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There has long existed a 'quiet fear' linked to the notion of Amelia Earhart's hidden survival.
Still, when the forensic discovery separated different Irene Craigmiles who shared the same identity, it began to dawn on
a select few how retired Air Force Major Joe Gervais, according to the new logic such a plural identity reveal offered,
had been right all along with his decades old Irene-Amelia claim. Except, what did that really mean in a 'new true
history' sense? Left to the preference of U. S. historical dictum influences to include Dr.
Tom Crouch and Dorothy Cochrane of the Smithsonian's Air and Space
Museum, or Scott Wyerman of The National Geographic Society, apparently not
much. Even though they've acknowledged the existence of the forensic science equation and forensic research argument, in their
programs, on their guided tours, and to national media sources they still only favored how Amelia crashed and sank to the
bottom of the Pacific Ocean. To be sure, The National Geographic Society and
The Smithsonian Institute have traditionally dismissed the Irene-Amelia story out of hand almost upon hearing mention
of it. If they ever felt pressed to look into it, they always did so in a non thorough way. The latest example;
even though they filmed it and agreed to do so, the National Geographic Channel ultimately refused to show or mention the
'plural Irene's' discovery in its recent 'Unsolved History' Earhart special. Rather, they safely engaged a case uninformed
forensic detective to discount the haunting physical congruence, while not mentioning the handwriting, voice pattern,
and friends (etc.) shared by the 1945-1982 identified Irene Craigmile and Amelia Earhart. Instead of pointing to
the geopolitical and/or medical realities available to Amelia Earhart after she disappeared, U. S. historical dictum influences
steer the public away from such considerations. They also all but encourage plane hunters to
keep looking for Amelia's plane. It seems the beauty of the 'find the plane, solve the mystery' phrase
is found in the hopeless reality of such a statement as Earhart's plane is destined to never be found. Therefore, as
long as people keep looking for it with a hope to 'solve the mystery' by finding it, such a 'false mystery' will remain 'unsolved' as preferred by United States
historical dictum, and the survived families of Amelia and Irene. In the meantime, the original Major Gervais taken photo
of Earhart's survived body as it appeared in 1965, has stared back at the general public since 1970. Yet the public
has long been encouraged not to believe in the Irene-Amelia reality through national media sources. And the public, (to include
the lot of college history professors) all but lazily fell victim to it all.
| Irene-Amelia, from a mid-1970s sitting. |
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| The original Irene hardly flew at all, yet notice the wings Irene-Amelia proudly displays here. |
Less recognized historical data surrounding the 1937 disappearance
and future 'anonymity logic' of Amelia Earhart:
During the 1930s the world
changed. The new economic powerhouse of the United States was dealt a major blow by its 1929 stock market crash. The event
left much of the most modern country in the world's population struggling to survive. Partly due to the soon growing lack
of faith in the United States as a 'proof of how democracy works' leader, myriad political
winds soon offered new ideas. Some of them led to revolutions within the world's geopolitical infrastructures. Hence, many
of the world's most brilliant artistic thinkers began to devote their most profound thoughts, and to donate their most useful
devices and even money in a united effort to combat rapidly growing world-hunger and global violence issues. Basically, as
is a traditional recurring theme in history, such brave artistic individuals wished to somehow contribute to helping the future
of humanity. However in some cases due to extreme political stresses caused, fascist leaders
ended up in arenas of political control. People such as Hitler and Mussolini were looked upon as heroes by the bulk of their
countrymen during this trying era, and their philosophies and ideas were soon being evaluated and considered world-wide. Years
later, when the subject of world history from the 1930s as a whole was enlivened
for serious discussion, famous names of political 'shakers' and 'movers' from the era were often brought up, be they the names
of past famous political figures, or past famous private citizens. In 1933 FDR's New Deal was introduced to help his country rise out of its economic depression. In the meantime beyond
the shores of the United States, the political world began to fall apart. But only a select few caring Americans controlled
any influential wherewithal when it came to international diplomacy. On any world wide scale Amelia Earhart was one such person.
