[Australia]: Message to the United States [SEC=TOP SECRET]

[Owen]

​

PRIME MINISTER​

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION: TOP SECRET ​

22 September 2005

Dear President Sinclair, As we quickly approach a year since your resounding victory in the 2004 election and 6 months since my own decisive election victory, allow me to reach out to your office personally. That election victory was the most decisive Labor victory since 1943 on a two-party preferred basis. That was an election won by, who some regard as, the greatest Prime Minister of all time: John Curtin, in the midst of the Second World War. Mr. Curtin famously once said: "The Australian Government, therefore regards the Pacific struggle as primarily one in which the United States and Australia must have the fullest say in the direction of the Democracies' fighting plan. Without any inhibitions of any kind, I make it clear that Australia looks to America, free of any pangs as to our traditional links or kinship with the United Kingdom. We know the problems that the United Kingdom faces. We know the dangers of dispersal of strength, but we know too, that Australia can go and Britain can still hold on. We are, therefore, determined that Australia shall not go, and we shall exert all our energies towards the shaping of a plan, with the United States as its keystone, which will give to our country some confidence of being able to hold out until the tide of battle swings against the enemy." John Curtin was the first Australian Prime Minister to highlight the necessity of Australia to be more aligned with the United States rather than the United Kingdom. From that moment onwards, with the United States stationing forces in Australia and defending the Australian mainland, Mr. Curtin formed a close working relationship with General Douglas MacArthur and with the President, Franklin D. Roosevelt. It is my goal to likewise have this same close working relationship. Whilst the Japanese are long defeated, in fact now a crucial part of our wider alliance in the Pacific, we still face threats in the region which we have not seen in many decades. Whilst many regarded as the Chinese as the next great power, Thailand has, to the surprise of many, become that. Unfortunately with grand power seems to come grand delusions. Whilst they had an opportunity to use their power for good, they are increasingly playing both sides of trying to mend their relationships with the West while at the same time, denouncing us and making vague and empty threats towards us. I refer you to a recent article in The Global Collective, a newspaper owned by Socialist Causes which regards itself as independent but to which our intelligence agencies believe has considerable influence inside the Thai Government. It is entitled "It's the Time for the American Empire to Be Obliterated". It obviously rings alarm bells and we believe the author, Jon Ungphakorn, has considerable influence inside the Thai Government. I think as the days go on, it is becoming increasingly clear what the objectives of the Thai Government is. Mr. President, I'm afraid we are increasingly becoming caught off guard. We need to change course as a matter of urgency in regards to our cooperation in the region. We need United States forces in Australia and the region. We need to increase the size, firepower and capabilities of the Australian Defence Force. We need to send a clear message to Thailand that we will maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific and that unilaterally changing the region or the world order to one of socialist ideals will not be tolerated. Therefore, I am proposing that I conduct a state visit to the United States as soon as practically possible. This will be an opportunity for us to formally conclude that Australia and the United States are in a treaty-binding alliance, as well as being able to sign off on numerous other agreements which have been proposed but are currently stalled. I would also like the opportunity to address Congress and be able to have plentiful conversations with lawmakers there to increase awareness and influence of the Australia-United States relationship in order to supercharge it and have Congressional support should it be needed. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, Julia Gillard.

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

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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THE WHITE HOUSE​

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ENCRYPTED MESSAGE​

TO: Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia ( Owen )
FROM: Benjamin V. Sinclair, President of the United States of America

Prime Minister Gillard,

I wholeheartedly agree that a stronger partnership and formal alliance is warranted between the United States and Australia. Your government's commitment to our mutual relationship has been made obvious multiple times in the most straightforward and clear ways possible. There is no doubt in my mind that Australia is committed to being an extremely close ally and partner of the United States politically, economically, and militarily. I sincerely want to codify our international relationship and move forward with plans to build a stronger defense network alongside the Australian government and armed forces. I feel that we have the capacity to seamlessly work together because of our shared objectives, and also because of our shared cultural ties and language.

For those reasons, consider this a formal invitation from myself and on behalf of the American People for you to conduct a state visit to Washington D.C. in March of 2006. This will be after my State of The Union address in January of 2006, where I will state my administration's strong commitment to partnership with Australia. I look forward to meeting you in person and hopefully working out several international agreements between our countries which will ensure our mutual security, and codify our political friendship. In the meantime, I will be signing the agreements that were submitted to the Navy at Pearl Harbor. I will ensure that your government is informed when these agreements have been approved by the United States Senate.

In the next week, a representative from my office will contact your office to go over the details of your state visit. I look forward to meeting you and hosting you here, at the White House.​

Respectfully,

Benjamin V. Sinclair
President of the United States
​

 

[Owen]

​

PRIME MINISTER​

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION: TOP SECRET ​

7 December 2005

Dear President Sinclair, I wholeheartedly accept your invitation for a state visit in March of 2006. I look forward to seeing you then. Yours sincerely, Julia Gillard.

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

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

 

[Owen]

​

CHIEF OF STAFF TO THE PRIME MINISTER​

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION: TOP SECRET ​

7 December 2005

Dear White House Chief of Staff, Whilst March has now passed and we are now in May, the Prime Minister is still eager to conduct an official state visit to the United States. As you are now entering summer and it is starting to become bitter cold here in Canberra, she is more than delighted to potentially be conducting this visit in the summer. We look forward to seeing these plans progress promptly. Yours sincerely, David Epstein.

