Amelia Earhart’s Final Radio Communications & the International Search

Experience a remarkable moment in aviation history through reproductions of documents connected to Amelia Earhart’s disappearance in July 1937. This History By Mail letter brings together the radio log documenting her final communications and a diplomatic letter reflecting Japan’s participation in the international search that followed.

A Moment in History, Preserved in the Record

On July 2, 1937, Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan were attempting to reach Howland Island during their round-the-world flight. The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Itasca, stationed near the island to provide navigation and radio support, recorded communications from Earhart as the aircraft struggled to locate Howland. The search that followed covered more than 250,000 square miles before the U.S. Navy ended its search on July 18. Japan also assisted by alerting vessels and providing support to the search effort.

Experience this extraordinary chapter of history through reproductions of the documents that captured these events as they unfolded.