500N.
No smoke screen. The press,
PR and the glow of a substantial documentary are the 'payday' for the sponsors Wargaming.Net. No Spitfires required.
Media Circus. Not enough pre -planning for contingencies by the Wargaming.net. Calling a full press conference before the show got on the road in Rangoon was ill judged in my view. With nothing to say, David Cundall was, and watch the body language in the video, reluctantly drawn to reveal that they had dug down to a wooden base that could be a crate, full of water. What wasn't made too clear was that this was the week before Christmas and at Myitkyina some 900 miles North of Rangoon and at a place best not to go at this time, particularly with an entourage of 21 people, with all the adjacent Kachin rebel problems. It was on the military base and was one of four locations where a license has been awarded to dig.
A further press conference was scheduled for two weeks in to the programme with no contingency should Spitfires not be found. Delays due to permits and bureaucracy and much geophysical work in photogenic locations saw the first week through with digging not starting until the Monday of the second week again in the photogenic location rather than where David Cundall, his Burmese geologist, his Burmese business partner and the eye witness indicated. This would not have been a problem with more than a week to go but toward the end of day two digging, the military/airport authorities pulled the plug on the grounds of danger to the airport cable infrastructure. This looked mighty thin to me as h/s was meticulously being adhered to.
Although David Cundall is the 'Project Leader' he was not leading the project. It was being lead from my standpoint by the Wargaming top echelon and the documentary director with his team of about ten.
You then had the situation of the world's press and TV starting to arrive and nothing to tell them or show them. Wargaming sensibly decided not to present David Cundall to the BBC but fielded the 'conflict archaeologists' who on the strength of one 2-3 metre deep trench down to 1945 level advised the BBC there were no buried Spitfires in Burma, full stop...now go home, press conference cancelled...and you have read the result. Not good.
I know all of the principal three parties who were competing for the digging license. I am totally independent of all three and funded my own trip and accommodation.
I am still open minded and on balance, and with a few things it would be inappropriate to mention at this time in public, still think there is something in all this.
Currently, today, with the Wargaming and the documentary circus now departed, David Cundall is back at Mingaladon, his Burmese geologist having located 15 points of geophysical significance in the target area this past week including two of particular interest. Permission to dig on these points is being sought.
No Spitfires have been found. There may be no Spitfires to be found but for sure, as I said, there is still way to go on all this.
Mark22