So was Charles Lindbergh. On a more politically based global level, so was Eamon de Valera of Ireland, Chiang Kai-Shek of
China, Subhas Chandra Bose of India, and Edward VIII... who would abdicate the throne of England in 1936, half a year before
Amelia Earhart left on her 'world diplomacy' adventure. As a matter of less recognized historical fact, Amelia Earhart's mantle
was likely perceived by most all of the above mentioned individuals, for the hard-line pacifist she was. Not to mention Eleanor
Roosevelt adored her, to the point of regarding Amelia as a 'dear friend and confidante.'
Amelia 'disappeared' in 1937. Or, '...she likely succumbed to a crash at sea,' according to the closest thing to an official statement of her demise. Interesting point: After Pearl Harbor Amelia was being described in some
military circles as 'the first American casualty of World War
Two.' But her body was never recovered. At the war's end, neither was the body of General Doolittle's good friend and
special missionary agent John Birch, who would later be described as 'the
first American casualty of World War Three, killed by communist gunfire. And Neither was the body of Subhas Chandra
Bose ever recovered, who was reported to have died within days of John Birch during the immediate aftermath of VJ Day. Later,
airports and schools and parks and even ships would bear their names, and in the United States both the John Birch Society
and the Amelia Earhart Society would eventually be formed. Subhas Chandra Bose was fleeing Japan
and returning to India after VJ Day. (Gandhi had taken over in India.) News reports described how Bose's plane crashed off
the coast of Formosa as he was doing so, and all was lost. Quietly but not so ironic perhaps, OSS channels later conveyed
how a survived Amelia Earhart was also killed in a plane crash during her secret liberation process after VJ Day. Considering
these accounts, one might offer how Amelia Earhart, John Birch, and Subhas Chandra Bose all died within days of each other
right after VJ Day, yet not one of their bodies was ever recovered. (A curious photograph supposedly displaying Birch's face
down on the ground Chinese-communist held corpse with his hands tied behind his back did surface, but it lacked any definite
way to positively identify it. Experts also described how the body in the photograph indicated one 'taller' than the diminutive
Birch had been, and it was noted to have been facially maimed in order to prevent
positive identification.) When King Edward VIII abdicated the British throne in December of 1936,
Amelia was still living in the United States then and was well aware of it happening, world news besides. Amelia knew Edward
VIII fairly well from her previous stays in England, to the point where her husband, George Putnam was described as 'jealous'
in 1932 after reports of his wife dancing the night away with then Prince of Wales Edward came through American news-wire
services. Yes, in 1936 when Edward VIII abdicated his right to the British Crown citing his devout love for an American divorcee',
Amelia was likely cognizant of an additional and more complicated reason for his abdication never conveyed to the public;
something that, perhaps, had more or less to do with his viewpoint on India and his Crown's Colonial rule there. Of course
England would never publicly advocate such a thing. And in the meantime, as Charles Lindbergh planned
his relocation to England, in 1936 Amelia was in the midst of heavily planning her own extensive world trip sojourn.
In her later years as 'Irene' it was surmised how the former Amelia might have quietly maintained her
friendship with the default titled 'Duke of Windsor' Edward, and as she traveled abroad so much, she may have even visited
him upon occasion. (As 'Irene' it was described by Amelia Earhart Lives Author,
Joe Klaas how he heard mention of her having befriended General Douglas MacArthur's widow, Jean MacArthur. The two ladies
were the same age, and she would sometimes visit Jean MacArthur at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York where Mrs. MacArthur
lived for the rest of her life, after her famous General husband died in 1964.) Soon after
King Edward's abdication and Amelia Earhart's so-called 'disappearance,' Charles Lindbergh
moved to England and would be photographed during his tour of Germany. After Pearl Harbor, said repercussions and his pre-war
outspokenness in favor of isolationism left FDR refusing to officially accept Lindbergh's wartime service request, even though
Colonel Lindbergh eventually did contribute greatly to the United States war effort. Among various
'imprisonment' stories, it was suggested how a year and a half after Pearl Harbor
Amelia Earhart was sent to the Philippines where she was surreptitiously incarcerated at the same prison camp General Jonathan
Wainwright had been. If so she possibly grew ill there, as one OSS account also conveyed how she ended up at a Japanese run
civilian internment camp in China towards the war's end in a very sickly way. Such a hypothetical transfer could have taken
place as the U. S. lost its control in the Philippines. The reason for her internment at all could have been simplified: Had
she refused to comply with Japan's war time request for her submission to allegiance, in the fight against the allied forces?
