AUSTRALIAN INVOLVEMENT IN
THE VIETNAM WAR
1. Political, Ideological and Domestic Reasons.
There are many examples of Robert Menzies using the fear of
Communism to stay in power. Ideologically the west saw
capitalism and democracy as superior to communism.
Throughout the 1940’s and 50’s western governments
portrayed communism as a threat to civilisation. The tougher he
was on the reds and the more he exaggerated the red scare the
more likely he was to stay in power as a defender of Australian values. Examples include (see booklet) the Red Scare,
Reds Under the Bed, Petrov Affair, Attempt to Ban the Australian Communist Party. These actions made Menzies seem
strong and someone who would defend Australian and western interests. More importantly the stance on Vietnam
further highlighted his commitment to defend democracies at all costs.
TASK 1
Research Reds Under the Bed, the Petrov Affair and the attempt to Ban the Australian Communist Party. (See Booklet
and complete the activities)
2. Forward Defence
The involvement of Australian forces in Vietnam was a gradual process of an escalating commitment which took place
over a period of several years against a background of Cold War concerns with regional security and fear of Communist
expansion. The cornerstone of Australian defence planning in the early 1960s was 'forward defence', a concept which
basically meant that it was better to fight the enemy abroad rather than wait on them landing on Australian Shores.
In Vietnam the idea was that the north Vietnamese had to be defeated before they and others potentially reached
Australia.
TASK 2
Read the following Article
https://www.defenceconnect.com.au/key-enablers/3820-forward-defence-and-australia-s-post-war-role-inregional-security
Create a mind map of Australian involvement in regional confrontations and defence policies.
3. Containment and the Domino Theory.
The policy of containment was initiated by Truman and the western allies including Britain and Australia. The concern
was that Communism had resulted in Eastern Europe falling to the Communists and it was continuing to spread across
the world. Stalin had established a buffer zone across the European continent to prevent another invasion. North
Korea was established as a communist state in 1945, China became communist in 1949. North Vietnam established
itself as a communist state in 1954. When the Korean war broke out a multi-national force managed to force the
Koreans (along with the Chinese) back towards the border. The war was successful in pushing back or “containing”
communism. Containment was the principle that democratic nations must be protected from communist insurgencies
via economic and military support. When the North Vietnamese (Viet Minh) started a guerrilla campaign to overthrow
the South it was reckoned by the Western powers that the North Vietnamese could be easily defeated in the same
way as North Korea. Australian forces, were of course, part of an American alliance and, as such, Menzies wanted to
show his commitment to this.
TASK 3
Research the following A) How many communist countries existed by 1951? B) What was the Marshall Plan and how
did this help to prevent the spread of Communism?
4. Ties to the USA
The close co-operation between the USA and Australia continued after WW2. In 1951 Australia, New Zealand and the
US signed the ANZUS treaty, a military alliance developed largely in response to Cold War threats, such as the rise of
communist China. Under the terms of ANZUS, if one of the three signatories was attacked by a foreign power, the
others were required to assist. The Australian government was aware of our Geographic vulnerability essentially a
small population surrounded by “potentially hostile” nations and a massive coastline to protect. By assisting the
Americans and fighting side by side US troops Menzies argued that we were in effect solidifying the alliance and
guaranteeing US support if Australia was ever invaded.
TASK 4
Research the ANZUS Pact and how this may have contributed to Australia’s role in the Vietnam War.
5. Parliament Misled?
On 29 April 1965, Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies announced that the government had received a request
for further military assistance from South Vietnam. "We have decided...in close consultation with the Government of
the United States—to provide an infantry battalion for service in Vietnam." He argued that a communist victory in
South Vietnam would be a direct military threat to Australia. "It must be seen as part of a thrust by Communist China
between the Indian and Pacific Oceans" he added.
The question of whether a formal request was made by the South Vietnamese government at that time has been
disputed. Although the South Vietnamese Prime Minister, Trần Văn Hương, made a request in December 1964.
Hương's replacement, Phan Huy Quát, had to be "coerced into accepting an Australian battalion", and stopped short
of formally requesting the commitment in writing, simply sending an acceptance of the offer to Canberra, the day
before Menzies announced it to the Australian parliament.
In that regard, it has been argued that the decision was made by the Australian government, against advice of the
Department of Defence, to coincide with the commitment of US combat troops earlier in the year, and that the
decision would have been made regardless of the wishes of the South Vietnamese government. The question is why?
Whatever the reasons, in April 1965, Menzies announced the dispatch of the first Australian combat troops to Vietnam.
Opinion polling suggested a significant majority of Australians supported this decision.
TASK 5
https://theconversation.com/fifty-years-ago-today-menzies-call-on-vietnam-changed-australias-course-40590
Read the article above in pairs – make notes on the controversy surrounding the decision to send in troops.
SUMMARY
1. Australian society and politics were affected by Cold War paranoia. Australians feared infiltration of unions and
political parties by communists, as well as communist expansion in Asia.
2.
Closer ties with the US were established in the 1950s. The Menzies government signed the ANZUS treaty, joined
SEATO and provided financial aid and support to South Vietnam.
3.
Australia sent a contingent of military trainers to Vietnam in 1962. In 1964 Canberra introduced conscription to
increase its defence force. Australian combat troops were sent to Vietnam in 1965.
4. 4. Australia’s commitment to Vietnam remained relatively small, with around 60,000 soldiers serving there
during the conflict. Australian troops were mostly based in the southern province of Phuoc Tuy.