It's a long way from Arizona to the japanese homeland. But I have arrived
just the same originating power that brings you. This broadcast is the
power of radio Tokyo and Abu operated from General Macarthur's
headquarters here in Yokohama. After 19 days of waiting on open our, the
11th Airborne Division to which I have been assigned for the move to Japan
Was alerted for a 109 take off the morning of oldest service. We left the
ground at one or 4 as the 3rd plane and the flight of approximately 204.
Everything went perfectly for the first half hour. Then the oil cooling
system of our portside engine developed a reef for more than two hours. It
was nip and tuck as to whether we would go on or have to turn back. The
engine was losing about 10 gallons of all an hour and acting increasingly
doubtful. By the minute it was a matter of hacking on, if possible, and
that our gas load had lightened sufficiently to make it possible to get
along on three engines. You can imagine our loose in the moonlight arc of
the left outside propeller favored as the engine stopped and we knew our
pilot had decided that we were over the house. The anger of the flight was
uneventful except for the fast working imaginations of every man aboard.
Well within Japan was the next stop. The triumphant climax for almost 45
months of the roughest possible combat. I was leaning over the pilot's
shoulder in the nose of the plane when the sun parted the clouds in the
evening for a sunrise over time and I will never forget. We were just
causing the Japanese solar. It looks like any one of the thousands of
island coast in the pacific until we spotted the dim outline of Fujiyama,
one of the most famous volcanic mountains in the world and Japan's most
spectacular landmark. In a few minutes crippled engine was started for the
help that it could give us the money and we began the long approach to the
Asuka trip. We were still reserved plain on the flight. In spite of our
trouble, the landing was person in no time at all. My privilege to be the
first civilian broadcasters have touched the soil of the Japanese homeland
building my gear. I began a hurried search for the nearest thing unusual
communications equipped. The Army Air Corps had to be 17 radio equipped
plane on the field. But it has been commandeered by Army Air Corps
communications to stand by as a small transmitter for traffic control in
the event of a breakdown. The only unit on the field that might have been
used and there was no immediate prospect of other facilities being
available. The next thing was transportation for his trip to the nearest
city. In search of broadcast equipped bob chapman and music joins me in
the hunt and it wasn't long until we had a car and we were headed for
Oklahoma here. The driver didn't understand a word of english, but he did
with the word Yokohoma. The road we traveled with the lab with armed
Japanese soldiers. Father we wrote. The colder there stairs seem to grow.
We're not wrong. And realizing that we had left every possibility of army
protection on the gamble. There is no one that shot at us Might be able to
find a radio transmitter that could be used to tell the United States that
the 11th Airborne Division had landed and the official occupation of
design the gun, fortunately there were no incidents. The wrong way. Who
was that? Several fans that are Japanese driver was always equally accused.
So we finally arrived in Yokohama, undoubtedly the first humanity
occupation reports at the end of the city. It took a lot of densities and
frequent references to our Japanese dictionary before we managed to locate
the Yokohama branch of Radio Tokyo. Eventually we succeeded. Hope really
hit the floor when we were politely cold. That's a typhoon of a few days
before. I have destroyed all of the landline. You out a lot. Knowing that
the noble transmitter on the battleship Iowa might be had just off the
coast of your Suzuki. Decide for that. Next We were traveling blind And it
seems like years before we met the marines of the 4th Marine Division who
will have come ashore at the Yokosuka at the same time the 11th airborne
landed and two. This gave us another first. The first correspondence to
see both the 11th airborne landing And the establishment of the 4th
marines beachhead at Yokosuka. We drew straws to see who would make the
final try it with the best of the Iowa and Chaplin one. It left me alone
with our Japanese driver and the long miles back to the strip. To make
matters even more quickly, my chauffeur decided to try a shortcut to miss
the Oklahoma. He took me through more alleyways and down more back streets
and roadways than I supposed to get Japanese on. Your navy men were
everywhere. All of them carried rifles, revolvers and those famous solid
eyes doors. But lucky for me that isn't even trying to use them. So we got
to like to do without a single mishap. Those Husky 11th Airborne closes
looks mighty good to me. After being out wait on them all north. I didn't
feel quite so guilty of having committed the foolhardy act. Remember the
number of the correspondents who braved a Tokyo under the same
circumstances. Later in the afternoon, the lure of a quick look at Tokyo
Car, mel muller of NBC and I in decline. It turned out to be the most
spine tingling experience of my lifetime. Our objective with Radio Tokyo
Found the Japanese Imperial Hotel 1st there we managed to pick up an
interpreter who consented to accompany us to the Radio Tokyo office. It
was agreed on the way, I would say with the car as a lookout and red would
explore the inner sanction of the socio broadcasting center. We found the
doorway to the building and on with two mean looking down right, our
interpreters barged into the quick explanation of the business and as we
started by, the guards fell in behind the follow. He didn't make it. He
ran back into a rifle barrel, barring the way, not a word was said. We all
managed to catch on improved hours before our guide. It was growing later
, about a minute. Neither this looks forward to moving on the streets of
Tokyo after dark. It would have been through a time. We have an idea.
You're about to leave when the leader was good. What looks like a whole
army of japanese made a ceremony is appearance at the doorway. Every
healing, the outfits click. Dad passed the attention those were staying.
And when the flourishes died down, mother was entered into the building,
looking very much like a prisoner of war or the folly of two guys with
more ambition than good sense. I'll never spend any more anxious minutes
violated the 100 and I did while waiting for right to return, trying to
figure out what I would do first. If anything happens, the sidewalk looks
like a more advantageous battleground in the inside of the car where I
couldn't see in every direction. So I tried to decide that I didn't feel
any better out there than I had in the car. My blood pressure stores.
Toward the briefing point. There was another flourished at the door and
red came out looking very red and beef steady. Let's get out of here. I
don't think either of the circle breasts when it doesn't rock some more
and then we've entered the look at each other, but we're the craziest two
guys in the world. I found out what we wanted to know what it's worth. The
decision was what arrangements have been completed. The landline to
Yokohama and that's gonna pop. That evening. We would start our statewide
reports from the Customs house in Yokohama by Radio Tokyo, which would by
then be in power controlled by General Macarthur's headquarters,
presenting at the appointed hour. We got down to business in a way that
wouldn't be used to you. Now, the same time I learned that the Yokohama
Yokosuka inventor in the morning has not been in vain. Bob chaplain in
Iowa completed in broadcasting a safe side report on our activities up to
the time we parted at Yokosuka. How do you know what I mean? When I saw my
first day in Japan was a super charged with serious, I'll tell you more in
my next broadcast by a radio Tokyo from General Macarthur's headquarters.