U.S. ANTARCTIC LIAISON

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 28008, 30 June 1956, Page 10

U.S. ANTARCTIC LIAISON

CANCELLATION OF VISIT “NO POLITICAL INTERFERENCE ” (From Our Own Reporter) WELLINGTON, June 29. The New Zealand Navy accepted entire Responsibility for the cancellation of Lieutenant-Commander J. Lennox-King’s proposed visit to the United States and there had been no political interference in the matter, a Navy Office spokesman said today. The spokesman was commenting on a suggestion that either the. actingPrime Minister (Mr K. J. Holyoake) or the Minister of Finance (Mr J. T. Watts) had stopped Commander Len-nox-King, staff officer of H.M.N.Z.S. Pegasus in Christchurch, from going to Washington for Antarctic liaison work after an invitation from the United States Navy had been accepted.

“The matter did not reach Ministerial level,” the spokesman said. “Lieutenant-Commander Lennox-King was told to be ready while the Navy Office investigated the invitation and it was decided that the New Zealand authorities had sufficient liaison already with the New Zealand Joint Services Mission in Washington.”

The spokesman said that a special liaison office would be opened in Christchurch to co-ordinate American military affairs with the New Zealand authorities during the coming summer’s Antarctic expedition by the United States and that the office would “be run 4jy whoever is there at the time.” This is presumed to mean that Lieutenant-Commander Lennox-King, whose tour of duty in Christchurch is not yet due to end. will be in charge.

The Royal New Zealand Air Force in a statement said that Squadron Leader E. C. Gartrell. deputy-director of postings at Air Headquarters and formerly officer commanding the Central Flying School at Wigram, was not permitted to accept a similar invitation to the United States because he had recently returned from a visit to North America with “Operation Handclasp” and had discussed Antarctic affairs at the time.

The Air Force felt as the Navy, that liaison work could safely be left in the hands cf the Joint Services Mission, the statement said.