Also in 1956, on April 25, only 11 years after the U.S. was involved in major war with Japan in the South Pacific, five years after the Communists took over mainland China, and four years after the U.S. involvement in war with North Korea, Barnett and the 92-member Los Angeles Philharmonic began a 60-concert nine-week goodwill tour the free Far East under the sponsorship of the State Department and the American National Theater and Academy. Uncommon during the time, it was the first major orchestra in the Western United States chosen for an international cultural exchange program with the Orient. The orchestra was given a VIP sendoff by Jack Benny, Jane Powell, Arthur Rubinstein, and Gregor Piatigorsky, and boarded two propeller planes which needed refueling in Honolulu and Wake Island, arriving in Tokyo after two long days of flight over the Pacific Ocean. Thereafter, two-engine CATs and military aircraft provided transportation for the Orchestra to the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Okinawa, Korea, and finally back to Japan for an eleven-city tour. The Orchestra’s concerts would eventually be heard by over 250,000 people during the course of its tour.