Such logic could have made sense, for although Amelia had experienced the arena of Japanese plane
building, and according to a 1972 leaked State Department file she had even 'trial flown' planes for Japan, historically Amelia
was still a devout pacifist. World history will never deny her that. And any wartime Philippines or other incarceration stories
aside... unbelievable as it may sound her initial return to the United States might have preceded the attack on Pearl Harbor,
while quietly involving the Robinson family of Hawaii's then forbidden Niihau Island.
(Amelia had well acquainted herself with the Robinsons before she left the U. S. in 1937, and a U. S. Department of Interior
map of Niihau from Amelia's era, displayed two remote landing strips there never made available for public use. After she
died in 1982, among some of Irene-Amelia's personal possessions left to one Ms. Diana Dawes of Princeton, New Jersey a copy
of this same Niihau map was noticed.) Considering the Robinson-Niihau connection, it seemed
the idea would have been for Amelia to have returned to the Imperial Mandate Islands before Pearl Harbor, after she had returned
stateside for a time. It is a far stretch, but Niihau used as a private-pivotal 'hopping' point at least appeared to exist
in the realm of possibilities, however slight a possibility it was. No one knows this for sure of course, and the Robinsons
then and now never confirmed anything. All there was to go on was Amelia Earhart's past acquaintance with the Robinsons, and
the United States Department of the Interior map of Niihau dating back to FDR's administration found among some of Irene-Amelia's
more 'curious' possessions after she died. One idea was raised though, where Amelia may have had more leverage than realized
during the war years, and she was perhaps never mistreated at all. A question therefore became; had she actually grounded
safely among the Imperial Mandate Islands where she was quietly received by Japan after having traveled there for a specific
purpose? Does such a thing sound or seem outlandish? If so consider the following: In 2002 the
United Nations Ambassador from the Marshall Islands, Alfred
Cappelle felt this was so and was quoted in an Associated Press article. Mr. Cappelle believed Amelia Earhart came to the
Japanese mandated Marshall Islands "for a specific purpose..." "...perhaps to try out some type of equipment
for the military." Could this have been so? A review of history deems such a consideration as at least possible. Recall
Amelia Earhart was loved in Japan just like Babe Ruth had been, except five days after she was reported missing the Sino-Japanese
war unexpectedly erupted, ostensibly triggered by a single Japanese soldier being killed causing the Marco Polo Bridge incident.
This new war caused great unforeseen tension where Japan-United States relations were concerned, causing boycotts and
embargo's and dwarfing the recent news headline of Earhart's loss in comparison. Yet before the war started, it seemed unlikely
Japan would have received Amelia in any way but friendly terms. Later, Ambassador Cappelle's and other accounts led some to
view the never authenticated descriptions of Amelia Earhart
as a spy, or her so-called 'death while imprisoned' or 'by execution' in Japan's custody, as mere misinformation ploys engaged
to detract from the truth of her continued survival, and to rile the U. S. against Japan. But given Earhart's world wide reputation,
most knowledgeable World War Two historians strongly felt neither Emperor Hirohito nor the Harvard educated Admiral Isoroku
Yamamoto would have allowed anything but civil if not favored treatment of Earhart, where she at all existed under Japan's
auspice, no matter what circumstances prevailed at the time. Add to this another less reported
on suggestion offered by Paul Rafford, a former Pan Am radio operator from long ago who felt it was 'highly extraordinary'
how two-way radio contact with Amelia was never made as she approached Howland Island. Rafford felt in was conceivable given
the curious circumstances of Amelia's disappearance, how the one-sided final radio transmissions received from her were pre-recorded,
to be intermittently received by the Coast Guard Cutter Itasca and on Howland Island. This may sound like an incredibly hard
to fathom postulation, but given the notion of something perhaps preconceived and alternately planned while void of public
awareness, maybe not. [Here, re-consider the 1962 words about the Earhart disappearance case
spoken to CBS radio journalist and Earhart investigative author Fred Goerner, by the then newly retired U.S. Naval Commander
John Pillsbury; "You're on to something that will stagger your imagination."] Ultimately,
