Hillary Clinton Wades into the Amelia Earhart Mystery as New Investigation Takes Off - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

JamesG · 03-20-2012, 12:32 PM

Hillary Clinton Wades Into Amelia Earhart Mystery
3/20/12

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had encouraging words Tuesday for a new investigation into one of the 20th century's most enduring mysteries: the fate of American aviator Amelia Earhart, who went missing without a trace over the South Pacific 75 years ago.

Clinton and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood gave their support and encouragement on Tuesday to historians, scientists and salvagers from The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, which is launching a new search for the wreckage of Earhart's Lockheed Electra plane in the waters off the remote island of Nikumaroro, in what is now the Pacific nation of Kiribati.

Earhart was an inspiration to Americans in difficult times as the nation struggled to emerge from the Great Depression, Clinton said, adding that her legacy can serve as a model for the country now.

"Amelia Earhart may have been a unlikely heroine for a nation down on its luck, but she embodies the spirit of an America coming of age and increasingly confident, ready to lead in a quite uncertain and dangerous world," Clinton said at a State Department event to announce the new search.

"She gave people hope and she inspired them to dream bigger and bolder."

"Today, we meet at a time when the challenges are not so dire despite what you might hear on cable television or talk radio. But these are still difficult days for many Americans," she said. "After a long decade of war, terrorism and recession, there are some who are asking whether we still have what it takes to lead, and like that earlier generation we too could use some of Amelia's spirit."

"We can be as optimistic and even audacious as Amelia Earhart. We can be defined not by the limits that hold us down but by the opportunities that are ahead."

Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan disappeared July 2, 1937, while flying from New Guinea to Howland Island as part of her attempt to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the globe.

Extensive searches at the time uncovered nothing and many historians are convinced they crashed into the ocean.

In addition, conspiracy theories, including claims that they were U.S. government agents captured by the Japanese before the Second World War, still abound despite having been largely debunked.

But the aircraft recovery group believes Earhart and Noonan may have managed to land on a reef abutting the atoll, then known as Gardner Island, and survived for a short time. They surmise that the plane was washed off the reef by high tides shortly after the landing and that the wreckage may be found in the deep waters nearby.

Their previous visits to the island have recovered artifacts that could have belonged to Earhart and Noonan and suggest they might have lived for days or weeks. Now, they are armed with new analysis of an October 1937 photo of the shoreline of the island. That analysis shows what government experts believe may be a strut and wheel of a Lockheed Electra landing gear protruding from the water.

Renowned oceanographer Robert Ballard, who discovered the wreckage of the Titanic and the Bismarck and is advising the Earhart expedition, said the new analysis of the photograph could be the equivalent of a "smoking gun" as it narrows the search area from tens of thousands of square miles to a manageable size.

Ballard confessed to having been previously intimidated by the challenge of finding clues to Earhart's whereabouts.

"If you ever want a case of finding a needle in a haystack, this is at the top of the list," he said.

Ric Gillespie, the executive director of the group, said the new search is scheduled to last for 10 days in July and will use state-of-the-art underwater robotic submarines and mapping equipment. The Discovery Channel will film the expedition for a television documentary, he said.

He acknowledged that the evidence was circumstantial but "strong" but stopped well short of predicting success.

"The most important thing is not whether we find the ultimate answer or what we find, it is the way we look," he said. "We see this opportunity to explore ... the last great American mystery of the 20th century as a vehicle for demonstrating how to go about figuring out what is true."

The Obama administration takes no position on any of purported evidence and acknowledges there is fierce debate on the subject. But Clinton, who noted that the State Department and other federal agencies had actively supported Earhart's flight, cheered the searchers on.

"Even if you do not find what you seek, there is great honor and possibility in the search itself," she said. "So, like our lost heroine, you will all carry our hopes ... We are excited and looking forward to hear about your own great adventure."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0..._1366648.html?

1990 UM fan · 03-20-2012, 02:16 PM

I was wondering what her involvement in the search was about. Is she helping fund the search? I wonder what they'll find if anything after 75 years?

Mysteryphile · 03-20-2012, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1990 UM fan

I was wondering what her involvement in the search was about. Is she helping fund the search? I wonder what they'll find if anything after 75 years?

Read about it on google news. SO excited!! Maybe they will actually find something this time!!!

Mr. Television · 03-20-2012, 06:27 PM

I wish them all the luck in the world. It will be great if this mystery is finally solved.

XCalibur · 03-21-2012, 12:23 AM

I've always been pretty well convinced she went down at sea, I think this is one of those cases where the simplest explanation is the one that is probably true. No idea why so many people find it so weird that someone missed Howland Island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Its essentially a needle in a haystack. I've always thought it was foolish to try and hit that, there were bigger islands in the Pacific she could have shot for, don't really know whose idea that was.

I never believed the stories about a military cover up on Saipan, just a dramatization in my view to spice up the story. It never made much sense to me, the military had absoloutely no reason to cover up something like that.

XiaoGouPi · 03-21-2012, 07:26 AM

Yeah, the Earhart mystery is strange and illogical.

I always felt the main flaw of the entire saga is, if Earhart was really running out of fuel and cant spot Howland Island, why not just land at any other neighbouring islands and wait for rescue?

Makes no sense for anybody to wait til time runs out and have to ditch the plane at sea.

Same as the Flight 19 story for the Bermuda Triangle.

