On Tue, 11 Jan 2005 11:49:01 GMT, Larry Dighera
wrote:

... how would you explain all the
firsthand accounts ...

Perception and memory are heavily influenced by non-rational
factors. There is a sad story in Carl Sagan's book, The
Demon Haunted World, of a man who was persuaded to
confess to crimes that he never committed.

If sincerity and conviction on the part of witnesses is the sole
standard of truth, then AE and FN were imprisoned, executed,
and buried on a dozen different islands in the Pacific.

And then AE also survived the war and took the identity of
Irene Bolam in NJ for the rest of her life.

And (to go back to the post that started this thread), the
wreck of AE's aircraft is in New Britain.

And (to take an example not widely known) a seaman saw
the wreck being retrieved from Gardner/Nikumaroro in
the 1970s while he was on the fantail of an aircraft
carrier. [This witness posted his testimony on TIGHAR's
forum. He is unshakeable in his sincere conviction about
what he saw, despite the evidence of the ship's logbooks
that show he never could have seen what he thinks he
saw.]

A simple hypothesis for the multiple sincere testimonies
about AE and FN:

1. The witnesses saw an emaciated woman prisoner.

2. The nearest emaciated male prisoner was assumed
to be her partner, FN.

3. Real atrocities were committed by the Japanese
against their male and female prisoners.

4. After the war--and after the 1943 movie with
Rosalind Russel and Fred MacMurray, people
convinced themselves that the poor woman they
saw in captivity was AE.

In TIGHAR, we call this the "helpful witness syndrome."
It's amazing how much people can decorate and improve
their memories when they think that they hold the key
to solving the mystery.

... the Navy's building an airfield for AE and
stationing ships for her ...

The U.S. and Britain were engaged in a continuous
battle for control of the unclaimed Pacific islands
long before the Japanese were a factor. Placing
an airstrip on Howland strengthened the U.S. claim
that it was part of its territory. I don't know which
came first--AE's flight plan or the government's
desire to strengthen its claim.

... and all the other assistance the government
provided?

AE was famous and moved in the same social
circles as high-level government officials. I doubt
that an unattractive man (Wiley Post comes to mind)
would have gotten as much cooperation.

Goerner says this occurred during a time when the official
government policy was not to materially support record flight
attempts.

The official Navy and Roman Catholic policies against
burying civilians at sea were waived in JFK Jr's case
(may he and his passengers rest in peace). There
are exceptions to every rule (including this rule).

Marty