Amelia is ALIVE and well on the silver-screen. The new movie about Amelia Earhartis NOT selling many tickets except in Atchison, KS where she was born. Stories have always done well in Atchison, where MOST people live far below the National Poverty Line.

Each year in July there's a 2 day celebration honoring AE's birthday. City fathers spend money they do NOT have to pay for a BIG fireworks show down on the Missouri River. Merchants hope for added sales and the Town hopes for added TAX revenue. A carnival entertains kids and young adults, while about 10,000 buy tickets for Lakefest. Lakefest is an outdoor concert held on Friday night at Warnock Lake southwest of town. The AE BirthPlace Museum gets a fair amount of business for a few days and MOST are happy with the results. So much for what is common Knowledge...

NOW, for the Rest of the Story. This information herein, I learned from a personal conversation with Gen. Curtis E. LeMay during Autumn 1959. Mansfield MO was home to Laura Ingles Wilder, but it was also the home of Charles Calame and Louis G "Andy" Anderson. Anderson and Calame were long-time friends of Gen. LeMay, knew Calame the Mansfield High School Principal from WWII and Anderson from the Sunday in June 1954. More on these people will be provided later. Comments can be found at ATCHISON.ws

Gen. LeMay was in Mansfield, putting together a deal with Anderson to build a replica of Cal Rogers 1911 Curtis Wright bi-plane. The replica was to be used to fly the 50th Anniversary of the first Trans-continental flight. Andy was always buying every old airplane that had any historical significance. At this time he already owned over 50 airplanes housed on his farm. LeMay, Andy and I were in the dining room of Andy's home when the General asked if Andy would be interested in buying a 1918 Flying Ace bi-plane belonging to a mutual friend. LeMay said, "You met Earhart back in your barn-storming days; Right?"

Andy said he had and asked Why she'd be willing to sell her last plane. The General explained that she (AE) was NOT allowed to FLY, or do any traveling of any kind. He and Jackie Cochran were her only friends allowed to visit at her home. The plane was one of a kind since it was Serial #1, so Andy agreed to buy the plane. This is when I asked about the History books saying she died in 1937.

Gen. LeMay told me, the US military found her in South China in a Japanese prison. AE was taken to Tokyo and placed in a US run Hospital, while Gen. LeMay contacted Jackie Cochran. In 1945, Jackie Cochran flew to Tokyo on a B-29 to be with her friend as she regained enough strength to handle the LONG return flight to the US. The US Navy delivered a telegram to G. Putnam, saying his wife had been found and was returning home. The message was first delivered to Putnam's old Calif. address, but was forwarded to his new address, where he and his 3rd wife were living.

Amelia Earhart and Jackie Cochran returned to California on board a B-29 arranged for by Gen. LeMay. They left the plane dressed as a priest and nun and the PRESS was none the wiser.

Part 2 available soon