The Versailles Treaty after WWI "Mandated Islands" in the Pacific to the Japanese. President Roosevelt felt the Japanese were illegally installing military fortification on these "Mandated Islands" which was in direct violation of the WWI Treaty. Amelia Earhart, a popular female pilot who set many aviation records, wanted to increase her popularity by flying around-the-world. This would be a huge accomplishments that no pilot, man or woman, had attempted before. She left California, March 17, 1937, in a twin-engine Lockheed Electra and flew to Honolulu on the first leg of her historic flight with Fred Noonan and Harry Manning as her navigators. Unfortunately, she crashed on take-off and her Electra was so badly damaged, it had to be shipped back to the Lockheed plant in California for repairs. Amelia and her publisher husband, George Putnam didn't have the money to repair her Electra and make another attempt to fly around-the-world, so Mr. Putnam approached President Roosevelt and asked if the U.S. government could help? FDR had met Amelia previously and knew of her plans to fly around-the-world. In 1937, FDR believed the Japanese were illegally preparing for war on "Mandated" islands in the Pacific. Marine Colonel Earl Ellis tried to sneak into Truk Atoll to gather information, but was caught on the island of Palau and killed. FDR believed that maybe a civilian pilot who was going to fly around-the-world might have a better chance to obtain the information he needed, so agreed to help Amelia on her request. But, FDR only did so, if Amelia would agree to take a few pictures of Japanese island fortifications along the way. Although a staunch 'pacifist' Amelia agreed to the president's stipulations. The U.S. government helped plan her second attempt, provided her plane with larger engines, installed additional fuel tanks and reconnaissance cameras, but did so with little fanfare or publicity. Instead of flying from East to West as she planned on her first attempt, she flew West to East with only Fred Noonan as her navigator. Prior to her flight it's reported she was sworn into the Army Air Force as an officer and confided to a friend, "Imagine me being a spy!" Amelia left California on May 21st and headed for Miami, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Africa, India, Bangkok, Singapore and Dutch East Indies, where Mr. F.O. Furman, a Lockheed maintenance specialist, met Amelia and checked her Electra and cameras for 3-days. At each stop, 55-gallon drums of fuel would be waiting for her, even if she flew into a field that was not on her announced itinerary. She and Fred Noonan left Lae, New Guinea on July 1st, 1937 and headed for Howland Island, 2,556 miles away. The Coast Guard Cutter ITASCA waited just off Howland to handle all communications as she approached. Unfortunately, when Harry Manning was the designated navigator on her first attempt, he arranged for Navy ships to communicate with her in Morse Code. No one told the Navy vessels that Manning was no longer her navigator. Neither Amelia or Fred could read Morse Code! Amelia Earhart's Final Flight tells the story of how she crashed on Mili Atoll in the Marshall Islands, was captured by the Japanese, taken to Saipan where she was held in prison for several years before being killed. Eye-witnesses in the Marshall Islands and on Saipan provided the true accounts of what actually happened to Amelia on her historic flight, what happened when she was captured, how she was killed and reaction by U.S. and Japanese leaders. It also relates how U.S. Marines found Amelia's briefcase and also found her Electra on Saipan when they attacked in 1944. David O'Malley, a member of the Writers Guild, wrote an interesting screenplay that's based on these eye-witness reports. It gives a rational explanation why both the U.S. and Japan have kept Amelia's capture and death a secrete since her Fin
About the Author: Mike Harris is an accomplished writer, explorer and film producer who has led major expeditions around the world, including the first expeditions to search for the Titanic in the North Atlantic. On Mike's first expedition in 1972 he led a group of divers and film-makers to Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, where they dove on American, German and Japanese warships that were sunk by atom bomb testing after WWII. The film he produced "Deadly Fathoms" featured famed 'Twilight Zone' producer, Rod Serling, and won a Silver Medal at the Atlanta International Film Festival. On Mike's second expedition, he took a group of mountain climbers and Biblical Scholars up the slopes of Mt. Ararat in Turkey to search for Noah's Ark. His film "Expedition to Noah's Ark" featured acclaimed Hollywood actor, Joseph Cotten, as his on-camera host and narrator. On Mike's third expedition he took a group of treasure hunters and looked for gold and silver in the mountains of Old Mexico. The film he produced "Pancho Villa's Treasure" featured film and television celebrity, Cesar Romero, as his on-camera host and narrator. Then in 1980 Mike organized a group of marine scientists and oceanographers from Lamont Doherty in New York and Scripps Institute in California and led them on the first-ever search for the Titanic in the North Atlantic. The film he produced "Search for the Titanic" featured legendary actor, Orson Welles, as his on-camera host and narrator. On Mike second Titanic expedition he produced "Return to the Titanic" with television star, James 'The Virginian' Drury, who actually joined Mike on his historic expedition. Mike has also conducted extensive research and filmed-multiple eye-witnesses, who told him exactly what happened to Amelia Earhart when she disappeared on her around-the-world flight in 1937. His book, "Amelia Earhart's Final Flight" gives a behind-the-scenes look at what the U.S. and Japanese governments were doing during her historic flight in 1937. He has also researched the life and expeditions of China great maritime explorer Admiral Zheng He, who led a fleet of Baochuan Treasure Ships for Zhu Di, the Third Ming Emperor of China. His book, SILK DRAGON, chronicles Zheng He's very interesting story. Mike is a member of The Explorer's Club of New York and Fellow of The Royal Geographical Society in London and has been listed in "Who's Who in America" since 2,000.