On Friday, President Trump declared his intention to declassify and publish all governmental documents concerning aviation trailblazer Amelia Earhart, who disappeared mysteriously nearly 90 years ago.
“I have directed my Administration to declassify and release all Government Records regarding Amelia Earhart, her last voyage, and every related matter. Thank you for your attention to this issue!” Trump detailed on Truth Social.
Earhart vanished alongside her navigator, Fred Noonan, on July 2, 1937, during a doomed attempt to circumnavigate the globe.
Her Lockheed 10-E Electra is presumed to have crashed in the South Pacific near Howland Island after running out of fuel, although various conspiracy theories about her disappearance continue to circulate.
“I have received many inquiries about Amelia Earhart’s life and times, such an intriguing narrative, and whether I would consider declassifying and releasing all related documents, especially concerning her final, tragic flight!” Trump stated.
“She was a pioneering figure in aviation, the first woman to solo across the Atlantic Ocean, and achieved many significant milestones in the field.”
The president noted that at the age of 39, Earhart disappeared while “endeavoring to be the first woman to circumnavigate the globe.”
“Amelia nearly completed three-quarters of the journey before she abruptly, and without warning, disappeared, never to be found again,” Trump continued. “Her mystery, which dates back almost 90 years, has fascinated millions.”
Following her disappearance, the US Navy and Coast Guard conducted an extensive search effort, given her immense popularity at the time, with an estimated cost of $88 million in today’s funds.
The search yielded no success, and she was declared legally dead in 1939, approximately 18 months post-disappearance.
A multitude of books and documentaries have explored her last flight, with some proposing astonishing conspiracy theories, including one suggesting she landed safely but was subsequently seized and imprisoned by Japanese forces.
Other speculation suggests that Earhart and Noonan survived the crash but were stranded on a remote island where they met their demise.
Additionally, some theories propose that Earhart’s final trip was a spy operation, indicating her plane may have been outfitted with cameras to capture images of Japanese military activity in the South Pacific.
Recently, a group of undersea explorers unveiled sonar images of a plane-like object near the presumed crash site of Earhart’s Lockheed 10-E Electra. However, this object was subsequently identified as a rock.
Throughout his administration, Trump previously declassified and released numerous government documents linked to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr..
