A Yamamoto Mystery, Monday 11/4, 9pm CST on PBS

airnutz · **Posted:** Sun Nov 03, 2019 12:42 pm

A gold tooth found by an expedition at the crash site of Admiral Yamamoto on Bougainville triggers an investigation into the veracity of Japanese period accounts of the Admiral after the crash. A documentary, "The Portillo Expedition:Mystery on Bougainville Island" airs on PBS 9pm CST Monday narrated by Gary Sinise. Interesting viewing, or Al Capones vault with a bit of gold?
An info page by the WWII Foundation...
http://www.wwiifoundation.org/2019/01/0 ... gainville/

Wilson · **Posted:** Sun Nov 03, 2019 4:08 pm

Yamamoto didn't have a gold crown like that, but Amelia Earhart did! Get TIGHAR on the phone! Earhart wasn't lost at sea; she was shot down by Rex Barber!

WWII history in the Pacific is full of stories of Marines and Army soldiers prying gold teeth out of the mouths of dead Japanese soldiers. I'm highly skeptical about the hypothesis that this gold crown could only belong to Yamamoto. Still, I'll tune in tomorrow night (with duct tape over my mouth). Thanks for the heads up.

oscardeuce · **Joined:** Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:34 am **Posts:** 1021

Nothing listed on my dish guide for this.

martin_sam_2000 · **Joined:** Sun Jan 08, 2012 10:05 am **Posts:** 397

oscardeuce wrote:

Nothing listed on my dish guide for this.

Yeah. Cant find anything on mine either. Might be an east coast/west coast thing.

Sean

67N20 · **Posted:** Sun Nov 03, 2019 11:23 pm

Listed on my Comcast guide in Houston.
DVR set.

Richard W. · **Posted:** Mon Nov 04, 2019 2:59 am

"Did the Admiral die a glorious death as the Japanese claims or was his assassination so gruesome that the autopsy and findings were manipulated to preserve his god-like persona?"

This seems a very odd "mystery" for them to investigate. The man was in an aircraft that crashed in a jungle after being shot up by P-38s.

airnutz · **Posted:** Mon Nov 04, 2019 10:56 am

Richard W. wrote:

"Did the Admiral die a glorious death as the Japanese claims or was his assassination so gruesome that the autopsy and findings were manipulated to preserve his god-like persona?"

This seems a very odd "mystery" for them to investigate. The man was in an aircraft that crashed in a jungle after being shot up by P-38s.

The Japanese myth is that Admiral Yamamotos body was discovered intact complete with ceremonial sword and gloves rather than the expected traumas a mortal body would suffer after fusillades of .50 cal and being thrown from the wreckage.

Stoney · **Posted:** Mon Nov 04, 2019 11:16 am

had lunch with Rex Barber in the early '90s, very nice guy.

martin_sam_2000 · **Joined:** Sun Jan 08, 2012 10:05 am **Posts:** 397

Just took a look on the WPBS (watertown) website and their schedule has this show listed for Sat Nov 9 @2030 and Sun Nov 10 @0000.

Guess different regions have different broadcast schedules.

Sean

lucky52 · **Posted:** Mon Nov 04, 2019 2:09 pm

I too have it on my comcast schedule for tonight in the Houston area.For what is is worth(absolutely nothing),I don't believe his body survived like they said it did.

JonL · **Posted:** Tue Nov 05, 2019 7:35 am

Wilson wrote:

WWII history in the Pacific is full of stories of Marines and Army soldiers prying gold teeth out of the mouths of dead Japanese soldiers.

The old man told us about the time he and a dentist mate went gold hunting at the site of a previous banzai charge that didnt turn out to well for the Japanese involved a month or two prior....Guadacanal or Malaita ...can't recall. He said his mate got quite a lot ( NZ army)

airnutz · **Posted:** Wed Nov 06, 2019 10:50 am

Well from the looks of it, it was more of an empty vault with a little gold init. Their best hope for a positive ID in this case would be Yamamoto's dental records and/or a photo of him smiling revealing the rather unique cap and bridge appliance. From what I know, and correct me if i'm wrong, there is little chance of the cap containing viable DNA after being open and contaminated by its environment. Probably if the tooth and cap were a sealed unit their chances of recovering viable pulp material would've been good...but then there is the refusal of the grandson to volunteer his DNA for comparison. I suggest hiring Ninja's to snatch a few bits of hair or his toothbrush, but I'd test the cap material to see if it added up to more than dirty water first...

airnutz · **Posted:** Wed Nov 06, 2019 1:14 pm

Forgot to mention...did anyone notice in the credits following the broadcast that Justin Taylan of Pacific Wrecks website was one on the drone operators?

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A Yamamoto Mystery, Monday 11/4, 9pm CST on PBS

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