#1
25 July 1937 |
The
Chater Report |
The
Chater Report was written by Eric Chater of Guinea Airways in response
to a request by his friend, M. E. Griffin of Placer Management, Ltd.
Griffin had been asked by the Bureau of Air Commerce in the States
to use his contacts in New Guinea to find out what had happened in
Lae. The report was sent to Griffin, and sat for almost 60 years until
an executive of Placer Dome, Ltd.of Vancouver, BC, discovered the
original file while looking for something else. |
#2
9 July 1937 |
The
Lambrecht Photo |
This
U.S. Navy photo is the only picture known to have been taken of Gardner
Island during the 1937 search for Amelia Earhart. The photographer
is unknown, but this print of the photo, obtained from an archive
in New Zealand, is inscribed “U.S. Navy (pilot) July 9, 1937”
on the reverse. That is the date the three aircraft from U.S.S. Colorado flew over Gardner Island. The senior aviator on that mission was Lt.
John O. Lambrecht. The handwritten north arrow points due west. |
#3
February 1999 |
An
Answering Wave |
This
article was originally written for the February 1993 issue of Naval
Institute Proceedings. It also appeared in the June 1993 issue
of TIGHAR Tracks, Volume 9 #2. |
#4
1941 |
A
Letter to Gallagher |
This
letter to Gerald Gallagher, Officer-In-Charge, Phoenix Islands Settlement
Scheme, on Gardner Island, was received several months after his death
in September 1941. We found it in his official file in England in
November 1998. The letter may provide clues to Gallagher’s personal
and family life which may assist us in tracking the recipient of his
personal effects. These may include other letters, and an album of
photographs. We can’t help but wonder if he took pictures of the bones
he discovered in 1940. |
#5
9 November 1941 |
MacPherson’s
Report |
This
report was prepared by Dr. Duncan Ewan Campbell MacPherson, Assistant
Director of Medical Services, Western Pacific High Commission, to
the Secretary of WPHC, Henry Harrison Vaskess, on November 9, 1941.
It describes the final and fatal voyage of Gerald B. Gallagher, quite
possibly the man who found Amelia Earhart. His story is as tragic
as hers. |
#6
16 July 1937 |
Lambrecht’s
Report |
This
report was written by Lt. John O. Lambrecht, USN, Senior Aviator aboard
the U.S.S. Colorado, concerning the aerial search for Earhart
conducted by the Vought O3U3 Corsair aircraft under his command. The
three aircraft were catapult launched from the deck of the ship and
flew search operations for four days in the Phoenix Islands. |
#7
13 July 1937 |
Friedell’s
Report |
The
official report of the Captain of the U.S.S. Colorado is interesting
because the logic he uses in deciding where to search for Earhart
is identical to TIGHAR’s. It is also interesting to note that his
description of what was seen on Gardner Island differs from that of
the man who did the searching – see Lambrecht’s Report below. |
#8
28 August 1937 |
The
Collopy Letter |
There
are two authoritative contemporaneous documents which describe the
events at Lae, New Guinea on the morning of July 2, 1937. One of these
is the Chater Report (see below, Document of March 1). The other is
a letter from James A. Collopy, District Superintendent for Civil
Aviation, Salamaua, Territory of New Guinea. |
#9
26 March 1937 |
The
Luke Field Inventory |
Following
the March 20, 1937 accident at Luke Field, Hawaii, which ended Earhart’s
first world flight attempt the U.S. Army Air Corps shipped the aircraft
back to California for repair. As part of that process, USAAC 1st
Lt. D.M. Tites performed an inventory of the aircraft on March 26.
This is that inventory. Although it does not tell us what was aboard
the aircraft for its final flight, it does tell us what was aboard
for the first intended flight to Howland Island. |
#10
11 March 1937 |
The
Kelly Johnson Telegrams |
In
the final days of prepaparations for Amelia Earhart’s first world
flight attempt, Lockheed engineer Clarence “Kelly” Johnson sent
three telegrams in which he discussed the power management procedures
which he recommended that Earhart follow to obtain the best efficiency
on her flight from Oakland, California to Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii.
