Kuala Lumpur, 25 September 1964
1034. Top Secret Immediate
Australian Forces
Following is text of letter dated 25th September from Razak.
‘As you are aware, recent Indonesian landings in the peninsula have imposed a heavy strain on the Malaysian Forces. In an effort to relieve this burden arrangements are being made, in association with other Governments concerned, to make the Commonwealth Brigade at Terendak responsible for the defence of the State of Malacca against any further infiltrations.
In the light of your advice of 13th April, 1964,1 since confirmed publicly by the Australian Minister for Defence,2 I assume that your Government would have no objection to the use of the Australian Forces at Terendak for this purpose. I should be glad, however, if you would consult your Government urgently and confirm that this is, in fact, their view.’
2. Request of 15th September mentioned by Begg refers probably to discussions in new operational sub-committee of National Operations Committee.3 There appears to be no written record of the proceedings but NOC staff confirm that Commander-in-Chief was asked to undertake responsibility for defending the State of Malacca. Begg agreed to the Brigade being employed in this role and left the loose ends to be tidied up by the High Commissioners. Neither Head nor Wade was completely happy with the way in which matter was handled.
[NAA: A1209, 1964/6040 part 3]
1 See footnote 2, Document 179.
2 In response to a question in the Senate on 19 August, Senator Paltridge had stated: ‘In the present circumstances, our forces [with the CSR] would be available by the consent of the Australian Government if requested by the Malaysian Government to take part in assisting to deal with armed infiltration’. After pointing out that Malaysian forces currently had the situation in hand, he added: ‘I want to make it perfectly clear to the Senate that should such a request be made by the Malaysian Government then the Australian Government would acquiesce in that request’.
3 On 17 September, Pritchett had advised that Begg had told him and Brian Lendrum, the New Zealand Deputy High Commissioner in Singapore, of a Malaysian request to the UK Government on 15 September for the CSR to undertake the defence of Malacca against infiltration from Indonesia.