National Archives releases Amelia Earhart records
The National Archives released a second batch of Amelia Earhart records on Nov. 25, publishing over 3,700 pages (56 PDFs) that include a 1937 memo of Secretary of State Cordell Hull’s conversation with Japanese Ambassador Hiroshi Saito detailing Japan’s search role, a July 20, 1937 FDR press exchange justifying search costs, and a letter from Eleanor Roosevelt securing Itasca radio logs. The documents provide new primary-source detail on U.S.–Japan cooperation, federal cost rationale, and contemporaneous communications tied to the 1937 search.
📌 Key Facts
- Release date: Nov. 25, 2025; scope: 3,700+ pages across 56 PDFs
- 1937 Hull–Saito memo: Japan deployed two ships and coordinated via officials in Hawaii and other points
- FDR transcript cites ~$4 million search cost and use of required Navy flight hours
- Eleanor Roosevelt wrote Treasury Sec. Morgenthau seeking Itasca radio logs for pilot Paul Mantz
📊 Relevant Data
In 1930, there were 201 licensed women pilots out of a total of 13,041 licensed pilots in the United States.
AVIATORS' LICENSES REACH 13041 TOTAL — The New York Times
Women pilots in the 1930s faced employment barriers, including rejection from all-male pilots' unions and restrictions on flying in bad weather by the Bureau of Air Commerce.
United States Women in Aviation 1930-1939 — Smithsonian Institution
In 1930, the accident rate for military aviation in the United States was 144 accidents per 100,000 flying hours.
Sobering Stats: 15,000 U.S. Airmen Killed in Training in WW II — RealClearHistory
Following the outbreak of hostilities between Japan and China in 1937, the United States made known to both governments its position in the interest of peace.
Message to Congress on the History of Relations Between the United States and Japan — The American Presidency Project