P. M. No. 106/ 1966
The delegation to accompany me to the Manila Conference on Viet Nam has now been arranged.
It will include the Minister for External Affairs, Mr. Paul Hasluck, the Minister for Defence, Mr. Allen Fairhall, the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, Lieutenant -General Sir John Wilton, and senior
officers of the Prime Minister's, External Affairs and Defence Departments and The Treasury.
Together with the necessary secretarial backing, there will be some 20 people in the Australian party. For a number of practical reasons, including lack of available accommodation on regular flights, it
has been decided to take advantage of an arrangement offered on satisfactory terms by Qantas for the charter of a jet aircraft for the journey to and from Manila. Seating will be made available to the New Zealand Prime Minister, Mr. Holyoake and his official party and also to a number of representatives of Australian press, radio and television who are arranging to go to Manila for the Conference.
The charter flight is so scheduled as to permit me to remain in Australia until the end of the visit by President Johnson and the arrangement will also enable me to leave for Australia immediately the conference ends. Another advantage is that all members of the party will be able to arrive as a delegation instead of arriving and being received in Manila in separate groups over a number of days.
We shall leave Sydney on the morning of Sunday, 23rd October. The aircraft will arrive in Manila late in the same day in time for such pre-conference administrative and other meetings as may be necessary. By leaving promptly at the end of the conference, I expect to be back in Canberra for the closing days of the Parliament.
The Australian delegation:
The Prime Minister, the Right Honourable H. E. Holt, M. P.
The Minister for External Affairs, the Right Honourable Paul Hasluck, MP.
The Minister for Defence, the Honourable Allen Fairhall, M. P.
Lieutenant -General Sir John Wilton, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.
Sir John Bunting, C. B. Secretary, Prime Minister's Department.
Sir Edwin Hicks, C. B. Secretary, Department of Defence.
His Excellency Mr. J. K. Waller, C. B. Australian Ambassador to the United States.
Mr. G. A. Jockel, 0. B. First Assistant Secretary, Department of External Affairs.
Dr. R. J. Whitelaw, First Assistant Secretary, Department of The Treasury.
His Excellency Mr. F. H. Stuart, Australian Ambassador to the Philippines.
His Excellency Mr. L. H. Border, Australian Ambassador to the Republic of Viet Nam.
Mr. H. D. Anderson, Assistant Secretary, South-East Asia Branch, Department of External Affairs.
Mr. A. T. Griffith, Assistant Secretary, Defence and External Relations Branch, Prime Minister's Department.
Mr. J. L. Allen, Delegation Secretary, Department of External Affairs.
CANBERRA,
12th October, 1966.