Standing from left to right are John D. Home (Department of Communications of the American Legion), Howard Hughes (Managing Director of Production of RKO), and Edward Underwood (Department of Communications of Hollywood American Legion Motion Picture Post #43), in the late 1950s.
Description given with photo: "Surprise To Everyone - San Pedro, Calif. : Millionaire planemaker Howard Hughes is surrounded by members of the press after successfully taking his 200-ton flying boat into the air in a surprise flight during initial taxi tests in Los Angeles harbor. Credit (ACME) 11/5/47."
Description printed on photograph's accompanying sheet of paper: "Gen. view parade: As globe fliers braved Broadway blizzard, New York. Although they didn't encounter a single snowflake on their roaring dash across Siberia, Howard Hughes and his four-man crew met a regular blizzard (of Broadway ticker tape) today as New York paid them homage as only New York know how. This is a view of the scene as the triumphal procession proceeded from the Battery to City Call. In the car are (left to right) Grover Whalen, President of the New York World's Fair, Howard Hughes and Al Lodwick, his press representative. (w) 7-15-38.30."