Antinuclear

Unpopularity of USA missile testing in Australia

US missile tests backfired for PM BY: BRENDAN NICHOLSON  The
Australian January 01, 2013 WHEN Bob Hawke gave the nod to an American
plan to fire some of their new MX intercontinental ballistic missiles
into the ocean 220km east of Tasmania, the Labor leader made one of
the biggest miscalculations of an illustrious career.

His decision triggered a wave of renewed anti-American feeling,
protests and, cabinet documents reveal, a carefully planned backdown
by the Labor government.

In 1981 the Fraser government had told the Americans it was fine for
them to carry out the tests but, probably not wanting to startle the
Tasmanians, Malcolm Fraser’s team neglected to tell anyone about this
undertaking.

In the words of National Archives historian Jim Stokes: “It had been
intended to announce the plan in 1982 but political considerations
caused the announcement to be postponed.”

Then Mr Hawke became prime minister and, during a visit to Washington,
the planned missile test was discussed. He confirmed it could go
ahead…..
It was a sensitive issue in Australia at a time when there was
substantial opposition in Australia to both uranium mining and the
nuclear arms race,” Dr Stokes said.

In April 1984, 250,000 people took part in peace marches in capital
cities. Four female protesters were blasted with high-pressure hoses
when they tried to paint the words “death ship” on the side of the
visiting American warship USS Cushing.

The Nuclear Disarmament Party won more than 7 per cent of the vote in
the 1984 election, though, Dr Stokes recalls, it soon began to
disintegrate.

One party candidate was rock singer Peter Garrett, now a federal Labor
minister, who polled strongly but was not elected……
the government triggered more public controversy when it announced US
aircraft monitoring the test would be allowed to land in Australia.

Then came another backflip when Mr Hawke told a media conference he
had underestimated the strength of feeling about the issue.

Two days later the Americans announced they would conduct the tests
without the use of Australian support facilities.

The Americans were not pleased and The Washington Post editorialised
that in backing out of its commitment to help monitor the MX missile
tests Australia had indicated it had caught the same “nuclear allergy”
as New Zealand, which had just banned visits by nuclear-powered or
armed ships. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-depth/cabinet-papers/us-missile-tests-backfired-for-pm/story-fngr9pxq-1226545875602

December 31, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, politics international, weapons and war