Guyon Espiner

And at the time, a majority of New Zealanders wanted to remain in the ANZUS alliance, but they also wanted to take a stand on the nuclear issue.

David Lange seems to have wanted to find a way through that would satisfy everyone.

But in the end, that didn't happen.

As I understood it, Lange said to the Americans, leave it with me.

I'll be able to tone all this down.

And of course, he wasn't able to tone it down.

And I think he probably tried to.

I don't know what tone it down might have meant.

But Shorts gave him the time to do that.

And it didn't happen, and the Americans felt really betrayed that the Prime Minister had done that, and I don't think he did it on purpose.

The nuclear ships and a passport with a silver fern on it meant that, you know, we were not flavour of the month.

And you were sort of literally locked out of the agency.

In other words, you weren't really allowed back in.

I wasn't even allowed from parking out front in the Sarge saying, park where you like, Kiwi, and, you know, to not even being allowed to go back there.

There were a few drinks organised away from Langley itself.

And I kind of felt, you know, after all I've done, but having said that,

All the officers I dealt with were kind of apologetic.

They, you know, it was the edict.

Thanks for all the work you've done and all that and have a happy life.

You know, that was what it was supposed to be.