone to race there before me. (However, if they want the exact location, they gotta buy a copy of the DVD when the film is finished- *grin*)
Thanks again for all you Kickstarters who got this going.. I hope some Godfather shows up who was a desire to hear the real story, and if you know anyone who's crazy enough to be one, don't hesitate to send the link!! Thanks!!!
Rich
Update #6: Some more clues for you...
Posted on August 25
Had an interesting discussion with an author who's been writing about Amelia for some time.
"You're on a wild goose chase," she said. "Amelia was never on Saipan."
That's why I'm focusing on the Electra. I can't prove exactly what happened to her. I have eyewitnesses who claim they saw what happened to her. But I can prove what happened to her plane. I can use my eyewitnesses as evidence to that event. I can let them speak for themselves and let the audience decide whether or not these World War II veterans, brothers in arms, defenders of the American way, are lying or not. And they know what they saw and where they saw it happen.
I can't prove exactly why she wound up on Saipan. But I can prove that people saw her there, over 200 islanders have claimed they saw her or her plane, on or near Saipan after she disappeared. I have footage of my own, and I have access to other footage that was shot by filmmakers who went and interviewed these people. Why she never learned Morse Code is beyond me, but she admits it in her book "Last Flight." Why Fred Noonan didn't know it either is crazy - and why the Coast Guard used Harry Manning's radio plan even though he wasn't on the plane, is a snafu that was covered in Elgen Long's "The Mystery Solved."
But I do know that a Navy mechanic put two Fairchild Aerial cameras into her plane. I know that she was overheard saying "Imagine me being a spy." I know that her plane was met by an Intelligence officer in Australia. I know that when she was captured, islanders were told that they had captured "an American spy." I know that the US military ordered her plane to be destroyed after the found it. I will leave it up to the audience to put those clues together for themselves.
I've been able to pinpoint, with eyewitness help, the area where they saw her airplane on Saipan. Amazingly, the area in question hasn't been paved over or built upon. Here's a view of Saipan from Google Earth. Zoom in to view the airfield. The upper right portion is the same. http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/google_map_Saipan.htm
Here's a photo of the airfield in 1944.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Isleyfield-saipan-1945.jpg
Here's footage of the airfield when it was liberated. The hangar the Electra was apparently stored in is the only structure still standing. http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675047536_Demolished-buildings_dud-shells_aviation-engineers
This footage was shot on June 18th 1944. On June 19th, code clerk Earskin Julious Nabers decoded the message from HQ that said "We have found Amelia Earhart's airplane on Aslito airfield." The decoded message was signed by Col L Wallace, US Marines (not the same Wallace who went on to become commandant of the Marine corps for those clue seekers paying attention). A copy of the decoded message went into a box,which I believe I can find in DC at the Library of Congress. There's a bunch of boxes with all the messages inside, I've been through a few of them. In just one day of searching I dug up a message from July talking about an unknown object burning on the runway at Aslito field. Could it have been the Electra? I need your help to prove that.
The evidence is available. If you have the resources to get there before me - I applaud anyone who can dig this stuff up. You can save me a trip to Saipan! But for those of you who have donated money to this project, or know people who might be interested in donating money,please pass it along. I appreciate the thought!!! I got a note from a film producer who said if the money gets to a certain point, he'll kick in the rest. Knock on wood!
Best, your intrepid filmmaker, searching of things unsearchable, Rich
Update #5: Amelia's behalf
Posted on August 23
I got a check in the mail today, from the father of a dear friend of mine. He said, "Richard, at my age, please don't make me figure out how to sign up for Kickstarter, here's a check on Amelia's behalf."
Amelia's behalf.
About 25 years ago, a dear friend wrote to me and said I should write a script about Amelia. I said, "why?" Then I began to focus on her story.. and as I posted on the front page, that led to a movie that was made for TNT (didn't tell the story however) and then 20 years later, led to my working on the recent film "Amelia." All along the way I tried to make my own version - shot tests, cajoled friends and producers, who at some point thought I had jumped off the deepest end of the pool.