These are reproduced here in both photographic and transcribed format. |
#11
9 October 1937 |
Eric
Bevington’s Journal |
In
October of 1937, as the first step in a colonization plan designed
to relieve overpopulation in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony,
Lands Commissioner Henry E. “Harry” Maude, assisted by
Cadet Officer Eric R. Bevington, and accompanied by 19 Gilbertese
“delegates” made a visit to the Phoenix Islands. In his
book Of Islands and Men Maude says, of Gardner Island (Nikumaroro),
that “… the island was thoroughly explored from end to
end.” A more accurate account of this first documented visit to the
island since the Earhart disappearance in July is provided by a diary
kept by Cadet Bevington. We have taken up the tale on October 9, 1937,
at the island of Niutao in the Ellice Islands, as the expedition
is preparing to sail for the Phoenix Group. |
#12
April 1940 – October 1941 |
The
Bones Chronology |
This
is a chronology of known events and correspondence from April
1940 to October 1941 based upon documents of the Western Pacific
High Commission (W.P.H.C.), the Gilbert & Ellice Islands Colony
(G. & E. I. C.) and Phoenix Islands Settlement Scheme (P.I.S.S.).
Included are:
- all
of the correspondence found in KNI 11/I, File 13/9/1 “Discovery
of Human Remains on Gardner Island” at the Kiribati National
Archives in Tarawa, Republic of Kiribati.
- all
entries from W.P.H.C. File No. M.P. 4439 –1940 “Skeleton
Human – finding of on Gardner Island” at the Library
and Archives Section of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
at Hanslope Park, England.
- selected
entries from other W.P.H.C. files at Hanslope Park
|
#13
January 1940 |
Gallagher’s
Ninth Progress Report, October – December 1940 |
As
Officer-in-Charge of the Phoenix Islands Settlement Scheme, Gerald
Gallagher filed quarterly progress reports. This report, his ninth,
covers the period during which bones of the castaway found in September
were being investigated. (See Bones
Chronology.) Because the issue of the castaway was “strictly
secret” there is no mention of the bones in the Progress Report,
but it does provide valuable background and context. |
#14
October 1940 |
Gallagher’s
Eighth Progress Report, July – September, 1940. |
By
request, the quarterly progress report Gallagher filed prior to the
finding of the bones. |
#15
July 1960 |
The
Floyd Kilts Story |
One
of the most amazing pieces of information we have come across in our
investigation is this July 1960 article from the San Diego Tribune in which a retired Coast Guardsman relates a story he said that he
heard on Gardner Island in 1946. Little regarded and roundly debunked
at the time, Kilts’ story has since been shown to be largely true,
forty years after he told it. For the documented story of the bones
found on Gardner Island, see the Bones
Chronology. |
#16
3 August 1937 |
The
Brines Letter |
A copy of this
letter recently came into our possession. At this time its provenance
is unknown but it appears to be a piece of correspondence from one
journalist (“Russ Brines”) to another (Richard ?). If authentic,
it contains the first contemporaneous reference we’ve seen to Noonan
being a heavy drinker and also provides some interesting insights
into the attitude of at least some members of the press toward Earhart's
flight and disappearance. |
#17
July 1937 |
Betty’s
Notebook |
We
have what appears to be a real-time transcription
of what were believed at the time to be post-loss radio transmissions
from Amelia Earhart. This Document of the
Week consists of scans of all of the pertinent pages and some examples
of the other pages. |
#18
22 July 1937 |
The Colorado Lookout |
At
the conclusion of U.S.S. Colorado’s participation in the
search for Amelia Earhart, a special issue of the ship’s newspaper was
published. It provides an interesting look at how the crew of the Colorado experienced the search. |
#19
September 1941 |
Inventory
of Gallagher’s Effects |
When
Gerald Gallagher died on Nikumaroro, it fell to his brother officers
to inventory and pack his personal belongings for shipment to his
heirs. Two inventories exist: one apparently made in his house, the
other apparently a packing list of items shipped in boxes to Fiji
in readiness for transit to Great Britain. Both are reproduced in
this document. They provide valuable insight into the both the real
and the supposed needs of a European living on Nikumaroro in those
years. |
#20
12 September 1929 |
The
Wreck of the Norwich City |
The wreck of
the Norwich City was thoroughly investigated, and the reports
and accounts of the accident are an excellent primary source for
understanding Nikumaroro and the plight of any person stranded there.
