Lost Star: The Search for Amelia Earhart

by Randall Brink

"In this book, I deal only with the truth about Amelia Earhart's last flight, a truth withheld by our government because of a tenuous peace with Japan in the Pacific and concerns for the national security at home. . . . Those who knew the truth, and held it close, knew that Earhart and Noonan had survived. They believed it was their duty to hide the truth, and so they did."― from the Introduction This fascinating and revealing book is based on ten years of research during which Randall Brink brought suits against the government, interviewed key witnesses willing to talk for the first time, and made forays into the equatorial islands of the Pacific. He uncovered documents that provide strong new evidence about the circumstances of Earhart's last flight, and has used his background as a pilot to reinterpret photos and technical data that have been misunderstood until now. Meticulously pieced together is the shocking truth: the story of the Roosevelt administration's plan to turn Earhart's last flight into a mission in espionage, her capture by the Japanese, and her likely survival as a prisoner of war.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, History, Historical

Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[J.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating book that poses a good hypothesis on what happened to Amelia Earhart based on government records released under FOIA and extensive research. The case is compelling, the facts presented in such a way that it really leaves you thinking. Highly recommended to anyone interested in learning more about Earhart and what might have been the reason for her disappearance.

[Jean Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many theories exist that purport to explain the July 1937 disappearance and final fate of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan, which remains one of the great and most sensational mysteries of the Twentieth Century. In “Lost Star” Randall Brink makes a strong case for the idea that Earhart, in contrast to the story given out for public consumption that she was an adventuress looking to accomplish what no one had ever done before – an around-the-world flight at the equator – was instead secretly conscripted by the U.S. government to carry out an espionage mission. It consisted of taking her Lockheed Electra, upon departure from Lae, New Guinea, not straight for Howland Island but rather on a roundabout course far to the north and east, which took her past the Japanese naval base at Truk and then through the Marshall and Gilbert Islands in order to take photographs of Japanese military activities there (i.e., the maneuvers of a carrier task force centered on the “Akagi” and the construction of many bases and airfields). They either experienced mechanical trouble, ran out of fuel, or were forced down by the Japanese, onto an atoll in the Marshalls, and after they were captured were taken to Saipan and then perhaps to Japan itself or into Japanese-occupied China; their ultimate fate remains unknown to this day, although Brink does not think that they were executed. Perhaps they died in captivity. He says that none of the American search efforts (even including a task force built around the “Lexington”) were successful because they were simply looking in the wrong areas. They were forbidden to search any Japanese-controlled waters. Afterward, the entire story was classified and covered up by the American government in order to avoid “rocking the boat” with Japan at a time when the U.S. was militarily unprepared to meet them, and to conceal the fact that Earhart had essentially been used as a sacrificial lamb.

Brink bases his conclusions on a photograph of Earhart (and it really does look like her) purportedly taken on Saipan in September 1937, months after her disappearance; and on an aerial photo of the island of Taroa in the Marshalls that seems to show the silhouette of her Electra 12, with one wing missing, in a revetment. Also there are interviews with natives of Saipan and Guam who claim to have seen Earhart with her distinctive short, mannish haircut and slim trouser-clad figure.

Brink also readily admits that none of this constitutes definitive proof and much of it remains in the realm of speculation and supposition; the American government emerges as the real villain of the story due to its stonewalling and refusal to release, even today, many documents which remain classified and would shed additional light on the story, but would likely show that the government merely used Earhart as a pawn in a gigantic military and political game.

Whatever the ultimate truth, Earhart can certainly be regarded as a true American heroine who attempted great things, and who may have as well given up her freedom, and perhaps her very life, for her country. It is to be hoped that some day the remaining documents will be released so the issue can be settled once and for all. Recommended additional reading: “The Search for Amelia Earhart” by Fred Goerner; “The Sound of Wings” by Mary Lovell, and “Last Flight” by Earhart herself.

**** review by Chuck Graham ****

[Shay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had to have taken an incredible amount of research and it shows! Easy to follow with the help of maps & side stories.

[PottWab Regional Library]

O

[Jayce · Rating 4 out of 5]

So you thought Amelia & her navigator, Fred Noonan, ditched their plane in the South Pacific? This book explores the overwhelming evidence that.... I don't want to spoil it for you, but I now know what really happened. Well researched & well written. I'm a believer.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

In brief: AE was on a photographic mission for the US War Department when she went missing after photographing Truk. She and Noonan died in Japanese captivity. Surely there must be a better treatment of her and her groundbreaking flight out there.

[Joe Noir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and researched. With some new revelations I'd never read before. Parts of this book are so thrilling it reads like fiction. Having read this book, I believe I know what happened to Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan. It's a fun read, also.

[Cws]

J92Ear