Toeing the line: Australia's abandonment of 'traditional' West New Guinea policy

Between 1950 and 1962, the Australian government officially supported Dutch control of West New Guinea and opposed Indonesian claims on the territory. But in January 1962, it became clear that the Australians would no longer seek to prolong Dutch sovereignty. Scholars have been divided as to the cause of this change. A traditional explanation has been that Australia was forced to stand aside due to diplomatic and international pressures. More recently, the personal influence of the Minister for External Affairs, Sir Garfield Barwick, has been put forward as the primary reason for the change in policy. He is seen as having convinced the Australian cabinet of Australia's isolation on the issue and of the need to cultivate friendly relations with Indonesia. Archival documents from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States do not reinforce this view. They show that the traditional explanation is more accurate. Indeed, the Americans and the British presented the Australians with a fait accompli they were determined that Indonesia should get WNG regardless of Australian preferences.