QUEENSLAND BROADCAST NO. 4 2? c2
( SUNDAY 13 APRIL 1975) INDO-CHINA
THE TRAGEDY OF INDO-CHINA WHI6+ AS BEEN GOING
ON NOW FOR 30 YEARS ONCE AGAIN DOMINATES THE HEADLINES.
OUR TELEVISION SCREENS AND THE DEBATE IN PARLIAMENTX
FOR THE PAST TEN YEARS AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTERS HAVE
HAD TO REPORT TO PARLIAMENT ABOUT AUSTRALIAN ACTIONS IN
VIETNAMX I AM THE FIFTH AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER TO
DO SO& LAST WEEK, HOWEVER, THERE WAS A DIFFERENCE IN
MY POSITION FROM THAT OF MY FOUR PREDECESSORS THE
AUSTRALIAN ACTIONS I HAD TO TALK ABOUT, INCLUDING ACTIONS
BY MEMBERS OF THE AUSTRALIAN ARMED SERVICES, WERE SOLELY
HUMANITARIAN AND HAD TO DO WITH EFFORTS TO END THE
FIGHTING, TO REDUCE SUFFERING) IT IS A VERY REGRETTABLE
THING THAT THE 30 YEARS OF SUFFERING BY THE PEOPLE OF
INDO-CHINA SHOULD STILL BE SEEN BY SOME AS A MEANS OF
EXTRACTING POLITICAL CAPITAL AND POLITICAL ADVANTAGE)
FOR INSTANCE, THERE HAS BEEN A PRETTY PATHETIC ATTEMPT
TO CRITICISE AUSTRALIA'S ROLE IN EVACUATION EFFORTS IN
SOUTH VIETNAMX THE BEST ANSWER TO OUR CRITICS HAS COME
FROM OUR AMERICAN FRIENDS) THE UNITED STATES COMMANDER
IN CHIEF IN THE PACIFIC AREA, ADMIRAL NOEL GAYLER, SENT
ME THIS MESSAGE ON 2 APRIL:
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" PLEASE ACCEPT MY WARM APPRECIATION AND DEEP
ADMIRATION FOR YOUR HELP TO EVACUATE THE
MANY DESPERATE REFUGEES FROM DANANG,
AUSTRALIA CAN TAKE GREAT PRIDE IN THE
RAPID DECISION TO MEET AN ABSOLUTELY
ESSENTIAL HUMANITARIAN REQUIREMENT.
WARMEST RESPECT. ( SIGNED) ADMIRAL NOEL
GAYLER, UNITED STATES COMMANDER IN CHIEF PACIFIC."
AND THE AMERICAN AMBASSADOR, MR MARSHALL GREEN, LAST WEEK
PERSONALLY THANKED US FOR THE " GREAT SHOW" PERFORMED BY
AUSTRALIAN PERSONNEL IN HUMANITARIAN WORK IN VIETNAMX
A'MORE SERIOUS EFFORT TO USE THE VIETNAM TRAGEDY AS
A POLITICAL FOOTBALL COMES WITH TH+ ETTEMPT AT SOWING SEEDS
OF NEW FEAR AND NEW DIVISIONS IN THE AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY)
WHATEVER ONE MAY THINK ABOUT THE SITUATION IN VIETNAM,
WHATEVER ONE'S VIEW OF ITS ORIGINS AND THE RIGHTS AND
WRONGS OF FOREIGN INTERVENTION IN THE WAR, THE FACT IS THAT
VIETNAM HAS NEVER BEEN A QUESTION AFFECTING THE BASIC
SECURITY OF EITHER AUSTRALIA OR THE UNITED STATESg
AUSTRALIA'S SECURITY AND LONG TERM INTERESTS ARE NOT
AFFECTED BY THE POLITICAL COLOUR OF THE RULERS IN SAIGONX
2( A)
IT WAS THAT FALSE VIEW WHICH MISLED THE UNITED
STATES AND SUBSEQUENTLY AUSTRALIA, INTO ITS INDO-CHINA
INTERVENTIONX IN THOSE YEARS WE HEARD THE STORY THAT
WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN VIETNAM WAS PART OF CHINA'S
ALLEGED DOWNWARD THRUST BETWEEN THE PACIFIC AND THE
INDIAN OCEANX, I DON'T THINK ANYBODY WOULD AGREE WITH
THAT VIEW TODAY)( CERTAINLY IN LAST WEEK'IS DEBATE IN
PARLIAMENT NOBODY DARED TO REVIVE ITX IN FACT, THE
SUPPORT GIVEN To NORTH VIETNAM HAS COME NOT SO MUCH FROM
CHINA BUT FROM THE SOVIET UNIONX IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A
MISTAKE TO REGARD EVERY COMMUNIST GOVERNMENT AS PART OF
A MONOLITHIC BLOC ACTING IN UNISON, SPEAK ING WITH ONE
VOICEK THE WORLD IS NOT AS SIMPLE AS THAT, IT NEVER HAS
BEENK, THESE OVER-SIMPLIFIED VIEWS THE DOWNWARD THRUST,
THE DOMINO THEORY HAVE LONG BEEN DISCREDITEDX -THE
PRIME MINISTER OF SINGAPORE HAS RIGHTLY DISMISSED THE
DOMINO THEORY AS " tOLD HASH" K WE DON'T HELP AUSTRALIA'S
CAUSE, WE DON'IT MAKE AUSTRALIA STRONG OR SECURE BY RETURNING
TO OLD FALSEHOODS AND OLD MISLEADING MYTHSA OUR REAL
INTERESTS AND OUR REAL STRENGTH LIE IN A CALM EXAMINATION
OF THE REAL SITUATION)( m v 3/ s
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OUR STRENGTH, OUR SECURITY REST ON FACTORS AND
RELATIONSHIPS ULTIMATELY UNCHANGED BY EVENTS IN INDO-CHINAX
THE REALLY IMPORTANT RELATIONS ARE THOSE WHICH HAVE BEEN
DEVELOPED BY THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT SINCE DECEMBER 1972
OUR RELATIONS WITH OUR CLOSEST AND LARGEST NEIGHBOUR
INDONESIA, OUR RELATIONS WITH OUR GREATEST TRADING PARTNER
JAPAN, OUR RELATIONS WITH CHINA, OUR ACTIVE SUPPORT FOR
DEVELOPMENT OF CO-OPERATION BETWEEN ASEAN MEMBERS, OUR
EFFORTS TO ENSURE THAT THE INDIAN OCEAN DOES NOT BECOME THE
NEXT AREA OF CONFRONTATION BETWEEN THE SUPER-POWERSZ(
ABOVE ALL, AUSTRALIA'S SECURITY, AS WITH THE PEACE OF THE
WORLD, RESTS ULTIMATELY UPON MAKING THE DETENTE BETWEEN
THE UNITED STATES AND THE SOVIET UNION A SUCCESS AND WITH
ASSOCIATING CHINA IN A WIDER DETENTE) THESE ARE THE
GREAT RELATIONSHIPS AND THE GREAT FACTORS WHICH DETERMINE
THE SECURITY OF AUSTRALIAX THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT HS
BEEN UNREMITTING IN ITS EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN THOSE
RELATIONSHIPS( OUR SUCCESS IN DOING SO IS THE REAL
GUARANTEE OF AUSTRALIA'S LONG-TERM SECURITY)
END