The following documents are reproduced here:
- Cover Letter to the
Board of Trade, London
- Statement of Henry Cleveland
Lott, Second Officer, S.S. Norwich City
- Statement of John Harry
Swindell, Master, S.S. Trongate
- Statement of Daniel
Hamer, Master, S.S. Norwich City
- Statutory Declaration
by J. H. Swindell, Master, S.S. Trongate
- Position Report describing
condition and location of S.S. Norwich City
- Report of J. Thomas,
First Officer, S.S. Norwich City
- Crew List
|
#21
24 July 1937 |
A
Letter Home From Sid Harvey |
The
first attempt by the U.S. Navy to search for Amelia Earhart was the
dispatch of a PBY Catalina flying boat from Pearl Harbor to Howland
Island. Weather forced the flight to abort, but a letter written by
the commander of that flight has come to light which provides new
information about the orders under which the flight was operating. |
#22
1930 – 1941 |
A
Gallagher Gallery |
We
are fortunate to have recently been sent via email a collection of
photographs of Gerald Gallagher which his family owns. Our thanks
to Gerard Gallagher of Ayrshire, Scotland, for permission to publish
these pictures on our website. |
#23
June 1982 |
The
Hooven Report |
Frederick
J. Hooven designed an advanced radio compass which was installed on
Earhart’s aircraft, and subsequently replaced with an older, but lighter,
model of less capability. This is the report he wrote, based on Frederick
Goerner’s research, presenting his opinion of what went wrong and
where the aircraft ended up. |
#24
1939 & 1940 |
An
Avalanche of Psychics |
In the days
following Earhart’s disappearance George Palmer Putnam was deluged
by people who believed that they had been in communication with
his missing wife. Some claimed that they had received radio messagess
from her. Recent research indicates that several of those reported
receptions were technically possible and probably true. But less
well-known are the many alleged communications with Earhart by paranormal
means – dreams, seances, and psychic visions. This two-part magazine
article from the December 1939 and January 1940 issues of Popular
Aviation provides new perspective on the chaotic post-loss environment
and Putnam's response to it.
Our thanks
to Ron Reuther for sharing this with us. |
#25
28 February 1939 |
New
Zealand Pacific Aviation Survey Expedition: General Report |
Late
in 1938 an expedition was undertaken to evaluate certain British islands
in the South Pacific for their suitability for aviation operations, both
the construction of airfields and the use of lagoons by flying boats.
In charge of the project, known as “The New Zealand Pacific Aviation
Survey,” was RNZAF Squadron-Leader E. A. Gibson. This
is Gibson’s General Report of those surveys. |
#26
28 February 1939 |
Pacific
Aviation Survey Expedition: Gardner Island |
E.W. Lee was third in command of the Pacific Aviation Survey, and
was in charge of the survey at Gardner Island. This is his report,
in two forms: the original hand-written form he filled out, and the
narrative report. |
#27
28 February 1939 |
Photo
Album of the Survey Expedition |
These
are the maps and photographs filed with the reports below. |
#28
Late 1938 |
M.