the point to be realized in the preceding paragraphs is this: Among the many "how she
arrived, where she ended up, and what she was actually doing between 1937 and 1945" stories that came to exist
in the public realm over the years, it always remained impossible to precisely
calculate any of the former Amelia Earhart's locations and/or relocations during the World War Two era. Yet such knowledge
no doubt exists somewhere in writing, leaving it to someday become public information. Until it does though, the 'almost anything was possible, but what was probable?' credo must be maintained
with the former Amelia Earhart's post loss reality, especially where her 1937 to 1945 'missing time period' necessarily remains the biggest question and concern. Beyond
this, the less known accounts of Eamon de Valera, Chandra Bose, Edward VIII, Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, John Birch,
post war devices of the Catholic Church and more seem to speak potentially non-realized volumes when it comes to the unwritten
pages of world history. As a controversial example, notice how it's hardly recalled anymore how Eamon de Valera (who Monsignor
Kelley also mentioned he had 'helped' in some non-specified way during the end of war era) initially displayed some empathy
for the Third Reich, and all-but snubbed Churchill's England by keeping Ireland neutral during WWII. After
the war John Birch's belongings were sent home, but again, not his body. He was said to have been buried in northern China,
although history never clearly certified his body as positively identified. A few years later, as prior mentioned the legend
of John Birch would grow into the John Birch Society, a group initially comprised
for the most part of right wing anti-communists. But the notion that 'martyr' Birch himself might have actually survived as
someone else was always dismissed out of hand. Indeed, hardly a soul even considered such a thing. Of
note, and again where John Birch was called "the first casualty
of World War Three" and Amelia Earhart had long before been dubbed "the first casualty of World War Two," as well, so too would there eventually be formed an Amelia Earhart Society. {Both the John Birch Society and
the Amelia Earhart Society appeared rooted from a high-level Masonic origin. The societies were supposedly created in an effort to help steer the public's perception of
the two 'controversially famous' American figures, who history described to have met their demises as a result of some inordinately
curious, if-not outright strange circumstances. Again, Earhart's demise was said to have occurred just before World War Two
began, Birch's just after World War Two ended, and neither body was ever recovered.}
After
the war people in India also began to insist how the former India Nationalist Leader, Subhas Chandra Bose had made it back
to India after all, and he had continued to live there as a re-identified person. Books were written about his post war survival,
and among many of his countrymen it was generally accepted how such a thing had happened. Gandhi himself even spoke of it
as a hidden truth. (continued below)
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In 2006 the National Geographic Channel contacted Beyond 37's Tod Swindell and Rollin
Reineck for an update on the Amelia Earhart, Irene Craigmile Bolam forensic research findings, and to ask them to participate
in its upcoming 'Unsolved History' special about Amelia Earhart. Below are some key examples of controversial information the National Geographic Channel was made privy to, but chose
not to address in its final program version still being aired today:
- Notice how
none of Amelia's or Irene's survived relatives names were mentioned, nor were any of their past expressed opinions profiled
in National Geographic's 2006 'Unsolved History' Amelia Earhart special.
- Larry Heller, the Son of
the original Irene Craigmile chose not to appear on the show.
- Mr. Heller's existence
and his past controversial statements about his late 'Mother' were never referenced in the show.
- There was no mention of how the original Irene Craigmile and Amelia Earhart were known to have been friends in the
1930s.
- Although Amelia's survived Sister, Muriel knew Irene-Amelia fairly well, she and all
Earhart family members historically avoided the Irene-Amelia issue. They also never publicly accounted for the realities learned
since Joe Gervais met and candidly photographed Irene-Amelia in 1965, and then researched her background history for many
following years. Again, the National Geographic Society chose not to share this important learned information with the American
public.
