TIGHAR

Amelia Earhart Search Forum => Join the search => Topic started by: John Miles on January 28, 2013, 03:39:27 PM

Title: Bones Stolen by U.S. Government?
Post by: John Miles on January 28, 2013, 03:39:27 PM
Is it possible that the bones discovered in 1940 and promptly lost were in fact stolen by the U.S. Government? There are a myriad of reasons why, most of which to save face. I'm sure in 1940 interest was still high in the case so to prevent any embarrassment that would follow the discovery Amelia had to live her last days as a castaway, they made sure the bones were never found for future analysis. Looking back the search seemed so shortsighted and full of men's egos. I felt a lot of frustration after reading Ric's book that all those radio messages and direction findings were ignored and a landing party wasn't at least sent to each island in the Phoenix chain.

There is also the possibility the bones were taken by an Fijian with some curiosity and foresight including the Dr who measured them.

P.S. Consider finding another captcha generator, the one you are using is incredibly hard to read (and I have good eyes).

Title: Re: Bones Stolen by U.S. Government?
Post by: Ric Gillespie on January 28, 2013, 05:39:35 PM
Is it possible that the bones discovered in 1940 and promptly lost were in fact stolen by the U.S. Government?

Anything is possible.  The bones could have been spirited away by space aliens.  Supporting evidence please.

I felt a lot of frustration after reading Ric's book that all those radio messages and direction findings were ignored and a landing party wasn't at least sent to each island in the Phoenix chain.
There is also the possibility the bones were taken by an Fijian with some curiosity and foresight including the Dr who measured them.

Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by mere incompetence.

P.S. Consider finding another captcha generator, the one you are using is incredibly hard to read (and I have good eyes).

The ease of use of captcha generators seems to be in the eyes of the beholder. 
Title: Re: Bones Stolen by U.S. Government?
Post by: Martin X. Moleski, SJ on January 28, 2013, 06:40:37 PM
Is it possible that the bones discovered in 1940 and promptly lost were in fact stolen by the U.S. Government? There are a myriad of reasons why, most of which to save face. I'm sure in 1940 interest was still high in the case so to prevent any embarrassment that would follow the discovery Amelia had to live her last days as a castaway, they made sure the bones were never found for future analysis.

The record shows that the WPHC (http://tighar.org/wiki/WPHC) kept the investigation secret.

Once Hoodless identified the bones as those of a "European or half-European male," (http://tighar.org/wiki/Bones_found_on_Nikumaroro) the investigation pretty much ended.

I cannot imagine the representatives of the U.S. government on Fiji being the least bit interested in the bones of the castaway of Gardner Island in 1940.  My opinion is that if they were doing their job, they probably should have been more concerned about helping Fiji avoid takeover by the Japanese.  I don't know what kind of U.S. presence there was in Fiji that summer, and I don't have any direct evidence about how such personnel might have spent their days, so I'm just opinionating here.
Title: Re: Bones Stolen by U.S. Government?
Post by: Dale O. Beethe on January 28, 2013, 07:01:33 PM
Ric already pointed it out, but I'd have to say incompetence, lack of interest in something the Navy considered mostly a publicity stunt, egos, etc. would explain the lack of investigative results more easily than any conspiracy.
Title: Re: Bones Stolen by U.S. Government?
Post by: Bob Lanz on January 28, 2013, 07:21:20 PM
I felt a lot of frustration after reading Ric's book that all those radio messages and direction findings were ignored and a landing party wasn't at least sent to each island in the Phoenix chain.

Apparently you are not aware that there are eight Atolls in the Phoenix Island chain plus two submerged coral reefs.  How many resources do you think that the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard had in the area to place a landing party covering 158,500 sq miles of the Southern Pacific Ocean in 1937?  And to that extent, how fast do think they could respond if they had that many ships in the area?  Your conspiracy theory has no legs.
Title: Re: Bones Stolen by U.S. Government?
Post by: Tim Collins on January 29, 2013, 06:55:30 AM
I think with the looming onset of war, Earhart's disappearance was ancient history. certainly the navy was concerned with more pressing things than to worry about covering up their unsuccessful (dare I suggest botched) recovery from what was for all intents and purposes a civilian publicity stunt. But stranger things have proven true.

I've always maintained that the only conspiracy is that the Government allows us to continue thinking that it is good enough to actually pull off a conspiracy.
Title: Re: Bones Stolen by U.S. Government?
Post by: Ric Gillespie on January 29, 2013, 08:34:56 AM
I think we have a consensus.  Rather than subject his dead horse to further flogging I'll lock the topic.