H. Hay’s Journal |
During
the Niku IIII expedition in August 2001, Stuart Hay, the son of New
Zealand Pacific Aviation Survey Expedition participant Royal New Zealand
Navy Acting Petty Officer M.H. Hay, faxed TIGHAR copies of what he
described as excerpts from his father’s journal describing his
experiences on Gardner Island. This document includes a transcript
of those excerpts and images of the pages. |
#29
September 1951 |
“Nikumaroro”
by P. B. Laxton |
“Nikumaroro” appears in the June/September
1951 issue of The Journal of the
Polynesian Society. Paul Laxton was the Assistant Lands Commissioner
for the Gilbert & Ellice Islands Colony in the years following
World War II. This is his account of his visit to Nikumaroro to re-energize
the settlement. |
#30
1968 |
“The
Colonization of the Phoenix Islands” by H. E. Maude |
“The
Colonization of the Phoenix Islands” appears as a chapter in
H. E. Maude’s fine book, Of Islands and Men, published by
the Oxford University Press in 1968. As it is no longer readily available
in print, we are excerpting this section here, with all due apologies
to Professor Maude. |
#31
June 1937 |
The Helen Day Collection:
Fortaleza
Karachi
Bandoeng
Koepang
|
Fred Noonan wrote
many letters back to the States during the World Flight. Some were
written to his wife, Mary Bea. Others went to friends scattered about
the country, including Helen Day, of Coconut Grove, Florida. She kept
the letters her whole life.
Helen Day’s son, Jim Bible, has been gracious enough to scan the original letters
and send the scans to us for use by researchers. To aid in comprehension we are including
a transcription with each image. |
#32
1992 |
The NTSB Report on 2-2-V-1 |
In 1992 TIGHAR submitted a number of artifacts
recovered from Nikumaroro to the Materials Laboratory of the National
Transportation Safety Board for analysis and comment. This the report
they produced. |
#33
17 April 1937 |
The Luke Field Crash Report |
On March 20, 1937, Amelia Earhart attempted a take-off
from Luke Field, Hawaii, on the second leg of her first try at flying
around the world. The aircraft groundlooped, with substantial damage.
This document is the official crash report of that accident, including
witness statements and findings. |
#34
10 July 1937 |
The Pan American Airways Memos |
Reproduced here are four Pan American Airways internal
memoranda describing attempts
by the company’s direction finder stations to receive and take
bearings on radio
signals suspected of being sent from the lost Earhart aircraft.
The first report is from R.M. Hansen, Operator in Charge, Wake Island.
The second report is from G.H. Miller, Operator in Charge, Midway Island.
The third report is a summary by G.W. Angus, the Division Communications
Superintendent,
Pacific Division (Alameda, CA) to Pan Am’s Chief Communication
Engineer in New York.
The fourth report is from K.C. Ambler, Section Supervisor, Communications, Honolulu.
The originals are difficult to read even after restoration so transcripts
of each report are
provided. |
#35
June – July 1937 |
The Carey Diary |
One of the men aboard the USCGC Itasca was James Carey,
a college student who had taken a job with the Associated Press to
earn money for tuition. He was there to cover Earhart’s arrival
at Howland Island, and her subsequent take-off for Hawaii.
While aboard he kept a hand written journal, with both notes for his
articles and more general impressions and observations. He used the
notes to write the pieces he submitted, and – a meticulous archivist – he
kept the journals, notebooks, and photographs from the voyage for the
rest of his life.
In 1987, Jim Carey was trying to get the Honolulu
Star-Bulletin and
other newspapers to use his materials to do pieces about Earhart on
the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the flight. While we don't
know for sure, it seems that at about that time he transcribed his
notes as part of packets he sent out. One of the copies of the diary
turned up on e-Bay in the fall of 2006, and a TIGHAR researcher purchased
it. Until then, no one knew knew that Carey had kept a diary. His notes
provide an entirely new and uniquely intimate perspective on Itasca’s
role in the Earhart drama.
