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The Menzies Government, the American Alliance and the Cuban Missile Crisis
Author(s) -
Stanley Laura,
Deery Phillip
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
australian journal of politics and history
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.123
H-Index - 23
eISSN - 1467-8497
pISSN - 0004-9522
DOI - 10.1111/ajph.12010
Subject(s) - alliance , cold war , government (linguistics) , missile , foreign policy , position (finance) , political science , administration (probate law) , public administration , political economy , sociology , law , history , economics , politics , philosophy , linguistics , archaeology , finance
This paper questions the traditional view of the Australian‐American relationship: that Australian dependency entailed unequivocal support for American foreign policy. It uses a particular Cold War event — the Cuban Missile Crisis — to examine the extent to which the reaction of the Australian government conformed to the general perception of immediate and absolute endorsement of the Kennedy administration's position. The paper will argue that the actual response of the Menzies government, as distinct from its public pronouncements, was constrained rather than unconditional, considered rather than reflexive, and shaped by strategic calculations of Australian interests.