[Australia]: Message to the United States [SEC=OFFICIAL]

[Owen]

​

PRIME MINISTER AND GOVERNOR-GENERAL​

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION: OFFICIAL ​

2 November 2004

Dear President-elect Sinclair, On behalf of myself and Her Excellency the Governor-General, it is our absolute honour and privilege to congratulate you on your election as President of the United States. The office of President of the United States holds with it an enormous weight, not just in the United States of America but all around the world. You are now the leader of the free world, the defender and champion of liberty and democracy everywhere. Australia has always been a champion of liberty and democracy and we have and will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the United States in that noble cause. Whether that's in the Battle of Hamel during the First World War, the entire Pacific campaign during the Second World War, countless battles during the Korean and Vietnam Wars or recently in the Middle East, we have been the only nation that has stood with the United States in every major conflict she has been in since the First World War. The U.S. Embassy in Canberra occupies the most space of any embassy in Canberra and rightfully so. Our Parliament is a combination of the United States and United Kingdom systems of government. A Westminster-style parliament with Congressional-style houses, the House of Representatives and the Senate. Our federation was inspired by the federation of the United States. The federal government works in collaboration as partners with the states here and not as overlords. We have defined responsibilities and they have defined responsibilities. The similarities between the United States and Australia are striking. As we move forward with our relationship under my Prime Ministership and your Presidency, let us strengthen the ties between us, formalise agreements and enhance cooperation. President Gore championed the relationship every correspondence that I or my predecessors had with him. I'm sure that a President Sinclair can take that baton and run with it further than any of his predecessors have. We owe it to the free world to cooperate. Forces of evil are moving around us, in time and space and throughout time and space, they are cooperating at unprecedented levels to undermine us and the free world, the champions of liberty and democracy, are not cooperating as much as we would like. American leadership needs to prevail and needs to guide us in the right direction. I hope you will join me on this noble quest. Please enjoy this postcard I have attached from when the Great White Fleet docked in Sydney in 1908. Yours sincerely, Julia Gillard and Her Excellency The Honourable Dame Quentin Bryce.

Parliament House, CANBERRA, ACT 2600 Telephone: (02) 6277 7700 Government House, CANBERRA, ACT 2600 Telephone: (02) 6283 3533​

Protective Marking:	Business Impact Level:	Compromise of Information Confidentiality:	Required to be Encrypted:
UNOFFICIAL	No Business Impact	No damage. This information does not form part of official duty.
OFFICIAL	Low Business Impact	No or insignificant damage. This is the majority of routine information.
OFFICIAL: Sensitive	Low to Medium Business Impact	Limited damage to an individual, organisation or government generally if compromised.
PROTECTED	High Business Impact	Damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.
SECRET	Extreme Business Impact	Serious damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.
TOP SECRET	Catastrophic Business Impact	Exceptionally grave damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.

​

Odinson

 

[Odinson]

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OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT​

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ENCRYPTED MESSAGE​

TO: Dame Quentin Bryce, Governor General of The Commonwealth of Australia ( Owen )
TO: Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of The Commonwealth Australia​

FROM: Benjamin V. Sinclair, Vice President of the United States of America

Your Excellencies,

Thank you both for the kind message that you have sent me. My election to the highest office in my country is, admittedly, a very pleasant surprise. The decision of my countrymen to choose me as their head of state was a striking moment in my life which I will never forget. I am now one of only two men to have ever been elected president while belonging to no political party of any kind. It is my strongest hope that I will be able to bring change, for the better, for the American People and that I will be able to work with our international partners across the globe, including Australia, to make the world a safer and better place.

President Gore and I largely agree on many foreign policy objectives, but I strongly feel that a more solidified relation is needed between Australia and the United States. Because I have not yet been sworn in as president, I cannot conduct diplomatic negotiations. However, Prime Minister, I wish to extend to you an invitation to my inauguration on January 20, 2005. While this would not be an official state visit and would not include any major discussions between us, I think that it would be an opportunity to start the international relationship between our countries.

