Vanished Pioneer; Expedition Soon Might Solve 1937 Mystery of Amelia Earhart

Although amateur radio operators claimed to have picked up signals from Earhart over the next few days -- signals that suggested she had crash-landed -- the Itasca never heard from her again. President Franklin Roosevelt ordered a massive search, involving planes from the carrier Lexington and float planes from the battleship Colorado.

In a note to Putnam before the flight, Earhart wrote: "I know that if I fail or if I am lost you will be blamed for allowing me to leave on this trip; the backers of the flight will be blamed and everyone connected with it. But it's my responsibility and mine alone."

jtorry@dispatch.com

Box Story: On the Internet

* To see a 30-second film of Amelia Earhart's last takeoff -- from Lae, New Guinea, on July 2, 1937 -- visit http://www.tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/a meliavideo.html.

* To browse the Earhart archive at Purdue University, which has more than 900 items, visit http://www.lib.purdue.edu/spcol/aearhart/.

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