Keith Waller

Keith Waller joined Australia’s small foreign service in the 1930s and served in wartime China under Frederic Eggleston. Later postings included the Philippines, Thailand, and the Soviet Union. In Manila he opposed the discriminatory exclusion of Lorenzo Gamboa, a Filipino American married to an Australian woman. ¹

In 1964 Waller became the first career diplomat appointed ambassador in Washington. As Australian involvement in Vietnam grew, he repeatedly sought clarity about American strategy and warned Canberra to expect changes in U.S. commitments. The Nixon Doctrine’s emphasis on greater regional responsibility confirmed the need for reassessment. ¹

Waller returned in 1970 to head the foreign affairs department. He reorganized its management and oversaw the transition to the Whitlam government, including recognition of the People’s Republic of China. He retired in 1974 and later published diplomatic memoirs. ¹