But I got a call from the son of a US Veteran, who said "I saw some of the footage you had online. I think you should talk to my dad and uncle." That led to me flying to Colorado to interview these two amazing men - brothers, and veterans of the campaign in the Marianas. The story they told me corroborated everything I'd already learned, but also filled in gaps of details I hadn't been able to verify. Like how the Electra got from Barre Island, Mili Atoll to Saipan. I couldn't image how they'd perform that task, even though people had seen it. Well, Andrew Bryce had the answer. It was picked up by a Japanese barge, transported to Majuro where there was a dock, and then taken to Jaluit (where it was seen by many.) This he learned in the middle of the war from a stevedore islander who TRANSPORTED THE PLANE.
Then I flew to meet his brother Douglas. He talked about how "down at the VA" where he went for lunch every day, "they laugh at me." He speaks with a slow western drawl, and there's still a flash of light when he talks about seeing the Electra on Aslito airfield in the middle of the war. "I was told it was her plane, they guarded it and acted like it was her plane. I could see that it matched the photographs I had seen only years earlier (7) of the plane. Why would they lie about it?" He shakes his head ruefully. "There can only be one truth," he says. "You can slap a person in the face with the truth, but if they don't want to hear it, they won't."
I promised him and the other GI's that I would get their story into the world. And I will, whether or not this endeavor lands me in Saipan - I have plenty of evidence, eyewitness evidence of what happened to her plane and where it is. I sincerely hope the bandwagon gets filled in the next 3 weeks, but come what may, I will get this story into the world.
Thanks again for all your support!!!
best,
Rich
Update #4: "Until She Comes Home"
Posted on August 22
A special shout out to Benet Wilson from Aviation Weekly who interviewed me over the weekend about the documentary. I've only spent 25 years researching this project - obsession? I hope not. Every time I legitimately put it aside, someone or something would put it back into my path. Only 20 days left! Kickstarter's the guys who recommend the 30 day deadline, so I have to go with prevailing wisdom. Inevitably the question is asked "why now?" or "Does anyone care what happened to Amelia Earhart?"
As I said to Benet, there is evidence - and I mean eyewitness evidence, written and published evidence - that she was executed for being a spy. Whether she was or not has been a subject of great debate - she was quoted saying "Imagine me being a spy!" - that's been the subject of Earhart conferences. In Fred Goerner's book, he interviewed a Navy mechanic who claimed he installed two Fairchild Aerial Surveillance (spy) cameras in her plane. Randall Brinkinterviewed this same mechanic, who went on to become a California Highway Patrol officer. I interviewed one of his children, and believe he was a man of integrity, and didn't profit in any way from his revelation.
But I think most Earhart theories crash upon the rocks of "why did this happen?" Once people extrapolate, translate the evidence, they sometimes come to conclusions (or leap) that later turn out to be not true. Randal Brink's book asserted she wound up in a POW camp, and that was proven to be false. Fred Goerner brought back a piece of a plane and some bones from Saipan - and despite having gotten the story correct, or at least I've been able to corroborate 90% of it - he was discredited because the plane wasn't hers, the bones weren't hers.
So I've tried to stick to the facts - or the eyewitness facts. I have 6 soldiers on camera who saw her plane, her briefcase, or her grave sight on Saipan in the middle of WWII. I have eyewitness testimony from a handful of the over 200 islanders who either saw her plane, saw her, or heard about her being incarcerated on Saipan. I also have evidence as to the US military involvement in discovering her plane, and ultimately destroying it.
But who cares?
My feeling is that she died for being an American spy in the middle of World War II. (Executed, and I have eyewitness for that event as well). Whether she was a spy or not is subject to debate (after all, who knew that Julia Child was a spy? - but that's what FDR asked his friends to do for the US govt. prior to WWII). But all the evidence points to the fact that she was killed in the service of her country - and has never been honored for it.