- Prior to 1945 the photo history of Irene Craigmile Bolam's person does not display
the image of the Irene Craigmile Bolam (aka Irene-Amelia) who Joe Gervais met and photographed in 1965. National Geographic
knew this, but did not mention it in its 'Unsolved History' special.
- In April of 2006 the original
Irene Craigmle's 1934 born Son, Larry Heller stated he grew up thinking his Mother was always one person. The 2002 forensic discovery solidly revealed his Mother's identity had been used by more than one
person.
- Former Seton Hall University President, Monsignor James Francis Kelley's 1991 tape recorded
confirmation of his late friend, Irene Craigmile Bolam having been the former Amelia Earhart, was requested by and given to
the National Geographic Channel. However, they never mentioned it in its final program version.
- The
medical explanations for Irene-Amelia's post-loss nose augmentation and minor nip and tuck cosmetic surgeries (see Mug Shot
Forgeries link) were not at all addressed. Instead, such post-disappearance differences were reviewed in a visual null- hypothesis,
by an obviously 'Earhart disappearance case uninformed'
forensic detective named Kevin Richlin. It is worth noting, Mr. Richlin acknowledges how given the limited information National
Geographic provided him with, his hypothesis did not 'forensically disprove' the four decades old Irene-Amelia claim.
- National Geographic had engaged and presumably paid Mr. Richlin to conduct his basic hypothesis. No doubt it did
so to persuade its viewing audience into continuing to view the Irene-Amelia reality as 'still questionable.' Again though,
it appeared evident Mr. Richlin was not predisposed by National Geographic to the high nature of the four decades old Irene-Amelia
controversy, nor to the Irene Craigmile 2002 'shared identity'
discovery, nor to Amelia's nasal medical history, nor to the logic of Irene-Amelia wishing not to be recognized as her former
self in the United States following the WWII era. In essence, lacking the true knowledge he did, he was fooled just as most
everyone else had been.
- Beyond 37's Irene-Amelia forensic comparisons and investigative research analysis had
been receiving press notices since 1999. Knowing how National Geographic was only able to publicly 'ride the fence' with the
overall Earhart mystery, Beyond 37's Tod Swindell agreed to participate in its program only
under the following specified conditions given to Director, Noel Dockstader: 1.) That he agree to display the image of the
other Irene Craigmile identified in 2006 by the original Irene's Son, Larry
Heller as the 'Mother' he recalled from his early childhood years; and 2.) Bill Prymak, the 1989 wealthy and influential founding
President of the Amelia Earhart Society, who'd been strongly fighting the Irene-Amelia claim for years while never offering
a sound argument against it, not be a participant in the program.
- Mr. Dockstader affirmed both conditions, the former
based on his preliminary review of the identity separating forensic data. After reviewing the sample forensic data Mr. Swindell
forwarded to Mr. Dockstader, Mr. Dockstader confirmed to Mr. Swindell how it was based on 'solid science' thus finalizing
their agreement. He also agreed to transport Mr. Swindell and a significant portion of his of his forensic
data and investigative research material to Hawaii to be interviewed with USAF Colonel Rollin Reineck (Ret.) Recall how in
2003 Colonel Reineck's published book, Amelia Earhart Survived was largely
inspired by and credited the forensic discovery accomplishments achieved by Mr. Swindell's studies since 1997 -- that had
provided additional unprecedented validation to the decades old claim of USAF Major Joe Gervais (Ret.) -- in which Joe Gervais
ascertained how the Irene Craigmile Bolam he met and photographed in 1965 had been the living 'former' Amelia Earhart.
- In Hawaii Mr. Dockstader did film the other 'early childhood mother' image of the 'Irene' identified by her survived son, Larry Heller. In the final edit
however, the 'Irene' her Son identified as his childhood Mother was not shown, no mention of the 2002 shared
identity discovery was made, only a few of the comparison samples displaying the congruence shared by the Gervais-Irene
and Amelia Earhart appeared, none of the handwriting comparisons, voice comparisons, or personal history of the 1945-1982
identified Irene Craigmile Bolam were referenced, and anti Irene-Amelia advocate, Bill Prymak
was plainly listed as a research consultant in the end credits.
