Diplomatic history of Australia the democratic world. In a country gripped by this fear, the government's defence policy was dominated by the idea of "forward defence", in which Australia would seek to prevent the Communist "thrust into South-East Asia". The committal of troops to the Vietnam War was viewed as an attempt by the Menzies Government to strengthen the alliance with the USA following Great Britain's withdrawal "east of Suez". With his arrival in October 1966, Lyndon Baines Johnson became the first US President to visit Australia. The visit came in the light of increasing international criticism over the war in Vietnam. The majority
King Carl XVI Gustaf's 1976 visit to the United States King Carl XVI Gustaf's 1976 visit to the United States The 1976 visit of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden to the United States was the first state visit by a reigning Monarch of Sweden to the United States. The visit, planned as part of the United States Bicentennial celebrations and one of several from foreign heads of states, marked a warming in Swedish–American relations after the Vietnam War. The 27-day tour lasted from April 2 to April 30, and included a formal reception by President Gerald Ford at the White House, as well as visits to Swedish American communities