She died for being American.
Do we really live in a world where that's not worthy of examining? Worth of news? Because either we defend our freedoms from those who would take them away from us - or we don't. And we certainly should honor those who gave their lives for our country. It's just a simple matter of respect.
In that light, I'm trying to influence JPAC to help http://www.jpac.pacom.mil/ me in this search. I've spoken to them about their help, and initially they wrote to me and reminded me of their motto.: The mission of JPAC is to achieve the fullest possible accounting of all Americans missing as a result of the nation’s past conflicts. The highest priority of the organization is the return of any living Americans that remain prisoners of war.* THE MOTTO OF JPAC IS "UNTIL THEY ARE HOME."
Well, I got one for you guys. She was captured in 1937. In the middle of the war, she was executed for being a spy, and her plane was found in June of 1944 on Saipan on Aslito Airfield. I can prove where it was destroyed by US forces. I need your help in proving it, as you have the latest and best equipment for finding any plane, anywhere in the world. Will you help?
Here's the JPAC phone number and contact form. If you'd like for them to support this venture, feel free to bug them on my behalf. Worst that can happen is they say yes, and yours truly will be off to film them in action.
Best,
Rich
Update #3: Questions about Amelia and her Electra....
Posted on August 17
Questions about Amelia
I decided to focus on her Electra, rather than on the various theories about her disappearance. Mainly because I've filmed half a dozen eyewitnesses who saw the Electra on Saipan. They're US Marines - and you know how much they like to prevaricate. Not much. So starting from there, I expanded the search and the research - and the timeline is as follows:
1. 1936. AE plans for an around the world trip, with Harry Manning (radio man) and Fred Noonan (navigator)
2. She crashes in Hawaii. Manning declines to continue on. Only problem, according to Elgen Long's book, Harry created the radio plan for the mission. NO ONE CHANGED IT. It required the Coast Guard to communicate with her via Morse Code. According to AE in her book "Last Flight"neither she nor Fred Noonan knew Morse Code.
3. 1937. She and Fred depart Lae for the leg to Howland. Key radio equipment is left behind. Long estimates 90% of the radio traffic to the Electra was in Morse Code. The only transmission that was acknowledged is when the Coast Guard asked her to broadcast the "A" key. She did. But she didn't know the rest of the code, unfortunately.
4. The plane is seen coming down in Barre Island, Mili Atoll. This according to numerous eyewitnesses, some I have on tape - Oliver Knagg, a journalist from South Africa went there and filmed interviews. Am trying to track those down. His book, hard to get, details those interviews (which I have).
5. The Electra is picked up a Japanese barge, taken to Majuro where its put aboard the Kyoshu Maru. Numerous eyewitnesses, some on tape, also Gen. McArthur investigated this story when he was in Tokyo.
5. The Kyoshu docks in Jaluit. Numerous people see the plane on the ship, including a young medical assistant who treats AE and Fred's wounds. He's in the doc.
6. The plane, and AE and Fred are taken to Saipan. She is incarcerated for "being a spy" in Garapan prison. Many eyewitnesses, some in the doc, see her there. The plane is put in a hangar at Aslito Airfield.
7. Both Fred and AE are executed by the Japanese (eyewitness accounts in the doc).
8. The plane is found on June 18th, 1944 by US Marines. Numerous eyewitnesses.
9. The plane is flown a few weeks later. Numerous eyewitnesses (in doc).
10. Her briefcase is found in a safe in Garapan. After two weeks carrying it around,the PFC Marine turns it over to an officer.
11. A Navy man tasked with recovering her or her remains arrives on Saipan. He collects the briefcase. (confirmation by eyewitness and one of his relatives). He digs up her body, and has the Electra destroyed. (numerous eyewitnesses, included in the doc.)
