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ALP erred
in poll:
Menzies
WASHINGTON, Wednesday (AAP
Reuter).—Sir Robert Menzies, former
Australian Prime Minister, said in
Washington yesterday that the Opposi-
tion Leader Mr Calwell made a major
mistake by bringing President Johnson
into the general election last month.
Speaking to reporters
after lunching with the
President at the While
House, Sir Robert said the
opponent of the Prime
Minister, Mr Holt, commit-
ted "a big political mistake
by making an issue of Mr
Johnson's trip to Australia
during his Asian tour in Oc-
tober.
"The biggest advantage
you can have in politics is
to have an opponent who
takes the wrong steps", he
said.
Sir Robert said Mr Holt's
election victory showed that
Australians were very much
in favour of Mr Johnson's
policy in Vietnam and
showed it in "a very big
way".
Sir Robert was invited to
have lunch with the Presi-
dent because a heavy snow-
fall delayed his arrival at
the White House.
Sir Robert, scholar-in-
residence at the University
of Virginia, drove to Wash-
ington from Charlottesville,
Virginia, but snow slowed
his car and he was an hour
late for a meeting with the
President.
By that time, the Presi-
dent was conferring with
his National Security Coun-
cil and had to keep Sir
Robert waiting.
Mr Johnson decided to
ask for the former Prime
Minister to join him at a
weekly luncheon for senior
administration officials.
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