how to properly import perforce history...

Very new to git.  Was hoping this would be much more straightforward and I'm
assuming I'm just missing something fundamentally easy.

I'm using git-p4import.py which came with my release of git.

I have a small project I'd like to move from perforce to git ( 111 files, 165
revisions ).

I've used a number of different approaches to do this, all of them resulting
in my files being deleted.

1)
$ git init
$ git-p4import //depot/path master

bombs out with missing .git/index

2)
$ p4 sync ...
$ git init
$ git add .
$ git commit
$ git-p4import --stitch //depot/path

This imports all the comment history, but deletes all of my files!!

3)
$ p4 sync ...
$ git init
$ git add .
$ git commit
$ git-p4import //depot/path new
### new branch with no files, but all my files in master
$ git checkout master
$ git merge new
### Now I see it deleting all of my files, but it pulls in all of the history. 


NOTE:  All of the commits pulled in have no file information associated with
them...


What am I missing?


Thanks

--Kevin