Trump pledges to declassify Amelia Earhart files, renewing scrutiny of 1937 disappearance

President Donald Trump said on social media Friday that he would order his administration to declassify government records related to the 1937 disappearance of Amelia Earhart. He wrote that the move would include 'all government records related to Amelia Earhart, her final trip, and everything else about her'.

Earhart disappeared during an attempt to circumnavigate the globe, aiming to reach Howland Island in the Pacific for refueling. The official explanation is that she didn’t find the island, lost communications and ran out of fuel, and most likely crashed into the ocean. Theories persist that she either crash-landed on or near the Marshall Islands or reached Nikumaroro island near Kiribati and died there as a castaway. There is no conclusive evidence to confirm any single scenario, though researchers continue to comb archives and field clues in hope of resolving the mystery.

Historically, declassification of Earhart records has been uneven. Some FBI files and Navy search reports have been released over the decades, but a large portion has remained inaccessible, fueling speculation about what officials knew and when. Trump’s pledge would, if fulfilled, widen access to materials held by the National Archives and other agencies, potentially shedding new light on the timeline and considerations surrounding Earhart’s final flight.

Among the historical threads, a skeleton found on Nikumaroro in 1940 was initially thought to be Earhart’s, but doctors at the time concluded the remains belonged to a male individual. The absence of definitive physical evidence has kept the case open to interpretation and kept public interest high, with researchers continuously revisiting old files and pursuing new lines of inquiry.

Interest has persisted as researchers pursue new methods. Last year, some researchers said they might have found Earhart’s long-lost plane; sonar imaging mapped the ocean floor to a depth of about 4,877 meters (16,000 feet) and identified what they described as a small aircraft. The discovery, if verified, would not by itself settle the mystery, but it would renew calls for full access to historical records to corroborate or challenge such claims.

In 2022, Derry hosted events commemorating the 90th anniversary of Earhart’s historic transatlantic landing, underscoring the enduring public fascination with her career and the larger arc of women in aviation.

Trump’s move arrives amid broader debates about transparency and declassification in the United States. If carried out, the release could illuminate the chronology of events, internal deliberations, and contemporaneous searches, but it is unlikely to provide a definitive resolution to the long-running puzzle of Earhart’s fate. The case, nevertheless, remains a touchstone in aviation history and women’s history, with new materials continuing to surface and spark renewed discussion.