Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump has ordered the FBI to search its Washington, D.C., and New York offices for any files related to the 1937 disappearance of aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, according to law enforcement sources cited by CNN.
An internal message sent to FBI employees Tuesday evening and marked “high importance” instructed staff to review “any areas where papers or physical media records may be stored, to include both open or closed cases, for records responsive to Amelia Earhart.”
The directive, described as a “priority request from the Executive Office of the President,” required compliance by Wednesday and was issued during the ongoing government shutdown.
The move follows Trump’s recent post on Truth Social concerning Earhart.
“I have been asked by many people about the life and times of Amelia Earhart, such an interesting story, and would I consider declassifying and releasing everything about her, in particular, her last, fatal flight! She was an Aviation Pioneer, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, and achieved many other Aviation ‘firsts,’” he wrote.
“She disappeared in the South Pacific while trying to become the first woman to fly around the World. Amelia made it almost three quarters around the World before she suddenly, and without notice, vanished, never to be seen again. Her disappearance, almost 90 years ago, has captivated millions. I am ordering my Administration to declassify and release all Government Records related to Amelia Earhart, her final trip, and everything else about her. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” the president continued.
Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, disappeared while attempting to circumnavigate the globe with navigator Fred Noonan in 1937. After a 16-day search, the pair was declared lost at sea.
According to the Associated Press, Trump’s call to release Earhart records follows earlier declassification efforts concerning the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr.