Lost gold shipment West Africa 1946

Xavier:

What I know about military missions of this kind could fill a sewing thimble, but why would they need a finance officer on board the plane.  I could understand he might need to be a the base to receive the shipment.  Also, in the articles you will see that his cousin was lost a year later near Hawaii.  Maybe he found something out, etc.



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Hi Hardluck

I seem to be head butting a brick wall on my side I have send E-Mails to the military but they did not answer in the past when I did a search for Oliver K.Morton I came up with some info but now there seems to be nothing it don't matter as I already have that info but it still seems strange.
Here is the list of all the occupants. By the way there is some controversy some documents have Oliver Morton as 1st Lieutenant and others as 2nd Lieutenant.

1stL Oliver K Morton 061566 Air Corps
F/O William K Jobe T 6173 Air Corps
1st Lt Bernard E Fielder 0931807 Air Corps
1st Lt Harrison E Squires 0707128
2nd Lt David E O'Calligan 02061170 Air Corps
Cpl Marlan J Reed 37538187 Air Corps
Cpl Samuel Mehrman 42000743 Air Corps
Cpl Samuel Klink 32912120 Air Corps
Sgt Seymour J Stanger 32866364 Air Corps
2nd Lt Walter H Nelson 0876335 Air Corps
Major Edward A Ciobban 0503275 FD
Capt William Moncrieff 0665218 Air Corps
1st Lt Henry Elvik 0854622 Air Corps
Capt John M Weaver 01280967 branch unknown
Cpl Milton S Tyler 37709612 branch unknown

Mr Homer C White, Courier Div, State Department
Mr T Katzenstein, affiliation unknown, passport number 91209 revenue ticket number X 395867 (other documents list his first name as Theodore).   

Justshill you must remember that it was December 1945 the war was over since June and it was getting closer to Christmas so it is quite possible that these men were going home how ever the one that is interesting is Katzenstein was he Swiss or German? Another thing to remember there were 17 occupants and the total load that he could carry was 6000Lb but not if he only had half the fuel as he could fly 1600 miles on full tanks but he only had 700 miles to Accra Ghana from Liberia Roberts field. The weather report talks about thunder and lightning but he could fly at an altitude of 26.400 ft was he struck by lightning while climbing? if so there would have been wreckage to be found or as it was a Sky train at least some bit of the lining that insulated the inside. So now the question is did he go down?

Regards Xavier     

 

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,10242.msg100215.html#msg100215

Xavier

Hello All:

I paid $1.95 to search the name Theodore Katzenstein and located the below.  If this is the same individual then he would have been about 25 at the time of this flight.  I am not saying this is him, but what if it is?  I believe this person died within the last five years.  He was of the Jewish faith.  Just speculating...could the gold & silver have been used in a deal with the Brits to fund Israel?  But where are the other 16 passengers?  I am probably all wet on my theory, though.

What a mystery!

2 Theodore Katzenstein

More Info

DOB: Jun 22nd, 1919

AGE: 90 years old

RELATIVES:
Florence W Katzenstein (88)
F Katzenstein
T Katzenstein

 Address 1:
22 Edinburgh Ln D
Lakehurst, NJ 08733
(732) 571-8545


Address 2:
22 Edinburgh
Manchester, NJ 08759
(732) 571-8545


Address 3:
60 High I
Passaic, NJ 07055
(973) 571-8545


 Lakehurst, NJ
Manchester, NJ
Passaic, NJ

See All Addresses  Avg. Income:
$33,633

Avg. Home Value:
$153,000

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,10242.msg100233.html#msg100233

Good Day:

I am not familiar with passport number assignments, but I will try to research this information and let you know my findings.

I hope I have not duplicated t he effort of anyone who is part of this forum, but I have requested any available information about this incident under the FOIA.  I will let you know the outcome.

Regards,
justshill

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,10242.msg100300.html#msg100300

Hello All

I have been researching into the Mining activities in Liberia in 1946 to see if there is a connection the gold shipment.

In 1944, President William V.S. Tubman ascended the Liberian presidency, and open up the Liberian economy to foreign investors, through his "Open Door Policy". This policy was a watershed in the opening of the Liberian economy to foreign investment.

The idea was in agreement with the recommendation of the League of Nations, which recommended that Liberian leaders open up the country to foreign investors. Tubman's initiatives brought in hundreds of millions of dollars, especially in the mining industry. In fourteen years, the following companies arrived in Liberia:

Liberia Mining Company, an American company, arrived in 1946 with $37 million to mine iron ore; DELIMCO, a German company, arrived in 1953, with $100 million to mine iron ore; and the National Iron Ore Company, an American company, arrived in 1958 with $30 million. From 1944 to 1960, total foreign investment in Liberia increased from $32 million to $436 million; and total exports rose from $10.3 million in 1944, to $83 million in 1960. Liberia's favorable balance of trade increased from $6 million to $14 million; and from 1960 to 1979, favorable balance of trade rose from $14 million to $30 million.

There seems to be no large scale gold miming activities in Liberia at the time. The gold could of been gold used as a currency to process the deal with the American company Iron ore deal in 1946.

Military air transport was the only air transport available. It is possible a shipment of gold from an American mining company could of been transported on American Military aircraft?

Here is link to an American army officer ex-Lieut. Colonel Lansdell K. Christie who help build the airfield in WW2 in Liberia.

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Was this shipment related to this mining company?

Hardluck 
 

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