 will be a modern journey by a modern president, LBJ, but it will also be a journey back to a time when this president became the eyes and ears of another president. When President Johnson set out on this Asian tour, it was to be a journey which would be unique in history. It would be the longest trip taken by a president, 27,000 miles in 17 days. As the journey progressed across the vast regions of the Pacific, weighty problems of world peace filled the president's mind, but there were moments too for anticipating the renewal of old friendships. Australia held a special meeting for President Johnson. He had been here before during another world crisis, when the Pacific set at the second table and was almost a forgotten area. This time, Australia and its people greeted President and Mrs. Johnson with open hands and open hearts. It was deep affection for the man Australia remembered as a visitor in 1942. Obviously, the president enjoyed the reception. Still his memory went back to the time of another crisis. Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, when Japan shattered the peace of the Pacific. Quickly, Congress heard and granted the request for a declaration of war. Next day, Congressman Lyndon Johnson resigned from office and took his oath as a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy. As such, he was sent to Australia as FDR's Special Emissary. During his stay, he traveled the length and breadth of the land down under, trying to get the answers his chief needed. A major problem of those days was knowing exactly what we were up against in the Pacific. Communications were disorganized and uncertain. Mr. Roosevelt was having trouble getting the facts. Clear cold facts free from hearsay were needed. Commander Johnson's mission was to get below the top brass and see what we were really up against. Seeking out this information meant digging deep. Since FDR wanted answers below the top brass level, the tall tower housing MacArthur's headquarters was passed by. The opinions of officers who had seen action first hand, such as Colonel Stevens and General Marquot, were important. He would talk to generals, GIs and civilians, people who knew from personal experience how little we had and how much was needed. German officers had seen our equipment in combat against superior enemy equipment, and they knew the overwhelming problems of putting us on a par with those who would destroy us. So Commander Johnson sought them out and gained their confidence. But there was also some time for fun and frolic. For a few ships in the harbor, not nearly enough. It would take thousands of vessels to carry the material of war to stop the drive of the Japanese. The commander was emphatic on that point. The pace was fast, meetings numerous. Even hospitals were few, their facilities crowded and inadequate. These men knew the horrors of war, yet those who had sustained wounds set about their recovery with the same spirit that had carried them into battle. This war was an air war, so emergency strips were hewn from New Guinea sugarcane fields. Pre-fabricated materials proved quickest. Ladies and villagers alike set to the task, with only a little time out for recreation. Once the air strips were finished, no time was lost in ticking off for air strikes at the enemy. The best way to observe the air war was from the air. So Commander Johnson went along with the airmen. Press court would be of some comfort for those in the slower, more cumbersome bombers. Said on someone else's gear, might have been more careful had he known it belonged to a future president. This mission they had gone looking for the enemy and had found him. For a lost, others limped home badly damaged. Was pretty well shot up. But a daring pilot brought her in despite 17 holes from Japanese 20 millimeter cannon. Several planes are still missing, but there's one more coming in for a belly landing. One holds their breath, dies down. He's safe. Brass applauds his bravery. The pilot, Major Divine, asks his name not be mentioned. His wife back in New York might be worried. There were others who would not come back. Colonel Stevens, who had sat on the duffel bag, had been shot down in a shark infested sea. Superstitions may not count in war. Still it gives pause to unpack and find the shaving that are broken. These enemy planes were superior in strength and numbers. So without serious opposition, the Japanese had a clear shot at Darwin, but the smoke had barely cleared away when Commander Johnson flew in to inspect the damage. Knowledge could be gained here. Knowledge of the explosive power of enemy bombs and the accuracy of his target sites. Mute testimony to the striking power of the enemy and the nearly defenseless facilities of our Australian allies. Commander Johnson was learning about the destruction of war firsthand. In military annals, this was a new kind of war where soldier and civilians suffered equally. Yesterday these were beautiful Darwin homes. Today, charred rubble. The owner is now homeless. Problems of supply and materials were increased by damage to docking facilities. But even before repairs were complete, ships were unloading again. After barracks were knocked out, our fighting men lived in makeshift quarters. Efforts were ceaseless to restore some kind of order. At all the work, the men had the peculiar and constant feeling that they were being watched. And they were. Planes were hidden and camouflaged as best they could be. Hoping the enemy wouldn't be back too soon. An oven improvised from a burned-out stump served Commander Johnson as a stove. But there wasn't enough time to eat the meal. A new alert proclaims the Japanese are on the prowl again. Planes are quickly manned to try and seek the enemy out and stop him. In expansive surveillance, the enemy is in sight. But the search had covered hundreds of miles of ocean. Some place along the line, the navigator had missed his bearings. Force to report to the pilot that they were hopelessly lost. No airstrip around. So they headed for the flat interior of Australia, looking for a place to set her down. With gas running low, the pilot, Major Frank Kurtz, picked the smoothest spot he could find. Then they were safely down. It didn't seem possible there could be people within a hundred miles. However, it wasn't long before a welcoming committee did arrive. It took only one look for them to decide they couldn't help or wouldn't. It looked as though somebody would have a mighty long walk, then a miracle. Ranchers from out back arrived. They were a welcome sight. In one rather battered vehicle, some members of the plane crew set off for the nearest town, 35 miles away. Along the way, they passed Ayers Rock, a unique landmark, a single monolith reaching 3,000 feet above the desert floor. In Eucalyptus Forest, they saw some of the odd birds of Australia and even a flying squirrel. A distant mountain range proved to be the home of the Australian Aborigines, one of the oldest races on Earth. And along the way, livestock herds were reminiscent of the American West. At last they reached the town. This was North Gregory. The people were friendly and eager to help. It was a small town, similar in many respects to the frontier towns of Texas. Get the plane with a new load of fuel, the crew and their passengers set a grateful goodbye and prepared for the takeoff. Marys of long ago came back to President Lyndon B. Johnson as he paid a second visit to Australia, the scene of his presidential mission in 1942. So he set a fond farewell as the people offered him wishes for a speedy return, then back across the Pacific to the Manila Conference, to Alaska and home.