‘Taking to the Streets against the Vietnam War’: A Timeline History of Australian Protest 1962-1972 –– 1964

1964

March – CND march Dandenong to Melbourne against French nuclear tests

April 5 – CICD launches national petition against French nuclear tests in Pacific and underground nuclear tests

June 6 – Defence Minister Paltridge announces doubling (30 to 60) of Australian military ‘advisors’ in South Vietnam

July 6 – Warrant Officer Kevin Conway from Brisbane becomes first Australian serviceman to be killed in South Vietnam fighting

August 5 – ‘Gulf of Tonkin incident’. U.S forces strike at North Vietnam for first time after deceitful report of clash between torpedo boats of North Vietnam and units of U.S Seventh Fleet

August 6 – 2000 demonstrators at U.S Consulate in Prahran condemn U.S air attacks on North Vietnam and call for re-convening of Geneva Conference

August 8-9 – CICD Hiroshima Day March starts Frankston

October – Defence Minister Senator Paltridge introduces amended Defence Act enabling citizen military forces to be sent overseas

October 25 – 7000 people attend opening Sydney rally of Peace Congress addressed by Professor Linus Pauling and Mayor of Hiroshima

November 10 – Prime Minister Menzies announces plan to conscript 20-year-old men for overseas service

 

Download the full timeline here, or click through below for a year-by-year timeline (with pictures) of this momentous period.

 

‘Taking to the Streets against the Vietnam War’: A Timeline History of Australian Protest 1962-1972

Introduction

Prologue

1962

1963

1964

1965

1966

1967

1968

1969

1970

1971

1972

Postscript

 

Citation: Ken Mansell, ‘Taking to the Streets against the Vietnam War’: A Timeline History of Australian Protest 1962-1972, Labour History Melbourne (8 May 2020).

©Ken Mansell