Amelia Earhart: The Truth at Last: Second Edition

This review was written by my 15-year-old son after reading this book for his freshman year history class:"It was enlightening to find out what truly happened to Amelia Earhart. We like to believe what is told to us. This book shows us a good reason not to take for granted everything we are told. I didn’t know anything about Amelia Earhart when I started this book. After finishing it, I have a full picture of what happened to Amelia Earhart and the events surrounding her disappearance. I would definitely recommend this book.For those of you who want to know more details about this book: Contrary to popular belief, Amelia Earhart did not crash and sink in the middle of the Pacific Ocean (the crash and sank theory). AE (Amelia Earhart) was imprisoned and killed by Japanese soldiers on Saipan most likely around 1940, but possibly as late as 1944 or as early as 1937. This book will give you insight into the corruption of the U.S. government and how they covered up the truth about Amelia Earhart."

Long an admirer of Amelia Earhart, I eagerly read Mike Campbell’s “Amelia Earhart: The Truth at Last,” expecting to get some positive answers to her mysterious disappearance. It was enlightening and definitely made many theories clearer, if not more congruent. I tend to agree with Campbell’s contention more than with any others I’ve studied, but controversy and contention still continue.I’ll not repeat the many stories now in existence because they are fully explained in Campbell’s book. He does a remarkable job of recounting the many theories floating around, debunking much of what has been reported. But, as it turns out, his own assertions also have apparent flaws, although his many strong contentions are more believable that most of the others. There might be errors in his contentions, but they tend to be mitigated more by time and fragile memory rather than factual discrepancies.Campbell writes with authority, backed by momentous research and diligent fact checking. That, to a research fanatic such as myself, means a lot. Much of what some have stated they witnessed and asserted to as facts are demonstrably in error. More reliably, natives of the area who have either witnessed or heard testimony about the circumstances of a plane matching the description of Earhart’s Lockheed Electra with two white occupants matching the descriptions of Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, are too numerous and timely to be dismissed. Many of these sightings occurred long before any formal investigations began.His explanations of communications difficulties are far superior to other ideas and opinions on the subject. There appears to be no doubt that Earhart was shortsighted on some of her decisions about communications equipment, according to many of those that prepared her airplane for the around-the-world flight. Both she and Noonan seemed woefully inept at some aspects of aircraft communication and radio operation. It would appear that this contributed to their misfortune.My main concerns with Campbell’s account are centered on the United State’s rabid secrecy and misdirection about the entire affair. Japan also fails to provide truthful answers about its involvement. I can understand Japan’s misdirection, considering its preparation for warfare, but why that of the US? The anomaly is not explained carefully enough and appears to be a big question that lingers.Nevertheless, I greatly enjoyed Campbell’s careful exploration of the Earhart mystery. The beautiful lady of the air is gone, in an incident that will probably never be fully explained, and the mysterious tragedy will live on, surrounded by controversy and misdirection. This is, perhaps, the final epitaph of a wondrous heroine.Schuyler T WallaceAuthor of TIN LIZARD TALES

Although I am only 80% through the book, I have to say that all we have to go on is the testimonies of mostly deceased people. But does it sound plausible? Sure does. Now here's my take on the situation. First of all, Mr. Noonan had too much navigational experience to (miss) Howland Island. If he dropped to a low enough altitude and tuned his radio to the correct frequency, then what happened? The radio transmissions received from the Electra to the ships confirmed they had enough fuel to navigate to the signal of the ships to get a visual, or seems to me so. If not, then why not. Now the RDF had just come out, but it would have been to risky to fall into enemy hands although we weren't actually in a war(yet) were we? Now as for spying, all we have is hearsay mostly from people who are deceased. Could have been Amelia was made an offer she could not refuse. If she refused, she was a threat. If she accepted, then she may have well knew that she was flying to her death as well as Fred's. If the plan was pulled off, and she was politely returned to the United States by Japan, she would have been well rewarded but still a security threat. But there's the question. A threat to who? Who is reported to have made the comment "they found that b**ch"s plane , get rid of it" . I also have the book "Day of Deceit" and I would recommend it to anyone reading this one. Japan would not have been so naieve as to allow her to return to America after seeing their presence in the islands. But, we'll never know will we? Here's a dark scenario that may have happened. What if Amelia said, "No, I don't think so, I just want to finish my trip. The plane could have been sabotaged and she may well have crashed who knows where. The radio transmissions received could have been faked by any of a number of ways. So here we have it. No plane, no bodies, no photographs, but some damn good testimonies from witnesses who are all long time deceased. I have to say though, that I have enjoyed this book. Don't really know if any films were made, but I'd like to see Agatha Christie take this one on and solve it. But whatever happened here, neither Japan or United States wanted any loose ends, did they? Or maybe they just plain crashed somewhere. By why cook up a story like this?

