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Bob Carr’s diary: what we’ve learned Bob Carr’s diary: what we’ve learned
(about 3 hours later)
He is in awe of Henry Kissinger:He is in awe of Henry Kissinger:
A 2012 dinner at the Kissingers’: “A sea of emerald gladioli; potted orchids; spot-lit paintings in gold frames; Nancy Kissinger tall and lean and welcoming in a dress that trails, and Henry deliberate at 88, same stubborn wavy hair, outsize square-frame glasses and alert, humorous eyes – Henry Kissinger, just as in all the documentaries about foreign policy and US politics in the ’70s. My favourite world-historical figure. We were first at the dinner he was hosting in my honour in his apartment in River House on 52nd Street, Midtown East…A 2012 dinner at the Kissingers’: “A sea of emerald gladioli; potted orchids; spot-lit paintings in gold frames; Nancy Kissinger tall and lean and welcoming in a dress that trails, and Henry deliberate at 88, same stubborn wavy hair, outsize square-frame glasses and alert, humorous eyes – Henry Kissinger, just as in all the documentaries about foreign policy and US politics in the ’70s. My favourite world-historical figure. We were first at the dinner he was hosting in my honour in his apartment in River House on 52nd Street, Midtown East…
“‘The celebration in the Kissinger family on the news of your appointment was indecent,’ he said – so generous, so gracious – at the circular table in the wood-panelled dining room, Dutch flower painting on the wall behind him, and Rupert Murdoch, mayor Michael Bloomberg, the historian Margaret MacMillan, the Indian UN Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri, and the head of Alcoa, Klaus Kleinfeld, at the table – me by Nancy’s side, Helena with Henry. And Susan Rice, Obama’s ambassador to the UN, was present, even though this was the day the North Korean missile was fired and expired a minute into the air and the day a fragile ceasefire was settled in Syria.”“‘The celebration in the Kissinger family on the news of your appointment was indecent,’ he said – so generous, so gracious – at the circular table in the wood-panelled dining room, Dutch flower painting on the wall behind him, and Rupert Murdoch, mayor Michael Bloomberg, the historian Margaret MacMillan, the Indian UN Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri, and the head of Alcoa, Klaus Kleinfeld, at the table – me by Nancy’s side, Helena with Henry. And Susan Rice, Obama’s ambassador to the UN, was present, even though this was the day the North Korean missile was fired and expired a minute into the air and the day a fragile ceasefire was settled in Syria.”
After a dinner a few days later:After a dinner a few days later:
“Henry took me aside and asked whether I knew about what I thought he said was ‘The Bohemian Girl’. I thought it must be a revival of an operetta. Then it clicked: ‘Bohemian Grove’. The exclusive retreat for business-political leaders in the redwoods north of San Francisco. Again, so thoughtful, so generous, he was asking me to be there as his guest. As his guest.”“Henry took me aside and asked whether I knew about what I thought he said was ‘The Bohemian Girl’. I thought it must be a revival of an operetta. Then it clicked: ‘Bohemian Grove’. The exclusive retreat for business-political leaders in the redwoods north of San Francisco. Again, so thoughtful, so generous, he was asking me to be there as his guest. As his guest.”
And a few days later, buying protein powder in New York he recalls:And a few days later, buying protein powder in New York he recalls:
“‘My God, you’re skinny,’ Nancy Kissinger had said – blast! Seven years’ weight training burnt off in the three-week adrenalin flow of the job.”“‘My God, you’re skinny,’ Nancy Kissinger had said – blast! Seven years’ weight training burnt off in the three-week adrenalin flow of the job.”
He doesn’t much like painter Lucian Freud:He doesn’t much like painter Lucian Freud:
“A boring National Theatre production of She Stoops to Conquer seen through drooping eyelids (why revive that creaky old thing at all?) and a snatched one-hour visit to the Lucian Freud exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery (enough time to sicken of the acres of belly and parted groins) on the way to the Eurostar.“A boring National Theatre production of She Stoops to Conquer seen through drooping eyelids (why revive that creaky old thing at all?) and a snatched one-hour visit to the Lucian Freud exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery (enough time to sicken of the acres of belly and parted groins) on the way to the Eurostar.
