In following the discussion on the old "Did Earhart leave her life raft behind" thread, I saw that some dismissed Putnam's statement that confirmed that she did have a life raft, on the grounds that he would not have been in a position to know. Of course, he had more current knowledge of what was done after the Luke Field crash, he paid for the stuff put aboard, he spoke with Earhart several times along the way, he had every reason to give accurate information to the navy so that they could make a more effective search to save his wife's life (and there can be no doubt about his honest desire to save her, he continued the search at his own expense long after the official search ended), and he didn't write in the book Last Flight that he had been notified that the raft was left at any stopping point or that it had been shipped back after the disappearance. Since these are not enough for some to credit the accuracy of his statement, I just though of additional backup for his statement, Paul Mantz. Mantz had day to day contact with the planning and loading of the plane so probably had even better knowledge than Puntam. After the disappearance there were erroneous stories going around and Mantz corrected them, that there was no hand cranked generator and that there was no "breath condensing, water making" apparatus on board. It was reported in all the papers (and even if it hadn't been, Mantz was contaced directly himself) so Mantz knew that the officials were working based on there being a life raft on board, Mantz was in a position to know the truth of this and he NEVER corrected that information as he had done with the other information that affected the search and survival that was erroneous. It is not creditable that Mantz would not have reported that there was no raft on board it that were the case.
gl