Will You Please Check the Facts…

Recently, I was reading an article and came across this text:

Right after World War II, Admiral Byrd, the famous American Arctic Explorer, was ordered to Antarctica by President Truman in 1946 with a military task force of 4,700 men, equipped with the latest military hardware including air craft carriers, submarines, helicopters, even tanks.
What was he looking for with such a substantial military force – in, of all places, Antarctica? There are all kinds of strong indications now suggesting that he was sent to smoke out Hitler’s last stronghold there.
The United States mission “Operation Highjump” ended in failure and defeat in under 8 weeks, far short of the 8 months that was intended, as Admiral Byrd headed back having suffered heavy casualties. In his unofficial comments to the South American press, Byrd stated that he was attacked by “enemy aircraft” that “could fly from pole to pole at incredible speed”.

This text is in support of the Hollow Earth theory, but is so incredible so as to immediately raise some questions or at least it should. That is why I looked up a separate source to find out more about ‘Operation Highjump.’ [This is not an endorsement of wikipedia articles with no references.] For a more in depth version, check out this webpage.

There is much in the quoted text that not-so-gently nudges the reader towards a conspiracy; i.e., ‘substantial military force,’ and ‘Hitler’s last stronghold’ are but two examples. Another example would be the increase in military vessels, there was only one aircraft carrier and one submarine.

The last portion if the text mentions ‘massive casualties,’ ‘failure and defeat,’ and that Byrd was attacked by enemy aircraft that could fly from pole to pole at incredible speeds.
Massive casualties? Four people died which is a casualty rate of 0.09% – this is not massive casualties.
Failure and Defeat? Almost implies that the US had to run from something other than the weather, but another expedition went the same year.
And the unofficial statement? The following is from an interview by International News Service with Admiral Byrd in March 1947:

Admiral Richard E. Byrd warned today that the United States should adopt measures of protection against the possibility of an invasion of the country by hostile planes coming from the polar regions. The admiral explained that he was not trying to scare anyone, but the cruel reality is that in case of a new war, the United States could be attacked by planes flying over one or both poles. This statement was made as part of a recapitulation of his own polar experience, in an exclusive interview with International News Service. Talking about the recently completed expedition, Byrd said that the most important result of his observations and discoveries is the potential effect that they have in relation to the security of the United States. The fantastic speed with which the world is shrinking – recalled the admiral – is one of the most important lessons learned during his recent Antarctic exploration. I have to warn my compatriots that the time has ended when we were able to take refuge in our isolation and rely on the certainty that the distances, the oceans, and the poles were a guarantee of safety.

Don’t accept everything you read as fact. The author(s) may have their own agenda that is not always in your best interest, please check their facts.