He had ongoing concerns about Australia’s closeness with the United States:He had ongoing concerns about Australia’s closeness with the United States:
“As foreign minister, I’d been describing the US alliance as a ‘cornerstone’. That’s our liturgy. All Australian foreign ministers say that. Simple truth is, I haven’t got a mandate to change it, or a burning conviction about doing so. No mission to tilt us to armed neutrality, which is the only alternative to a treaty relationship with the world’s, the region’s, dominant maritime power. In 18 months, moreover, I can’t do anything that generates a misunderstanding, that puts the relationship at risk. I would like to make us a little less craven, to correct the recent tilt away from China and the too-desperate embrace of the US, symbolised in last year’s announcement of a rotating marine presence in Darwin and Obama’s criticism of China in our parliament. I would like to capture some of the instincts on this of Paul Keating, Malcolm Fraser and even Alexander Downer; and I value the words of Gareth Evans – that we should not approach the Americans ‘happy to lie on our backs like puppy dogs with four paws waving and pink tummies exposed’”.“As foreign minister, I’d been describing the US alliance as a ‘cornerstone’. That’s our liturgy. All Australian foreign ministers say that. Simple truth is, I haven’t got a mandate to change it, or a burning conviction about doing so. No mission to tilt us to armed neutrality, which is the only alternative to a treaty relationship with the world’s, the region’s, dominant maritime power. In 18 months, moreover, I can’t do anything that generates a misunderstanding, that puts the relationship at risk. I would like to make us a little less craven, to correct the recent tilt away from China and the too-desperate embrace of the US, symbolised in last year’s announcement of a rotating marine presence in Darwin and Obama’s criticism of China in our parliament. I would like to capture some of the instincts on this of Paul Keating, Malcolm Fraser and even Alexander Downer; and I value the words of Gareth Evans – that we should not approach the Americans ‘happy to lie on our backs like puppy dogs with four paws waving and pink tummies exposed’”.
He wondered about whether senior US figures had had plastic surgery:He wondered about whether senior US figures had had plastic surgery:
“John McCain is younger and more sparkle-eyed than I might have expected. Plastic surgery? Two days earlier I noticed something about the skin under John Kerry’s eyes, smooth and slightly discoloured. Today at lunch retired US ambassador Frances Cook, who we knew in 1972 when she served in the consulate in Sydney, apologised for slight bruises under her eyes: she and everyone in politics, she explains, have plastic surgery – navy secretaries, congressmen, senators take cosmetic-surgery holidays in Thailand or South Africa. So much for trivia.”“John McCain is younger and more sparkle-eyed than I might have expected. Plastic surgery? Two days earlier I noticed something about the skin under John Kerry’s eyes, smooth and slightly discoloured. Today at lunch retired US ambassador Frances Cook, who we knew in 1972 when she served in the consulate in Sydney, apologised for slight bruises under her eyes: she and everyone in politics, she explains, have plastic surgery – navy secretaries, congressmen, senators take cosmetic-surgery holidays in Thailand or South Africa. So much for trivia.”
He wished he’d been foreign minister in different circumstances:He wished he’d been foreign minister in different circumstances:
“Oh, to be foreign minister in a normal government, with a floor majority, and an interesting, authoritative prime minister with a routine lead in all the polls and a 44% primary vote; to be foreign minister with five years in the job stretching ahead. I’m dragged down by the circumstances.”“Oh, to be foreign minister in a normal government, with a floor majority, and an interesting, authoritative prime minister with a routine lead in all the polls and a 44% primary vote; to be foreign minister with five years in the job stretching ahead. I’m dragged down by the circumstances.”
