The federal government has begun releasing files related to aviator Amelia Earhart, whose disappearance in 1937 remains one of history’s biggest mysteries.
Earhart went missing on July 2, 1937, while flying over the Pacific Ocean in an attempt to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world. Officials believe Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared near Howland Island.
The move comes nearly two months after President Donald Trump ordered their declassification and release on Sept. 26.
According to the National Archives, 4,624 pages and 53 PDF files were released on Friday.
A news release states that the documents include maps, reports, messages and other materials relating to her flight. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said the documents include “newly declassified files from the National Security Agency, information on Earhart’s last known communications, weather and plane conditions at the time, and potential search locations, as well as subsequent inquiries and theories regarding her disappearance.”
Beginning today, at @POTUS' direction, records related to Amelia Earhart's final flight and disappearance 88 years ago will be declassified and shared with the American people.
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) November 14, 2025
These records include reports, maps, and other documents tracing Earhart's final journey, her last… pic.twitter.com/dpYPh9Ujgn
The documents include a July 1937 radio log from Itasca, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter that was deployed to support Earhart’s flight. It was the last ship to have radio contact with Earhart and Noonan.
Earhart was officially declared dead on Jan. 5, 1939.
According to the news release, the federal government will continue to release Earhart-related records as it identifies them. The National Archives is digitizing them and making them available online on a rolling basis.
The online posting of the files “is the first step towards ensuring that all federal government records related to her disappearance are available online in one place for the first time,” the news release stated.
At the time of Trump’s order, the president called Earhart “an aviation pioneer.”
“Amelia made it almost three-quarters around the World before she suddenly, and without notice, vanished, never to be seen again,” Trump wrote. “Her disappearance, almost 90 years ago, has captivated millions.”
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