- It was evident Noel Dockstader
and Quinn Kanally, National Geographic's 'young-ish' Director and Writer/Producer team had never seriously investigated the
Earhart disappearance case before, and they were subjected by their superiors at National Geographic to be influenced in a
non-controversial direction. So after promising an honest and objective slant of Swindell's and Reineck's opinions, and interviewing
both on high definition video for several hours, in their final program version Swindell's and Reineck's participations amounted
to a few minutes only. As well, in the end National Geographic suggested how their many years of investigative research and
forensic argument realities, combined with those of legendary Amelia Earhart investigative researcher Joe Gervais (who passed
away in 2005) may have amounted to nothing more than a "slight of hand"
endeavor.
- Although National Geographic was also made aware of the discovered 1982 New Jersey Tribune fraud-lined
series that had falsely profiled Irene Craigmile Bolam's life story a few months after her death was reported, its program
made no mention of it.
- Since the 1970s the Earhart family has offered it as a fruitless endeavor to pursue the
forensic solving of the Amelia Earhart disappearance case, while openly favoring the crashed and sank scenario. However,
National Geographic also did not address the following information regarding the family's past expressed opinion on the matter:
Twelve years after Amelia vanished her Mother, Amy Otis Earhart told the New York Times she was sure there were things about
Amelia's 1937 world flight her daughter could not share, even with her. She also appeared aware of how Amelia had somehow
been received by Japan, and she even claimed how she "knew" Amelia had remained in touch with the United States
at least for awhile in pre-war times. (New York Times, 1949.) This, added to so much more of the controversial 'post-loss Earhart survival information' was never profiled in the 2006 National Geographic Channel's 'Unsolved
History' Earhart special, that otherwise devoted most of its program to the various on-going search efforts for Amelia's plane.
In the end it was clear National Geographic's objective all along was to continue
to solidify the seventy-year old Earhart disappearance case as an 'unsolved mystery' only, thus explaining why it chose
not to display or reference any of the most controversial elements, of the never disproved and most obviously by now correct...
Irene-Amelia conveyance.
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The original Irene Craigmile, widowed since 1931 remarried and gave birth to her Son, Larry Heller
in 1934. During that time her Attorney Aunt, one Irene Rutherford O'Crowley who was Amelia's prominent ZONTA Sister
friend, had been serving as a legal contract advisor for Amelia's clothing and luggage lines. Attorney
Irene would become President of the Essex Couty ZONTAS in 1938-1939. It was during that time Attorney Irene and Monsignor
James Francis Kelley began to solidify Amelia's identity change to that of Attorney Irene's non-attentive Neice, Irene
Craigmile. By 1940 the 'annulment' was in the works from the original Irene's last husband, Al Heller...
enabling Amelia to be known henceforth as 'Irene Craigmile.' In essence, it was the original Irene Craigmile who ended
up missing forever, not Amelia Earhart. By 1945 the new Irene Craigmile, (Irene-Amelia) had re-joined the ZONTAS in Long Island. By
the early 1950s she was an Assistant Vice President at a bank in Great Neck, Long Island... one of Amelia's and her
Sister Muriel's favorite old beach haunts. Great Neck was also where Amelia had lived with her well-to-do friends,
Marian Stabler's family a few years before she became famous. By 1958 she'd become engaged to British national and
described 'former MI6 operative' Guy Bolam, and she married him on July 25,
1958, or the day after what would have been her true sixty-first birthday. She appeared to have also purposefully blended
the original Irene Craigmile's identity (post-mortem) with her 1924 born-out-of-wedlock 'hidden' daughter the
public never knew about, thus leaving the original Irene Craigmile's identity to have utlimately been employed by three
different individuals, when all was said and done.
| Amelia's 1928 flight brought her instant fame. |
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| Her 1932 solo Atlantic flight immortalized her. |
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