The Australian ambassador to the US Kim Beazley, a former Labor leader, thought Carr might step in as leader before the 2013 poll:The Australian ambassador to the US Kim Beazley, a former Labor leader, thought Carr might step in as leader before the 2013 poll:
"In May 2012 “Speaking from Washington, Beazley says, ‘Keep your powder dry.’ He says Rudd is unable to get more than 45 votes in the caucus. He adds, ‘I’ve pointed out to a few people that the constitution does not even mention the prime minister, let alone what house he serves in. Rudd is damaged. He will be wounded by another challenge. You are now a viable alternative.’ This is fantasy, a bit of flattery. And who would want it, in these circumstances?”"In May 2012 “Speaking from Washington, Beazley says, ‘Keep your powder dry.’ He says Rudd is unable to get more than 45 votes in the caucus. He adds, ‘I’ve pointed out to a few people that the constitution does not even mention the prime minister, let alone what house he serves in. Rudd is damaged. He will be wounded by another challenge. You are now a viable alternative.’ This is fantasy, a bit of flattery. And who would want it, in these circumstances?”
Meetings of foreign ministers could sometimes be boring:Meetings of foreign ministers could sometimes be boring:
“I reflect on how wrong I was to assume that foreign ministers were a lot full of lively interest in the cultures and civilisations of the planet, scholars of statecraft, apostles of diplomacy.”“I reflect on how wrong I was to assume that foreign ministers were a lot full of lively interest in the cultures and civilisations of the planet, scholars of statecraft, apostles of diplomacy.”
Henry Kissinger had no idea what Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney would do on foreign policy:Henry Kissinger had no idea what Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney would do on foreign policy:
“Henry had told me … he’d be addressing a $50,000-a-head fundraising dinner for Romney, but doing it without any clear idea of where the candidate was going on foreign policy. Henry had said he had to tell the organisers he could not take questions about what Romney would do in foreign policy because he had no idea.”“Henry had told me … he’d be addressing a $50,000-a-head fundraising dinner for Romney, but doing it without any clear idea of where the candidate was going on foreign policy. Henry had said he had to tell the organisers he could not take questions about what Romney would do in foreign policy because he had no idea.”
Despite the jetlag, there were good days:Despite the jetlag, there were good days:
“I am foreign minister. I trust my judgment, choose my words, soak up knowledge and recycle it. I soar above the mundane and serve my country. The people trust me. All’s good.”“I am foreign minister. I trust my judgment, choose my words, soak up knowledge and recycle it. I soar above the mundane and serve my country. The people trust me. All’s good.”
But keeping fit was a challenge:But keeping fit was a challenge:
“Got up at 6am and did 40 minutes of intervals on the cross-trainer. Then ate a hotel breakfast – carrot juice, omelette, lentils, salad, salmon – with no bread, no croissant; my new resolve on diet. My ambition: to have a concave abdomen defined by deep-cut obliques. Read cables and ONA [Office of National Assessments] reports.”“Got up at 6am and did 40 minutes of intervals on the cross-trainer. Then ate a hotel breakfast – carrot juice, omelette, lentils, salad, salmon – with no bread, no croissant; my new resolve on diet. My ambition: to have a concave abdomen defined by deep-cut obliques. Read cables and ONA [Office of National Assessments] reports.”
He once mistook the Moroccan foreign minister for the former Iranian president:He once mistook the Moroccan foreign minister for the former Iranian president:
“The dinner ends at nine. As we get up, someone I don’t recall introduces me to ... to Ahmadinejad? It’s got to be Ahmadinejad! The beard, the deep-set eyes, the gaze. Are there cameras? How do I handle this? ‘Do you recognise him?’ asks the interlocutor. I’m now certain it is the Iranian president. I say, ‘Er ... um ... he’s ... wearing a tie,’ which Ahmadinejad never does, thus explaining my confusion. I hope. Then the ambassador from Morocco – for he is the interlocutor – tells me it’s his foreign minister, who I had met in Rabat back in June. But he looks like Ahmadinejad. Very bad form, by the way, this challenging you to remember someone.”“The dinner ends at nine. As we get up, someone I don’t recall introduces me to ... to Ahmadinejad? It’s got to be Ahmadinejad! The beard, the deep-set eyes, the gaze. Are there cameras? How do I handle this? ‘Do you recognise him?’ asks the interlocutor. I’m now certain it is the Iranian president. I say, ‘Er ... um ... he’s ... wearing a tie,’ which Ahmadinejad never does, thus explaining my confusion. I hope. Then the ambassador from Morocco – for he is the interlocutor – tells me it’s his foreign minister, who I had met in Rabat back in June. But he looks like Ahmadinejad. Very bad form, by the way, this challenging you to remember someone.”