Jim Carey died in 1988, but his son has been very gracious in granting
permission for TIGHAR to scan and reproduce these materials here. This
is the biggest single find of Earhart-related archival material we
know of. The items linked here are the core of the collection; more
will be mounted as time and space allow. |
#36
June – July 1937 |
The Carey Photographs |
One of the men aboard the USCGC Itasca was James Carey,
a college student who had taken a job with the Associated Press to
earn money for tuition. He was there to cover Earhart’s arrival
at Howland Island, and her subsequent take-off for Hawaii.
While aboard he kept a hand written journal, with both notes for his
articles and more general impressions and observations. He also had
a camera and took photographs. While many of the pictures are of poor
quality, the ones here (restored, but not altered) do give an excellent
impression of the time he spent aboard Itasca. |
#37
Juy 1937 |
The
Carey Article |
One of the men aboard the USCGC Itasca was James
Carey, a college student who had taken a job with the Associated Press
to earn money for tuition. He was there to cover Earhart’s arrival
at Howland Island, and her subsequent take-off for Hawaii.
One of the pieces he wrote was for the newspaper of the University of
Hawaii, the Ka Elele. We reproduce here scans of the original
copy; a scan of the article as published; and a transcript of the copy.
Also reproduced here are some rough notes for a “flash” – a
pre-written announcement of Earhart’s arrival at Howland. |
#38
July 1937 |
The Cooper Report |
Daniel Cooper, 1st Lt., USAAC, was aboard the Itasca as
the Air Corp’s representative during the Earhart flight. This is
the report he filed on his return to Luke Field. |
#39
1898 |
The Pearson Paper |
“Mathematical Contributions
to the Theory of Evolution. – V. On the Reconstruction of the Stature
of Prehistoric Races.” by Karl Pearson, F.R.S., University College,
London. 1898.
This paper and the body of Dr. Pearson’s work were referred to by Dr.
Hoodless in his examination of the bones found on Nikumaroro. |
#40
1897 |
Lee & Pearson,
Background Materials |
“Mathematical Contributions to the Theory of Evolution.
On
the Relative Variation and Correlation in Civilised and
Uncivilised Races.” By Miss Alice Lee, Bedford College,
and Karl Pearson, M.A., F.R.S., Professor of Mathematics
and Mechanics, University College, London. 1897. |
#41
19 June 1936 |
Lockheed Report 487 |
“Lockheed Report 487: Range Study
of Lockheed Electra Bimotor Airplane” by C.L. Johnson, June 19, 1936. [PDF] |
#42
Various dates |
Letters |
This is a collection of letters concerning the Earhart World Flight spanning sixty years. The link opens a list with explanations of what each letter contains. All letters are in PDF format. |
43
July 1, 1937 & ff. |
Logs |
Deck and radio logs pertinent to the flight and the search. PDFs. |
#44
April 1935 & ff. |
Reports |
Various reports from ships participating in the search and other sources. |
#45 1939 & ff. |
The Tarawa Archives |
A research trip to Tarawa, the capitol of the Republic of Kiribati, resulted in thousands of images taken of documents pertaining to the history of Gardner/Nikumaroro. These images are being processed as time allows and published here. Check back frequently. |
#46
May 16, 1938 |
Memorandum from Adm. Waesche to Ass't Sec. Gibbons |
This memo reiterates the conclusions drawn by the Navy and Coast Guard concerning the last hours of Earhart’s flight, the search, and the opinions of the people involved as to Earhart’s state of mind. |
#47
January 7, 2018 |
Sir Harry Luke: Notes from the PRO |
In 2001 and 2002, TIGHAR Researcher Kristin Tague did a survey of correspondence and other papers to, from, and concerning Sir Harry Luke at the Public Records Office in Hanslope Park, England. She took copious notes and submitted an interim report. She was unable to finish her work due to illness. This is her report. |
#48
January 8, 2018 |
D.C.M. Macpherson Service Record |
Thirty-nine year-old Dr. D.C.M. Macpherson was the premiere medical professional in the WPHC. His service record, from arrival until his death, includes details of his leaves for additional training. |