National Archives Releases Amelia Earhart Records Promised by Trump
The National Archives has released over 4,600 pages of records related to the 1937 disappearance of Amelia Earhart, following a directive from President Donald Trump ordering full declassification of government files connected to the case.
The newly released material includes Navy and Coast Guard logs, intelligence memos, telegrams, and public correspondence from the time of Earhart’s disappearance. The documents were made public on Friday and announced by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Earhart vanished over the Pacific Ocean on July 2, 1937, during her attempt to circumnavigate the globe. She and her navigator, Fred Noonan, took off from Papua New Guinea bound for Howland Island, but lost radio contact hours later. The U.S. military launched what was then the largest search operation in history, but found no trace of the plane or its occupants.
Among the documents are letters from civilians speculating on Earhart’s fate—ranging from claims of telepathic contact to theories of burial in Europe. Several memos debunk long-running rumors that Earhart was captured by Japanese forces and executed. The release also includes military assessments and intelligence reports that shed light on the scope and urgency of the U.S. government’s search efforts.
The declassification follows Trump’s broader transparency initiative, which also saw the recent release of over 80,000 records related to the JFK assassination.
The mystery of what happened to Earhart continues to draw attention from historians and researchers. One of the leading theories comes from the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR), which believes Earhart and Noonan may have survived a crash-landing on Nikumaroro, a remote coral atoll in the western Pacific. TIGHAR expeditions have recovered artifacts from the island, including a piece of aluminum believed to be from Earhart’s plane, remnants of 1930s-era cosmetics, and even suspected bone fragments.
Sonar scans of the island’s reef have turned up shapes resembling aircraft parts, including what may be a wing or fuselage segment. The National Archives confirmed more Earhart-related documents will be digitized and released in the coming months as part of an ongoing review.
While no official conclusion has been reached, Trump’s declassification order has reignited public interest in one of the 20th century’s most enduring mysteries.