I have confirmed the location of where the plane was destroyed and buried. I plan to take a forensic team to this site and find a piece of the burned plane. I need your help to accomplish this...
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/467782699/earharts-electra-eyewitnesses-to-what-really-happe
1. 1936. AE plans for an around the world trip, with Harry Manning (radio man) and Fred Noonan (navigator)
2. She crashes in Hawaii. Manning declines to continue on. Only problem, according to Elgen Long's book, Harry created the radio plan for the mission. NO ONE CHANGED IT. It required the Coast Guard to communicate with her via Morse Code. According to AE in her book "Last Flight"neither she nor Fred Noonan knew Morse Code.
3. 1937. She and Fred depart Lae for the leg to Howland. Key radio equipment is left behind. Long estimates 90% of the radio traffic to the Electra was in Morse Code. The only transmission that was acknowledged is when the Coast Guard asked her to broadcast the "A" key. She did. But she didn't know the rest of the code, unfortunately.
4. The plane is seen coming down in Barre Island, Mili Atoll. This according to numerous eyewitnesses, some I have on tape - Oliver Knagg, a journalist from South Africa went there and filmed interviews. Am trying to track those down. His book, hard to get, details those interviews (which I have).
5. The Electra is picked up a Japanese barge, taken to Majuro where its put aboard the Kyoshu Maru. Numerous eyewitnesses, some on tape, also Gen. McArthur investigated this story when he was in Tokyo.
5. The Kyoshu docks in Jaluit. Numerous people see the plane on the ship, including a young medical assistant who treats AE and Fred's wounds. He's in the doc.
6. The plane, and AE and Fred are taken to Saipan. She is incarcerated for "being a spy" in Garapan prison. Many eyewitnesses, some in the doc, see her there. The plane is put in a hangar at Aslito Airfield.
7. Both Fred and AE are executed by the Japanese (eyewitness accounts in the doc).
8. The plane is found on June 18th, 1944 by US Marines. Numerous eyewitnesses.
9. The plane is flown a few weeks later. Numerous eyewitnesses (in doc).
10. Her briefcase is found in a safe in Garapan. After two weeks carrying it around,the PFC Marine turns it over to an officer.
11. A Navy man tasked with recovering her or her remains arrives on Saipan. He collects the briefcase. (confirmation by eyewitness and one of his relatives). He digs up her body, and has the Electra destroyed. (numerous eyewitnesses, included in the doc.)
I have confirmed the location of where the plane was destroyed and buried. I plan to take a forensic team to this site and find a piece of the burned plane. I need your help to accomplish this...
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/467782699/earharts-electra-eyewitnesses-to-what-really-happe
Update #2: Thank you supporters!!!
Posted on August 16
Leslie Carleton - You're fabulous and thank you! Welcome back from Fiji!
Matthias Hues - thanks Matthias. Very kind of you.
Emily Davidow - who I went to Tibet with and always makes me laugh. Thank you!
Justin Eugene - thanks man, I appreciate the kind words of support.
Angie Everhart - the most amazing parachutist/supermodel I've ever met. Thank you! You're one letter away from being AE yourself!
Mike Fricchione - Great to hear from you brother, and thanks for the generous support! Go Roma!
Only 26 days to go.. shall we get there together? I hope so. Knock on wood. Let's leave it up to Amelia whether or not she wants her story told. All the best, Rich
Updates at EarhartMovie.com on a daily basis.. more story details to follow. Thanks again.
Update #1: Special Thank youse!!!
Posted on August 15
Alex Hyde White - look for him in the upcoming "Tin Tin" movie
Angie in Rhode Island - thank you!
Carl Weathers - the one and only Apollo I know. Thanks!
Shayne Adams - a million thanks Shaynie. The kids miss you.
Julian Baird - how wonderful! my old prof doubles down on me.
Sharon Ghilarducci - Thank you!!!! Great last name.
Stay up to date on the latest developments.... www.earhartmovie.com