White House Tapes . Presidential Recordings Program

To coincide with Australia Day (26 January), we have released some new transcripts related to U.S.-Australian relations.

This collection includes a rare recording of a private long-distance between world leaders. Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt called President Johnson shortly after LBJ's visit to the region and just over a year before Holt himself mysteriously disappeared while swimming off a beach in southern Australia.

Other recordings include President Nixon reflecting on gender and foreign relations and LBJ's conversations touching on topics such as Australian elections, the alliances of the Vietnam War, and trade.

"You've got some dandy. You look like a movie star."

Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt called LBJ to wish him well on his impending operation and to follow-up on LBJ's recent visit to Australia, the first official visit by a sitting U.S. President to Australia. Holt and Johnson had first met in 1942 in Melbourne when Johnson was stationed in the region. About five months before this call, Holt had earned notoriety in Australia when, while lunching at the White House, he committed Australia to go "all the way with LBJ" in Vietnam.

"The guys that went down there in World War II said that they [New Zealand women] were easier than the Australians."

Nixon reflects on foreign relations and gender. "The guys that went down there in World War II said that they [New Zealand women] were easier than the Australians. They’re easy."

"Holt said that he didn't want it any closer to his election."

LBJ and Robert McNamara^∇ discuss the timing of conference in the Philippines in the context of the upcoming Australian and New Zealand elections.

"He caused the Australians, literally, to back down."

Nixon and Chuck Colson^∇ discuss Australian protests about and criticism of the Christmas Bombing campaign in Vietnam.

"There is to be no informing of allies with regard to the Tuesday night thing, like Australia. Is that clear?"

Nixon instructs Henry Kissinger^∇ not to give the Australians and New Zealanders advance warning of the Vietnam peace deal announcement.

"And Australia is sold out to China always and we're just sitting there with the cup in our hands and we give more each year."

With a food shortage crisis in India, Johnson expresses frustration that the burden for foreign aid falls on the United States when Canada and Australia are reluctant to use their own food surpluses to help.

"And Australia and New Zealand are already diverting their shippers to the English market because it's--they get more for it there then they do here."

LBJ and Senator Clinton Anderson discuss ways to obstruct the passage of protectionist meat import legislation in the Senate.

"Goddammit, haven't you got enough sense to know that Australia's not voting in this country?"

With an election looming, Johnson tries to find a way to respond to the growing political issue of meat import quotas while also placate the Australian Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies.

"The Australians and New Zealanders were tickled to death when I talked to them last night."

LBJ and Deputy Secretary of State George Ball discuss legislation curbing the importing of beef and lamb. 

David Coleman is Chair of the Presidential Recordings Program and co-author of Joseph M. Siracusa and David G. Coleman, Australia Looks to America: Australian-American Relations Since Pearl Harbor, (Claremont: Regina, 2006).