Australia, New Zealand, the United States: ANZUS and the Defense of Southeast Asia
1. Memorandum From Secretary of State Rusk to President Johnson
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 7 AUSTL. Secret. Drafted by Thrasher, Paul M. Miller of SPA, and Conlon. Cleared by Cuthell, William Bundy, George Roberts of S/VN. Topic 5 cleared in draft by Lieutenant General Fred M. Dean, Assistant Director for Weapons Evaluation and Control, U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, and topic 4 in draft by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, Jerome Jacobson.
2. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL AUSTL–US. Secret. Drafted by William Bundy on July 16 and approved by the White House July 17. According to the Presidentʼs Daily Diary, the meeting lasted from 12:44 to 1:01 p.m. (Johnson Library) A note on the White House copy of this memorandum indicates that it had “not been cleared personally by the President.” (Ibid., National Security File, Country File, Australia, Vol. I, 11/63–12/65) The Department of State sent the White House a briefing paper for this meeting with Hasluck, who was in Washington for the ANZUS Council meetings, July 17–18. The primary purpose of the meeting, according to the briefing paper, was for Hasluck to make the Presidentʼs acquaintance. (Memorandum from Read to McGeorge Bundy, July 14; Department of State, Central Files, POL 7 AUSTL)
4. Scope Paper Prepared for the ANZUS Council Meeting
Source: Department of State, S/S-Conference Files: Lot 66 D 347, CF 2530. Secret. Drafted by Conlon on June 14 and cleared by William Bundy and Rusk.
5. Paper Prepared by the Bureau of East Asian Affairs
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 7 AUSTL. Secret. Drafted by Conlon, cleared in draft by John B. Dexter, Officer-in-Charge of the Republic of China Affairs, Philip W. Manhard, Regional Planning Adviser, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political Military Affairs, Jeffrey C. Kitchen. This paper was sent as Tab A (there were seven other tabs) to Secretary Rusk in anticipation of a meeting with Hasluck during the ANZUS Council Meeting in Washington, June 28. Following the meeting on June 28, the ANZUS Foreign Ministers released a communiqué which is printed in Department of State Bulletin, July 19, 1965, pp. 135–136.
6. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, New Zealand, Memos, 11/63–11/68. Secret. Drafted by William Bundy. The meeting was held at the White House.
7. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Australia
Source: Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 66 D 347, CF 2529. Secret; Priority. Drafted by Robert J. Morris (SPA/E) and Conlon and cleared by Cuthell and William Bundy. Also sent to Wellington and repeated to CINCPAC for POLAD. Conlon and Morris also prepared extensive notes of the ANZUS meeting. (Ibid., Central Files, DEF 4 ANZUS)
8. Memorandum From the Presidentʼs Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Australia, Vol. I, 11/63–12/65. Top Secret.
9. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 1 ASIA SE. Secret;Exdis. Drafted by McReynolds on October 25 and approved in S on October 29.
10. Telegram From the Ambassador at Large (Harriman) to President Johnson and Secretary Rusk
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Memos to the President, McGeorge Bundy, Vol. VIII. Secret;Exdis; Pinta. Text is from telegram 508 from Canberra, January 12. (Department of State, Central Files, POL 7 US/HARRIMAN) Harriman was one of the high-level administration officials sent by the President to seek support for U.S. policy in Vietnam and seek a negotiated settlement. Harriman left Washington on December 29, 1965, visiting Yugoslavia, India, Pakistan, Iran, United Arab Republic, Thailand, Japan, Australia, South Vietnam, and the Philippines. He returned to Washington on January 18.
11. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Secret. Drafted by Conlon on March 7 and approved by S on March 14.
12. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Central Files, DEF 1–1 ASIA SE. Secret; Exdis. Drafted by Conlon and approved in S on April 26. This memorandum was Part I of III covering the entire conversation which, according to Ruskʼs Appointment Book, lasted until 1 p.m. (Johnson Library) The other parts concerned the situations in Vietnam and China. (Telegram 853 to Canberra; April 12; Department of State, Central Files, POL AUSTL–US)
13. Memorandum for the Record
Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OASD/ISA Files: FRC 70 A 6648, Australian 333, January 1966. Secret. Drafted on April 18 by McNaughton who also approved it.
14. Telegram From Secretary of State Rusk to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 VIET S. Secret; Nodis. No time of transmission is on the source text. Rusk was attending the SEATO and ANZUS Council meetings, June 27–29 and June 30–July 1 respectively, at Canberra. A fuller account of this discussion is in Secto 35 from Canberra, June 29. (Ibid., POL AUSTL–US) Both this telegram and Secto 35 were retyped in the White House for the President.
15. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OASD/ISA Files; FRC 70 A 6648, Australia 333, Jan. ʼ66. Secret. Drafted by James K. Pont and approved by McNaughton on July 7. The meeting was held in McNamaraʼs office.
17. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 67 D 305, CF 57. Top Secret; Exdis. There was no indication on the source text who drafted it, but it was approved in S on July 28. The same group met the morning of June 30. That discussion related to the general situation in the Pacific, China, the British presence in Southeast Asia, the trends towards a regional grouping of non-Communist Asian states, and Vietnam. (Ibid.)
19. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Australia, Vol. II, Memos, 1/66–7/67. Secret. There is no drafter indicated, but Jorden of the White House approved this memorandum on November 23. The meeting was held in the Cabinet Room at Parliament House. President Johnson was on a trip to Asia and the Pacific, October 17–November 2. He visited Australia October 20–23. The centerpiece of the Asian visit was the meeting in Manila, October 24–25, with those allies who contributed troops to the conflict in South Vietnam. Extensive briefing papers prepared for this trip are ibid., International Meetings and Travel, Asia. There is also a history prepared by the NSC on the Manila Conference, which contains summaries and copies of documents on the Presidentʼs discussions in Canberra and his related talks in Wellington, October 20–21, see ibid., NSC Histories, Manila Conference.
20. Telegram From the Embassy in Australia to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, DEF 6 AUSTL. Secret; Priority; Exdis. Repeated priority to Kuala Lumpur and Saigon. On the White House copy of this telegram there is an indication that the President saw it. (Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Australia, Vol. II, Cables 1/66–7/67)
21. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL FAR E–UK. Secret; Nodis. Drafted by Berger. This discussion was the quadripartite talks that took place after the SEATO Council Meeting, April 18–20, and before the ANZUS meeting, April 21–22, both held in Washington.
22. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Central Files, DEF 4 ANZUS. Secret; Exdis. Drafted by William Bundy and approved in S on April 27. This was the first of four memoranda of conversation covering this session of the ANZUS Council meeting. Part two, which dealt with Cambodia, is printed as Document 204; part three was about Vietnam and is in the Department of State, Central Files, DEF 4 ANZUS; part four concerned miscellaneous topics—the United Nations, the Philippines, and Northeast Thailand. A complete copy is ibid., Conference Files: Lot 67 D 586, CF 169, which also contains additional records on the ANZUS Council meetings.
23. Memorandum From the Presidentʼs Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Australia, Visits of Prime Minister Holt, June 12 and June 17–19, 1966. Secret. The Department of State sent the President a May 29 briefing memorandum for the Holt meeting. (Department of State, Central Files, POL 7 AUSTL) Read also sent Rostow a May 24 memorandum that reported on John J. McCloyʼs visit to Canberra and his discussions with Holt. According to this memorandum, Holt was most concerned with British withdrawals from Singapore and Malaysia and the failure of the United States to make exceptions to the equalization tax as applied to Australia. (Ibid.)
24. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (Bundy) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Australia, Visits of Prime Minister Holt, June 1–2 and 17–19, 1967. Secret.
25. Memorandum From the Presidentʼs Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Australia, Visits of Prime Minister Holt, June 1–2 and 17–19, 1967. Secret. There is an indication on the source text that the President saw it.
26. Letter From President Johnson to Prime Minister Holt
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 7 AUSTL. No classification marking appears on the source text, which was the signed copy of this letter, but when it was sent as a telegram to Canberra it was classified Secret. (Ibid., POL AUSTL–US) This letter was drafted by William M. Shumate of AID and cleared by Bundy, Barnett, and in draft with John C. Coleman, Director of the Office of International Monetary Affairs, and Julius L. Katz, Director of the Office of International Commodities, both of the Bureau of Economic Affairs, Department of State. It was sent to Rostow by Read under cover of a July 10 memorandum.
27. Memorandum From the Presidentʼs Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson
Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Australia, Vol. III, Memos, 8/67–1/69. Secret.
28. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Australia
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL AUSTL–US. Secret; Immediate; Exdis. The text of this message was received from the White House.
29. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL AUSTL–US. Secret; Exdis. Drafted by William Bundy and cleared by John P. Walsh, Deputy Executive Secretary, on October 12. Hasluck was attending the UN General Assembly session in New York and visited Washington from there.
30. Memorandum of Conversation
Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OASD/ISA Files: FRC 71 A 4546, Australia, 333. Secret; Exdis. Drafted by Nuechterlein on October 26 and approved by Warnke on October 23. The meeting was held in McNamaraʼs office.