I would like to add that I have been made aware of the efforts of Ambassador Kim Beazley, including his dedication to the relationship between our countries. I hope that he is also willing to attend my inauguration. Again, while I cannot make any kind of diplomatic promises or requests as of now, I do see a strong potential in our international relationship moving forward. I appreciate your patience, and the patience of the Australian people in the meantime. I look forward to hearing back from you.​

Very Respectfully,

Benjamin V. Sinclair
Vice President of the United States
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[Owen]

​

PRIME MINISTER​

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION: OFFICIAL ​

2 November 2004

Dear President-elect Sinclair, Unfortunately with my Deputy Prime Minister away in the United Kingdom I have been advised that I should not be departing Australia at this time at it would cause issues surrounding acting executive powers. However as the inauguration is a ceremony and the Governor-General is quite adept to ceremonies, the Governor-General in her role as Australia's Head of State, and her husband Michael Bryce will be in attendance. The Ambassador will also be in attendance at the inauguration along with several other key members of the Australian Embassy in Washington. I'm sure that in due course I shall conduct a state visit to the United States, though I should warn you that we are expecting a federal election in April. Yours sincerely, Julia Gillard.

Parliament House, CANBERRA, ACT 2600 Telephone: (02) 6277 7700/B]​

Protective Marking:	Business Impact Level:	Compromise of Information Confidentiality:	Required to be Encrypted:
UNOFFICIAL	No Business Impact	No damage. This information does not form part of official duty.
OFFICIAL	Low Business Impact	No or insignificant damage. This is the majority of routine information.
OFFICIAL: Sensitive	Low to Medium Business Impact	Limited damage to an individual, organisation or government generally if compromised.
PROTECTED	High Business Impact	Damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.
SECRET	Extreme Business Impact	Serious damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.
TOP SECRET	Catastrophic Business Impact	Exceptionally grave damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.

Odinson

 

[Odinson]

Secret​

A secure message was sent from the Office of the Vice President to the offices of the Governor-General of Australia as well as the Prime Minister, confirming that the Governor-General was welcome to come to President-Elect Sinclair's inauguration on January 20, 2005. The Australian delegation could stay at the Australian Embassy in Washington, or at a number of privately-owned local hotels which were known to catering to foreign leaders when they were in the District of Columbia. The State Department would need a full list of the people coming to America from Australia for the inauguration so that they could be issued diplomatic visa. Also, they were informed that the Secret Service could provide them transportation to and from the Capitol Building, or they could use their own transportation and they would be escorted by the Secret Service who would be in other vehicles.

Owen

 

[Owen]

​

OFFICIAL SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF AUSTRALIA​

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION: SECRET ​

5 January 2005

Dear Chief of Staff to the Vice President, Thank you for reaching out. In attendance at the inauguration from Australia will be: - The Governor-General of Australia, Her Excellency The Honourable Dame Quentin Bryce - The Viceregal Consort of Australia, Mr. Michael Bryce - The Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia, Mr. Stephen Brady They will be transported on a Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 737BBJ from RAAF Base Fairbairn in Canberra and we request it be able to land at Joint Base Andrews. We also request that it be able to stop at a United States Air Force base in Southern California in order to refuel. It would only have the range from Canberra to continue travelling as far as Las Vegas, Flagstaff or El Paso before running out of fuel so best we get it to land straight off the Pacific Ocean. In addition the following persons already in the United States will be in attendance on behalf of Australia: - The Ambassador of Australia to the United States, The Honourable Kim Beazley - The Spouse of the Ambassador of Australia to the United States, Mrs. Susie Annus Beazley - The Consul-General of Australia in New York, The Honourable John Olsen - The Defence Attaché & Head of Australian Defence Staff in Washington, D.C., Air Vice Marshal Alan Clements - The Australian Defence Force Liaision Officer to the Chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, Commodore Allison Norris - The Commander of the Americas Branch of the Australian Federal Police, Commander Andrea Quinn In addition there will be media accompanying the Governor-General on the aircraft, including from ABC News, SBS News, 7 News and 9 News as well as the necessary RAAF pilots and crew. The Governor-General will also be joined and escorted by two plain-clothed armed Australian Federal Police officers from the Governor-General's Protective Detail. The Governor-General does not require a high-level of security as her role is largely non-political, non-elected and is essentially ceremonial and a figurehead, this means the risks towards her are low. Simply put, a singular Secret Service or D.C. Police car escorting an Australian Embassy hired vehicle will be sufficient for her. The Embassy will organise transportation for the Governor-General during her visit. The Governor-General and her husband will be lodged at the Ambassador's Residence, known as White Oaks, in the neighbourhood of Woodley Park. As for myself, I will be lodging at the Omni Shoreham Hotel. Yours sincerely, Stephen Brady.

Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia Government House, CANBERRA, ACT 2600 Telephone: (02) 6283 3533​

Protective Marking:	Business Impact Level:	Compromise of Information Confidentiality:	Required to be Encrypted:
UNOFFICIAL	No Business Impact	No damage. This information does not form part of official duty.
OFFICIAL	Low Business Impact	No or insignificant damage. This is the majority of routine information.
OFFICIAL: Sensitive	Low to Medium Business Impact	Limited damage to an individual, organisation or government generally if compromised.
PROTECTED	High Business Impact	Damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.
SECRET	Extreme Business Impact	Serious damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.
TOP SECRET	Catastrophic Business Impact	Exceptionally grave damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.

Odinson

 

[Odinson]

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OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE​

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ENCRYPTED MESSAGE​

TO: Stephen Brady, Official Secretary of The Governor-General of Australia ( Owen )​

FROM: Robert Carter, Director of the United States Secret Service

Secretary Brady,

The Vice President's Office forwarded your message to me, as the Secret Service is organizing all foreign visits. Thank you for providing the list of everyone who intends to visit.

The Secret Service takes the security of all visiting heads of state and heads of government seriously. Therefore, we will be sure to increase the presence of the Secret Service outside of White Oaks. The uniformed division of the Secret Service as well as protective agents will assist in escorting the Governor-General while she is in the United States. The only limitation that we will have to put on the reasonable security measures that you mentioned is that no one but American law enforcement and the D.C. National Guard will be permitted to be armed on Capitol Hill the day of the inauguration, and everyone who will be in Section A-seating (executive seating at the Capitol Building where President-Elect Sinclair will be sworn in) will be subjected to walking through a metal detector. I hope that you can understand these security measures.

I have spoken with the Secretary of Defense, and he says that the flight can land at Edwards Air Force Base in southern California. From there, the aircraft can continue east and will be permitted to land at Andrews Air Force Base.

I look forward to potentially meeting you in person.​

Very respectfully,

Robert Carter
Director of The Secret Service
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[Owen]

​

OFFICIAL SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF AUSTRALIA​

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION: SECRET ​

5 January 2005

Dear Director Carter, I have passed on the information about Edwards Air Force Base to the planners in No. 34 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force and given them the green light to land there on the way to and from Joint Base Andrews as well the permission to land there. The Australian Federal Police Protective Detail has received the information about Capitol Hill. They have informed me because Capitol Hill is a secure site and there will be plenty of local law enforcement ensuring the safety of participants at the ceremony there will be no need for their presence there, they are simply there to escort the Governor-General and her husband around Washington, D.C where security is not as high. Again, there will only be two agents accompanying them to the United States as the risks towards them are low. They will be more than happy to assist in the security on the perimeter of Capitol Hill. They will also be reinforcing White Oaks, which we have private diplomatic security contractors at, but we welcome the increased Secret Service presence. Yours sincerely, Stephen Brady.

Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia Government House, CANBERRA, ACT 2600 Telephone: (02) 6283 3533​

Protective Marking:	Business Impact Level:	Compromise of Information Confidentiality:	Required to be Encrypted:
UNOFFICIAL	No Business Impact	No damage. This information does not form part of official duty.
OFFICIAL	Low Business Impact	No or insignificant damage. This is the majority of routine information.
OFFICIAL: Sensitive	Low to Medium Business Impact	Limited damage to an individual, organisation or government generally if compromised.
PROTECTED	High Business Impact	Damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.
SECRET	Extreme Business Impact	Serious damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.
TOP SECRET	Catastrophic Business Impact	Exceptionally grave damage to the national interest, organisations or individuals.

Odinson