The disappearance of Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan is one of the most fascinating mysteries of modern times. Its deep attraction for writers, film makers and investigators continues unabated, and nearly eighty years after the event it remains close to the hearts of the American people. But just when you thought everything had been written about Earhart, along comes the most extraordinary work ever produced on the subject - Mike Campbell's "Amelia Earhart: The Truth at Last".This reviewer has covered most of the voluminous output on America's greatest heroine, but nothing comes close to this, the most exciting and scholarly read since the late Thomas E Devine's compelling "Eyewitness: The Amelia Earhart Incident". Clearly, Mike Campbell is the leading authority on all things AE, and this book must now be considered the recognised masterclass and essential go to handbook on what really happened to Earhart and Noonan. The author's brilliant grasp of his subject is truly astonishing, and the sheer depth of his research is a marathon achievement.No other writer has delivered what I personally believe to be the truth in such a powerful and entertaining way. Every key detail on previous and current research is meticulously covered, and alternative views are very fairly presented. But the truth of the matter is Campbell's prime target, and he lets his readers run with it right out of the starting block. From the opening bars, I knew this book was destined to follow me around until I'd cracked the last sentence - a most exhilarating companion on crowded train journeys into London, and a welcome anesthetic against the rush of city life.Campbell is the Mr Big of the Saipan connection, which embraces the likelihood that Earhart & Noonan might have been on a broader mission than official history would have us believe. Extremely convincing evidence points to the intrepid duo having crash landed their famous Electra in Japanese territory and subsequently taken prisoner. Their prescribed route to Howland Island in the central Pacific seems to have been interrupted by an unscheduled trip to Japanese held Saipan, and the probability of a grim death at the hands of their captors.It seems unlikely that so many witnesses to the fate of A&N can all be wrong, not to mention the intriguing revelations of former Marine Thomas E Devine and others in the know, who clearly uphold his story. Eager Earhart followers will be familiar with this alternative route, but all other angles on what might have happened are forensically held up to the author's bright light of bare facts and quickly disposed of. So believe it or not, the truth is there to be had - right here, right now - in the revealing pages of Mike Campbell's incredible book.Roger Hopkins

Campbell has done a lot of research on AE but he seems to be taken in by various conspiracy theories. He also has a very over-inflated view of himself. I followed his website for a few months and his writing and nonsense made me ILL!!!!!!!

I was pleasantly surprised with the quantity and quality of the research. Mike, I believe that you have convinced me!Such a well written document. I started looking into this subject by watching the "other lot" scampering about looking for artifacts and came across your YouTube programme. This prompted me to buy your book. I could not put it down..even read while I was walking the dog. I would hope that somewhere along the line some evidence appears to back up eyewitness statements!!

Have read several Earhart books; Campbell in 'The Truth at Last', with help from other searchers for the truth, has mapped out the most accurate thread of the demise of AE &FN's crash on Mili, then Saipan.

At last, a history of Amelia and Fred that makes sense. Let me elaborate: All planes have a maximum take-off weight. It is much more than the maximum landing weight. When Amelia "crashed" upon take- off from Hawaii westward - the Vega was a write off. In Lae, Papua she again "crashed" during a take-off attempt. The plane was NOT a write-off and she and Fred took off on the most challenging and longest leg of their journey just three days later. There were no major repair facilities at Lae at the time. The 2 examples do NOT match.