COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA
SPEECH By
* The Rt. Hon. SIR ROBERT MENZIES,
M. P.,
ON
VIETNAM
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
[ From the " Parliamentary Debates," 29uth A pril' 19651
Sir ROBERTI MENZIES ( Kooyong-
Prime Minister).-by leave-The House in
recent weeks has conducted an important
debate on foreign affairs in which the situation
in Vietnam was fully and anxiously discussed.
My colleague, the Minister for
* External Affairs ( Mr. Hasluck) devoted a
large part of his statement to Vietnam, explaining
developments there and the critical
significance of those developments for South
and South East Asia as a whole. Nor of
course do the implications end with South
and South East Asia. Whether an externally
directed Communist guerrilla subversion is
to succeed or fail has world wide consequence.
It has particular consequence for
Australia. In the first half of 1962 the Government
decided, following Upon a request from the
Government Of South Vietnam, that AuIstralia
should contribute militarily to the
defence of South Vietnamn. We sent at that
time a group of some 30 military instructors
to provide military training assistance. Since
then additional military aid has been provided.
The strength of the Army training
team was, in the first place, doubled, and
later still-comparatively recently-increased
to 100. A flight of six CaribouI
transport aircraft has been provided. We
have progressively increased our programme
of economic aid to South Vietnam
5040/ 65. so that it now runs at the rate of about
fLI million a year. A devoted body of ALIStralian
experts is at present at work in different
parts of South Vietnam, experts in
agriculture and the like. In addition to Australia
and the United States, some thirty
other countries are providing assistance or
have undertaken to do so in the military
or non-military aid fields. This includes
assistance from a significant and important
group of Asian countries, including the
Philippines, Malaysia, Japan, Thailand, and
the Republic of Korea, who are contrihuting
either economic or military aid.
The Australian Government is now ill
receipt of a request from the Government
of' South Vietnam for further military assistance.
We have decided-and this has been
after close consultation with the Government
of the United States-to provide an
infantry battalion for service in South Vietnarn.
In case there is any misunderstanding,
I think I should say, Sir, that we decided
in principle somic time ago-weeks and
weeks ago-that We would be willing to
do this if we received the necessary request
from the Government of South Vietnam
and the necessary collaboration with the
United States. This is not to he regarded as
something that has suddenly arisen Outt of
more recent events.
There can be no doubt of the gravity
of the situation in South Vietnam. There
is ample evidence to show that with the
support of the North Vietnamese regime
and other Communist powers, the Vietcong
has been preparing on a more substantial
scale than hitherto insurgency action
designed to destroy South Vietnamese
Government control, and to disrupt by
violence the life of the local people. The
rate of infiltration of guerrillas from North
Vietnam has been increasing and last year
rose to some 10,000. The infiltration of a
battalion of the North Vietnamese regular
Army has recently been confirmed.
We have not of course come to this
decision without the closest attention to the
question of defence priorities. We do not
and must not overlook the point that our
alliances, as well as providing guarantees
and assurances for our security, make demands
upon us. We have commitments to
Malaysia which we are meeting. We have to
bear in mind, and make preparations against,
the possibility of other developments in the
region which could make demands on our
Australian defence capacity.
Assessing all this, it is our judgment that
the decision to commit a battalion in South
Vietnam represents the most useful additional
contribution which we can make to
the defence of the region at this time. The
takeover of South Vietnam would be a direct
military threat to Australia and all the
countries of South and South East Asia. It
must be seen as part of a thrust by Communist
China between the Indian and Pacific
Oceans. The task of holding the situation in
South Vietnam and restraining the North
Vietnamese is formidable. But we are conscious
of the magnitude of the effort being
made by the Government and people of
South Vietnam in their own defence. In
recent months the United States has taken
historic decisions to extend further military
assistance to South Vietnam. South Korea
has also committed substantial forces.
We have noted and welcomed the attempts
to open the way to agreement which
have been made, so far unsuccessfully, by
President Johnson and by the Prime Minister
of Britain through his representative, Mr.
Gordon Walker. We also welcome President
Johnson's proposals for a wide-ranging
economic programme. We will certainly continue
to play our part in the economic
development of the region. I make it clear that the Government has
no desire to have Australian forces in Vietnam
any longer than is necessary to ensure
the security of South Vietnam. In terms,
that is practically what President Johnson
said quite recently about the presence of
American forces in Vietnam. We and our
allies are not seeking to take over North*
Vietnam. The North Vietnamese must not
take over South Vietnam by armed force
or subversion.
Let me add one item to my statement.
Arguments have been going on for sonimc
time, publicly and privately, about this
matter. Some attempt has been made
occasionally-I do not think in this House
-to suggest that we are in some way at
odds with the United States on this question.
Therefore, I am happy to tell the House
that today I received from the President
of the United States of America a message
which I have his full authority to make
public. Mr. Jamnes.-Oh!
Sir ROBERT MENZIFS.-Yes, I am
like that. 1 never publish a message without
having full authority to make it public.
Therefore, the honorable gentleman may
he interested to hear it. I do not assume for
a moment that he will like it, but I think
he ought to hear it. It is in these terms-Am
Dear Mr. Prime Minister: I amn delighted at
the decision of your Government to provide : I
infantry battalion for service in South Vietnam
at the request of the Government of South
Vietnam. This action simply underscores the full co-opcration
and understanding that has existed between
our two Governments, and between both and the
Government of South Vietnam, in assisting South
Vietnam to maintain its independence. Like you,
we have no desire to maintain military forces in
Vietnam any longer than necessary to ensure the
security of South Vietnam. But we share your
belief that we must both respond to the needs
brought about by the aggression being carried on
from North Vietnam.
More broadly, this action proves again the
deep ties between our two countries in the cause
of world peace and security. As you know, my
personal experiences in association with Australians
during World War II have made this
a particularly deep and abiding feeling for me.
I am confident that our two nations, working
together, can continue to make great contributions
to checking the spread of aggression and to
bringing about the peace that South Vietnam and
South-East Asia deserve. Sincerely yours,
Lyndon B. Johnson. w
BY AUTHORITY: ARTHIIUR, COMMONWAI. T11 C( OVERNMENT PRINTER. CANBERRA.