[Apollo 11 World Tour]

Directly from the Personal Collection of Apollo 11 Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin

A DETAILED SCHEDULE OF THE APOLLO 11 WORLD TOUR, INCLUDING BUZZ ALDRIN'S SPEECHES AND HANDWRITTEN NOTES

INCLUDED WITH MEDALS AND A BRONZE BESTOWED UPON HIM DURING THE WORLD TOUR

From late September to early November, 1969, the Apollo 11 astronauts and their wives (and a team of NASA and State Department staff) undertook a goodwill tour across six continents. This effort to emphasize the message on the Apollo 11 plaque – "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon, July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind” – was made at the request of the President of the United States. It is estimated that more than 100 million people saw Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins on their parade routes and in other venues. This binder has hundreds of pages of typed details for the astronauts, as well as notes Aldrin wrote during several of the stops. 

The first document is a three-page memo sent only to the three astronauts, describing the purpose of the trip (“... to support U.S. foreign policy, demonstrate U.S. willingness to share its knowledge of space, enhance American prestige in science and technology and to promote peaceful cooperation”). The duties of all the people on the trip are explained, and there is a paragraph reminding the astronauts that “as we discussed” a 12-15 minute silent film would be provided for presentations, during which the astronauts would narrate mission highlights. 

There is then a six-page “Advancers’ checklist” listing dozens of specific tasks that would be done in preparation for each visit: hotel reservations, arrangements for gift exchanges, security, providing material to local media, scheduling for astronaut wives, obtaining maps, etc. 

The final “introductory” document is the three-page itinerary, from the departure from Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, DC on Sept. 29 at 7:20 a.m.; to landing in Houston on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 11:20 p.m. (This would later be changed to the South Lawn of the White House, where President Nixon welcomed them back.)

The pages for the stops during the first two weeks of the trip (Mexico, South America, and some cities in Europe) are not present, probably having been removed during the trip to make room for upcoming legs. The binder is full of pages (between labeled tabs) for Brussels, London, Rome (including the Vatican), Belgrade, Ankara, Kinshasa, Tehran, Bombay (now Mumbai), Dacca, Bangkok, Sydney, Perth, Guam, Seoul, and Tokyo. 

The pages for each city include some or all of these: a candid summary of the country’s leaders, economy, space activities, etc.; the full text of speeches each astronaut would give; paragraphs about officials they would be meeting; a minute-by-minute schedule of activities; the hotel room assignments, and official Department of State Background Notes (less candid than the other write-up!)

Twice during the trip, Aldrin wrote in small papers what questions they were asked, and which astronaut answered. There is even the receipt from a Bangkok jewelry store mentioned in the passage about the tour in Aldrin’s memoir Return to Earth: “Johnny’s Gems is a discount jeweler who is famous in the military for the care he gives his customers and the honesty of his dealings. Joan had been given a moonstone in Dacca. Johnny designed and made a setting for it.” Later: “I hauled her back to Johnny’s and bought her a blue star sapphire ring set into white sapphires.”

Finally, behind the “Miscellaneous” tab, there is “General Information” (recommended wardrobe, shots, etc.); and organization tree of personnel; the projected weather for each city; pages of photos and biographies for the astronauts and their wives (and their entourage); a World Tour Itinerary; and a fold-out world map with the route carefully drawn with a black marker. 

With a collection of 10 medals and a bronze, and their accompaniments:

Belgian Order of Leopold. 1 3/4 inches in diameter, white enamel Maltese cross, crown lion at center, lettering "L'union Fait la Force" to outside, with crossed swords and crown suspension, suspended by purple silk ribbon with rosette. Original leatherette box, lid with royal Belgian cypher, interior of lid printed with maker, "S.A. Van Larebeke N.V./Rue Gray 102/Bruxelles."

Brazilian Air Force Order of Aeronautical Merit. 2 1/2 inches across, silver and enamel cross, suspended from blue and white ribbon. Accompanied by service ribbon and rosette. Original green presentation case.

Brazilian Order of Solidarity. Approx. 1 1/2 inches across, gilt metal and enamel Maltese cross with globe at center, lettered "Solidariedade" to outside of globe. Verso lettered, "Merito/Cultural" and "Ordem da Solidariedade," suspended from red, white, and green ribbon. Accompanied by miniature medal. In fitted case.

Brazilian Order of the Southern Cross. 3 inches in diameter, enameled white cross with silver outlining, laurel wreath, suspended from sky blue silk neck ribbon. Original green presentation case, maker's mark of "H. Stern, Brasil," to inside lid.

Iranian Lorestan [Luristan] Bronze. 2 inches in length, 1 1/8 inches in width, c. 10th-6th B.C.E., awarded to Buzz by the Prime Minister of Iran during his world tour. Original presentation case.

Iranian Order of the Crown. approx. 2 3/4 inches across, green and white enamel cross with silver outline, laurel wreath suspension, suspended from sky blue and gold ribbon. Original presentation case by maker, "Arthus Bertrand/Paris."

Italian Order of the Crown. 2 inches across, silver and white enamel cross, eagle at center, two rosette collar badges, suspended from red and white ribbon. Accompanied by miniature medal and rosettes. Original red leatherette case, lid with cypher for Victor Emanuel III.

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. White enameled silver neck medal (2 1/4 inches across) and breast star (3 inches across), with collar rosette. Neck medal suspended from green and red ribbon. Accompanied by rosette. Original green leatherette presentation case.

Japanese Order of Culture. approx. 3 inches across, 4 1/2 inches in height with laurel wreath suspension, enamel badge in form of a mandarin orange blossom to verso, recto with 4 kanji characters reading, in English, "Order of Culture," suspended from a purple ribbon. Accompanied by collar rosette. Original burgundy lacquer case.

Spanish Air Force Order of Merit. approx. 2 3/4 inches in diameter, pin back, gilt with white enamel cross over stylized gold sun rays. Original presentation case by maker, "F. Lar, Madrid."

Thai Order of the White Elephant. 2 inches in diameter, silver with red and green enamel medal, white elephant to center, collar badge, suspended on red, blue, yellow, and green ribbon, in original red velvet case, with Thai royal crest.

Note: for the miniature medal awarded with Italian Republic Order of Merit, and the ribbon to the miniature medal of the Thai Order of the White Elephant (medal missing), see Lot 59.

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