Carrad On Deputations

Publicity was not the main purpose of the deputation on February 23 to the Prime Minister organised by the Committee on Vietnam.

Mr David Carrad, chairman of the Wellington Committee on Vietnam and leader of the delegation said this on Friday when he was questioned about unfavourable publicity.

"The main purpose was to exert a measure of direct influence on the Prime Minister himself," he said.

"This may sound naive but Prime Minister's are not totally immune to direct personal influence. They are almost certainly much nearer to being immune to amateur publicity gimmickry."

Publicity was messed up because the deputation had not handed out a well-prepared statement of its position.

"As a result the public has no idea what we said to him; but the Prime Minister knows, and it was enough to shake a hardened man."

Mr Carrad said that only the stupid could ignore the impact of what was said. "I do not think Mr Holyoake falls quite within this class."

Although he thought the war was being waged from our side by men of "rigid prejudice and resolute ruthlessness." Mr Carrad said that they are "not all quite mad."

"It is possible," he said, "for the one or the other to fall away, as the example of Macnamara shows."