He really likes Hillary Clinton:He really likes Hillary Clinton:
“Any time with Hillary is pure champagne, pure quality. I’m just back from Perth where Stephen Smith and I had Australia-United States ministerial consultations … She stepped off her big plane, eyes hidden behind large-framed oval sunglasses, her hair pulled back, an outsize light blue jacket and black slacks. She knew all our names, she didn’t complain about the fatigue, she said she was delighted to be here. For God’s sake, we’ve made her travel for 35 hours to reach Perth to give Stephen Smith another triumph for his hometown – and even with touchdowns in Hawaii and Guam she projected freshness and charm.”“Any time with Hillary is pure champagne, pure quality. I’m just back from Perth where Stephen Smith and I had Australia-United States ministerial consultations … She stepped off her big plane, eyes hidden behind large-framed oval sunglasses, her hair pulled back, an outsize light blue jacket and black slacks. She knew all our names, she didn’t complain about the fatigue, she said she was delighted to be here. For God’s sake, we’ve made her travel for 35 hours to reach Perth to give Stephen Smith another triumph for his hometown – and even with touchdowns in Hawaii and Guam she projected freshness and charm.”
The prime minister’s harbourside Sydney residence is a cottage:The prime minister’s harbourside Sydney residence is a cottage:
“I cross the bridge for my get-together with the prime minister at Kirribilli House, the cottage that passes for the residence of a head of government.”“I cross the bridge for my get-together with the prime minister at Kirribilli House, the cottage that passes for the residence of a head of government.”
He had some free time:He had some free time:
“Last night we ate kangaroo cooked in coriander, turmeric and cumin while watching Breaking Bad. I tweeted about this and found that British foreign secretary William Hague picked it up and tweeted, ‘What Aussie foreign ministers eat.’ Why not, William? It’s lean protein.”“Last night we ate kangaroo cooked in coriander, turmeric and cumin while watching Breaking Bad. I tweeted about this and found that British foreign secretary William Hague picked it up and tweeted, ‘What Aussie foreign ministers eat.’ Why not, William? It’s lean protein.”
Kevin Rudd tried to get him to persuade the Indonesians to make public statements during the Australian election campaign critical of the Coalition’s asylum policy:Kevin Rudd tried to get him to persuade the Indonesians to make public statements during the Australian election campaign critical of the Coalition’s asylum policy:
Carr quotes a text from Rudd, “Bob, I gather Marty was not helpful with his public statements on opposition policy today, a bob each way. What happened? Also when are we getting the Iranian decision? Tks KR” and Carr says “I replied that Marty meant he was prepared to talk to the opposition about what they meant by ‘turn back’ (asylum seeker boats) but hadn’t softened on their policy. Kevin responded: That is diplomatic nonsense Bob and Marty knows it ... I woke up the next morning to turn on the phone and get a text from a clearly irritated prime minister: See today’s Australian headline. I rest my case. Can you please call. KR. Nothing to do, though. The Indonesian president and foreign minister are not going to join our pre-election campaign. From their perspective, why should they?”Carr quotes a text from Rudd, “Bob, I gather Marty was not helpful with his public statements on opposition policy today, a bob each way. What happened? Also when are we getting the Iranian decision? Tks KR” and Carr says “I replied that Marty meant he was prepared to talk to the opposition about what they meant by ‘turn back’ (asylum seeker boats) but hadn’t softened on their policy. Kevin responded: That is diplomatic nonsense Bob and Marty knows it ... I woke up the next morning to turn on the phone and get a text from a clearly irritated prime minister: See today’s Australian headline. I rest my case. Can you please call. KR. Nothing to do, though. The Indonesian president and foreign minister are not going to join our pre-election campaign. From their perspective, why should they?”
• Diary of a Foreign Minister is published by NewSouth, $49.99. In bookstores from April 11