Witness to the Execution: The Odyssey of Amelia Earhart

Mystery still surrounds the fate of Amelia Earhart, the aviator who disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 while attempting a flight around the world. Did she simply run out of fuel and crash into the Pacific as the official version has it? Or was she captured by the Japanese and returned to the U.S. in a secret agreement? This book postulates that she was taken captive after crashing off the Japanese-occupied island of Saipan in Micronesia, held prisoner for six years, then executed as a spy. The author, a Houston real-estate executive, bases this idea on interviews conducted with islanders who maintain that it is common knowledge on Saipan that ``a lady pilot'' was imprisoned there by the Japanese some 50 years ago. He also interviewed islanders who claim to have seen Earhartmost notably a woman who convinced the author that she witnessed Earhart's execution and burial. On their one brief dig at the site indicated by the woman as Earhart's grave (permission for an extended excavation could not be obtained), the author and his team unearthed what they believe to be the blindfold worn by Earhart when she was shot. Although the theory is intriguing and the evidence plausible if sparse, a good deal more research must be done before these findings can be termed anything like conclusive. Included are appendixes of official documents related to the case. Photos not seen by PW. Author tour. (August)