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

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 CHIEF OF PROTOCOL​

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ENCRYPTED MESSAGE​

TO: David Epstein, Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister ( Owen )​

FROM: Mary Applegale, Chief of Protocol of the United States


Mister Epstein,

I have been informed that President Sinclair has extended a formal invitation to Prime Minister Gillard for an Official Visit to the White House. As Chief of Protocol, part of my duties is to organize all State and Official visits to the White House, and to assist the visiting country in having a smooth trip here as well as a pleasant and productive visit. With previous Australian Official visits to the White House serving as examples, I'm sure that you are aware that these are multi-day events that include a mix of ceremonial and diplomatic activities between the President and Prime Minister. I will strive to provide all of the information that your government will need to know about the visit below, however if you have any questions I welcome you to ask them.


DAY ONE

Details on Security
The Secret Service and Diplomatic Security Service will provide primary security for the Australian delegation while they are in the United States, including that of the Prime Minister. With that being said, your delegation is free to bring a reasonable number of protective agents, none of which can be armed with firearms. However, protective agents of any kind are not permitted in the White House, which is entirely protected by the Secret Service and the United States Marine Corps. With that being said, the Secret Service is more than capable of protecting the Australian delegation while they are in the United States, and your government is not required to send any protective personnel - we simply provide those other options as a courtesy.

Details on Overnight Stay
Normally, for a State or Official visit, the Head of State or Head of Government who is visiting is offered to stay at the President's Guest House (commonly known as Blair House) which is located on White House Grounds. However, under exceptionally rare situations, a Head of State/Government may be offered to stay in the guest suite of the White House residence. This is a privilege reserved for only the closest visiting friends of the President, and allies of the United States. President Sinclair has decided to extend this honor to the Prime Minister. Additional members of the Australian delegation are still welcome to use the Blair House, and of course the Australian Embassy, if they so choose. However, the Prime Minister will have an ample amount of room in the guest suite of the White House, which includes the Queen's Bedroom (previously used by Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the Kennedys, and many other famous guests) as well as the Lincoln Bedroom and other associated sitting rooms and bathrooms, along with the East Sitting Hall.

Arrival
The Australian delegation may arrive on the first Monday in June at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. All air traffic will be frozen or cleared in the immediate area as a security precaution. There will be a formal arrival ceremony at Andrews which will only take approximately five minutes. As Chief of Protocol, I will be there, along with the United States Ambassador to Australia, and the Australian Ambassador to the United States. There will be an honor guard and a band to play "Advance Australia Fair". From there, the Secret Service will take Prime Minister to the White House for an official arrival ceremony. There will be a number of public ceremonial things that are done here, which you can reference from previous visits, but the salient point here which I would like to remind this office is that the President will give remarks about the Prime Minister and Australia, and then the Prime Minister will be welcome to give remarks as well. There will also be a private exchange of gifts in the Red Room of the White House Residence between the President and the Prime Minister.

State Department Luncheon
Following the exchange of gifts in the Red Room, a private luncheon at Foggy Bottom with Vice President Blumenthal and Secretary of State Adams will take place. The President will not be at this event. After the luncheon, the Prime Minister will be brought back to the White House so that she can settle into the Queen's Room and prepare for the State Dinner that night.

State Dinner
Official Visits to the White House include State Dinners, just as a State Dinner from a Head of State would. The dress for the evening will be black tie. There are a number of events that take place for a State Dinner, including the Reception, Presidential Entrance March, Receiving, Toast (from the President to the Prime Minister, and then the Prime Minister to the President), the dinner which is then entirely private (as in, there will be no cameras or press), the Recession, Performance, and finally dancing. The Australian delegation will be welcome to fill part of the seats for the dinner, while the other half will include dignitaries and other people from the United States - as of now, I am aware that at least one former President will be attending, as well as actors Tom Hanks and Daniel Craig.


DAY TWO

Address to Congress
The Vice President and the Speaker of The House have, at the request of the President, called for a Joint Meeting of Congress. As is tradition, the Prime Minister will be invited to address this Joint Meeting. A speech of this nature would traditionally include discussing the importance of the relationship between our two countries, topics that the visitor finds important with regards to the United States and their country, and important aspirations that the visitor has with the President and the United States as a whole. The Prime Minister is welcome to talk about whatever she wants in her speech.

Return Dinner
It is customary that the visiting country holds a dinner at their embassy in which the Vice President would attend. Afterwards, Prime Minister Gillard will be brought back to the White House for the night.


DAY THREE

Mount Vernon
After an informal breakfast, the President will accompany the Prime Minister to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. They will be given a private tour by the National Parks Service. Afterwards, they will return to the White House for a private lunch.

Diplomatic Talks
After lunch, the President will host the Prime Minister in Diplomatic Talks somewhere in the White House (probably either the Oval Office or the Roosevelt Room). The Secretary of State and other American diplomatic, and possibly military, officials will be present. Prime Minister Gillard may bring whomever from the Australian delegation she would like for these talks as well. There may be some point where the President chooses to speak privately just with the Prime Minister (only as needed). These discussions can last many hours, or not long at all, depending on what is to be discussed. The White House has informed me that discussions on the table will include: the deployment of American Navy and Marine Corps assets to Australia, Australia's relationship with other countries in their region of the world, joint military operations that the United States and Australia can conduct together, and possibly other items that may be added at the discretion of the President. The Prime Minister will also be invited to bring up any specific topics that she wishes to discuss, be they big or small. The President will dedicate as much of his time as needed for these talks, as they are a vital feature of Official Visits.

Dinner
The Prime Minister will be given a private dinner in the White House that evening.


DAY FOUR

Breakfast
The President will join the Prime Minister for a small morning breakfast.

Departure
The President will see the Prime Minister off from the White House. She will be driven (or flown) to Andrews Air Force Base, where the Secretary of State will formally wish her and the rest of the delegation farewell. They will then take their flight home to Australia.


If there are any issues with this schedule, please inform me. I have full authority to edit it in any way. If not, I look forward to meeting some of you as well as the Prime Minister.

Best regards,

Mary Applegale
Chief of Protocol
​