03-20-2012, 12:32 PM	#1
JamesG Freakshow Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 01, 2008 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 57,045	Hillary Clinton Wades into the Amelia Earhart Mystery as New Investigation Takes Off Hillary Clinton Wades Into Amelia Earhart Mystery 3/20/12 Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had encouraging words Tuesday for a new investigation into one of the 20th century's most enduring mysteries: the fate of American aviator Amelia Earhart, who went missing without a trace over the South Pacific 75 years ago. Clinton and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood gave their support and encouragement on Tuesday to historians, scientists and salvagers from The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, which is launching a new search for the wreckage of Earhart's Lockheed Electra plane in the waters off the remote island of Nikumaroro, in what is now the Pacific nation of Kiribati. Earhart was an inspiration to Americans in difficult times as the nation struggled to emerge from the Great Depression, Clinton said, adding that her legacy can serve as a model for the country now. "Amelia Earhart may have been a unlikely heroine for a nation down on its luck, but she embodies the spirit of an America coming of age and increasingly confident, ready to lead in a quite uncertain and dangerous world," Clinton said at a State Department event to announce the new search. "She gave people hope and she inspired them to dream bigger and bolder." "Today, we meet at a time when the challenges are not so dire despite what you might hear on cable television or talk radio. But these are still difficult days for many Americans," she said. "After a long decade of war, terrorism and recession, there are some who are asking whether we still have what it takes to lead, and like that earlier generation we too could use some of Amelia's spirit." "We can be as optimistic and even audacious as Amelia Earhart. We can be defined not by the limits that hold us down but by the opportunities that are ahead." Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan disappeared July 2, 1937, while flying from New Guinea to Howland Island as part of her attempt to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the globe. Extensive searches at the time uncovered nothing and many historians are convinced they crashed into the ocean. In addition, conspiracy theories, including claims that they were U.S. government agents captured by the Japanese before the Second World War, still abound despite having been largely debunked. But the aircraft recovery group believes Earhart and Noonan may have managed to land on a reef abutting the atoll, then known as Gardner Island, and survived for a short time. They surmise that the plane was washed off the reef by high tides shortly after the landing and that the wreckage may be found in the deep waters nearby. Their previous visits to the island have recovered artifacts that could have belonged to Earhart and Noonan and suggest they might have lived for days or weeks. Now, they are armed with new analysis of an October 1937 photo of the shoreline of the island. That analysis shows what government experts believe may be a strut and wheel of a Lockheed Electra landing gear protruding from the water. Renowned oceanographer Robert Ballard, who discovered the wreckage of the Titanic and the Bismarck and is advising the Earhart expedition, said the new analysis of the photograph could be the equivalent of a "smoking gun" as it narrows the search area from tens of thousands of square miles to a manageable size. Ballard confessed to having been previously intimidated by the challenge of finding clues to Earhart's whereabouts. "If you ever want a case of finding a needle in a haystack, this is at the top of the list," he said. Ric Gillespie, the executive director of the group, said the new search is scheduled to last for 10 days in July and will use state-of-the-art underwater robotic submarines and mapping equipment. The Discovery Channel will film the expedition for a television documentary, he said. He acknowledged that the evidence was circumstantial but "strong" but stopped well short of predicting success. "The most important thing is not whether we find the ultimate answer or what we find, it is the way we look," he said. "We see this opportunity to explore ... the last great American mystery of the 20th century as a vehicle for demonstrating how to go about figuring out what is true." The Obama administration takes no position on any of purported evidence and acknowledges there is fierce debate on the subject. But Clinton, who noted that the State Department and other federal agencies had actively supported Earhart's flight, cheered the searchers on. "Even if you do not find what you seek, there is great honor and possibility in the search itself," she said. "So, like our lost heroine, you will all carry our hopes ... We are excited and looking forward to hear about your own great adventure." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0..._1366648.html? Attached Images

03-20-2012, 02:16 PM	#2
1990 UM fan Unsolved Mysteries fanatic Senior Member Join Date: Jul 14, 2011 Location: United States Posts: 2,510	I was wondering what her involvement in the search was about. Is she helping fund the search? I wonder what they'll find if anything after 75 years?
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03-20-2012, 06:27 PM	#4
Mr. Television 22 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,129	I wish them all the luck in the world. It will be great if this mystery is finally solved.
	__________________ Sonny

03-21-2012, 12:23 AM	#5
XCalibur Member Forum Regular Join Date: May 16, 2010 Location: Belfast, Va Posts: 981	I've always been pretty well convinced she went down at sea, I think this is one of those cases where the simplest explanation is the one that is probably true. No idea why so many people find it so weird that someone missed Howland Island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Its essentially a needle in a haystack. I've always thought it was foolish to try and hit that, there were bigger islands in the Pacific she could have shot for, don't really know whose idea that was. I never believed the stories about a military cover up on Saipan, just a dramatization in my view to spice up the story. It never made much sense to me, the military had absoloutely no reason to cover up something like that.

03-21-2012, 07:26 AM	#6
XiaoGouPi Member Occasional Poster Join Date: May 01, 2009 Posts: 43	Yeah, the Earhart mystery is strange and illogical. I always felt the main flaw of the entire saga is, if Earhart was really running out of fuel and cant spot Howland Island, why not just land at any other neighbouring islands and wait for rescue? Makes no sense for anybody to wait til time runs out and have to ditch the plane at sea. Same as the Flight 19 story for the Bermuda Triangle.