Sunday, January 10, 2027: 9:20 AM
Galerie 6 (New Orleans Marriott)
In 1966, Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt told the press he was “All the way with LBJ”
during his first state visit to the United States. This set off a minor controversy in his native
Australia, but Holt was working an angle that he hoped would be beneficial to Australia –
courting the United States as the most important partner in international defense. Australia
became one of the key American allies in the Vietnam War, sending several battalions of
troops to fight alongside their American counterparts. Holt also worked hard to develop an
interpersonal relationship with President Johnson, culminating in the first ever state visit to
Australia by a sitting President in October, 1966.
This paper posits that Holt, while controversial in his foreign policy and support for the war,
succeeded in securing American backing and support at an integral moment for Australia –
as the United Kingdom began to withdraw military support east of the Suez Canal in the late
1960s, Australia was exposed and needed security guarantees from international partners.
In return, President Johnson gained invaluable public relations victories for a war which was
quickly becoming deeply unpopular in the United States. This mutually beneficial
relationship did not last long – Holt was in office for less than two years before his untimely
death in December 1967 – but allyship in Vietnam had repercussions for Australian American
relations right through to the present day’s AUKUS treaties.
during his first state visit to the United States. This set off a minor controversy in his native
Australia, but Holt was working an angle that he hoped would be beneficial to Australia –
courting the United States as the most important partner in international defense. Australia
became one of the key American allies in the Vietnam War, sending several battalions of
troops to fight alongside their American counterparts. Holt also worked hard to develop an
interpersonal relationship with President Johnson, culminating in the first ever state visit to
Australia by a sitting President in October, 1966.
This paper posits that Holt, while controversial in his foreign policy and support for the war,
succeeded in securing American backing and support at an integral moment for Australia –
as the United Kingdom began to withdraw military support east of the Suez Canal in the late
1960s, Australia was exposed and needed security guarantees from international partners.
In return, President Johnson gained invaluable public relations victories for a war which was
quickly becoming deeply unpopular in the United States. This mutually beneficial
relationship did not last long – Holt was in office for less than two years before his untimely
death in December 1967 – but allyship in Vietnam had repercussions for Australian American
relations right through to the present day’s AUKUS treaties.