‘Operation Screwball'

The Adventures of R. E. Johnson

THE story of Ronald Ernest Johnson, and “Operation Screwball,” was pub lished in PIM in March, 1948. It stated that Johnson took his yacht “Thel ma” from New Zealand to Tahiti; pro ceeded to Honolulu; sold the yacht; bought an engine-less submarine-chaser; and eventually, by a series of extraordin ary adventures, got it to Suva.

The story presented Mr. Johnson as something of a hero; and it appeared that all these events occurred after World War 11. We now have the following note from an official source: R. E. Johnson and companion sailed on the yacht “Thelma” from New Zealand to Papeete, arriving early in 1942. They had thus escaped military service. Mr.

Johnson said he was a conscientious ob jector. The two men were returned to New Zealand, where Mr. Johnson under went imprisonment for five years; his companion was given the option of serving, which he did. Mr. Johnson returned to Papeete in 1946 to take possession of his yacht “Thelma,” which had, in the mean time, been taken over by the French Marine; and he then continued on his way to Honolulu.