BETWEEN FIVE WORLDS: CHINA, RUSSIA, JAPAN, LATIN AMERICA AND AUSTRALIA.
BETWEEN FIVE CAREERS and FIVE LANGUAGES

It was a 65 year long career spanning five continents and five languages. But it focussed largely on China, Russia and Japan.

In the wings, so to speak, were experiences as observer to the agonies of East Timor, Vietnam, Kosovo-Serbia and Ukraine-Russia.

From the beginning:

1.1936:  Born Cambridge UK, to British parents, Marjorie and the economist Colin Clark

2. 1938: with premonitions of coming war in Europe father (and family) move to Australia, first for a lecturing position in Perth and then to Brisbane as economic adviser to Queensland government.

1941-42:  fears of Japanese bombing attacks cause family children to be evacuated to Toowoomba, a mountain resort close to Brisbane.

1949:  ideas of healthy living lead to family buying, and running, a small pig farm outside Brisbane, with me and my mother having to manage when father absent – an event which was to cause a bone injury which would lead to severe physical problems many years later. 

Education:  Brisbane Catholic schools to graduation at age 16. 

Main interests: science and languages (Latin and French). Strong anti-communist family and school environment. 

Hobbies: the family farm and exploring rural surroundings on horseback.  

3. 1953-6: Father’s Oxford appointment means a 1952 family move back to the UK and a four month gap in schooling schedules. Gap filled by rough ‘jackeroo’ work on remote, western Queensland sheep staton.

4. 1953. Entered Brasenose College, Oxford. M.A. course. Geography. 

Hobbies: hitchhiking through Europe with bi-lingual girl friend, Diane, gives valuable exposure to European culture. Post-graduation, three month stay in Croatian Adriatic resort gives exposure to Slav culture. 

5. 1956: Post-graduation London interview sees me accepted by Australian Department of External Affairs (EA).

6.  1956. Boat return to Australia broken by Suez War.

7.  Begin EA in-department work training. First exposure to Australian latent Sinophobia.

8.  1958. Decide to take first year Russian (reasons: year of Sputnik, memories of Croatia, and chance to get back to Europe and former girl-friend, Diane, when Moscow Embassy re-opens). Also take first year economics under Heinz Arndt, both at Canberra University College. 

9.   1959. Department calls for volunteers to undertake one year intensive Chinese study, at Point Cook air base language school near Melbourne followed by one year Hong Kong posting. I am the only applicant. I have to apply.

10.  1959.  Nine months intensive, but inadequate, Chinese language study at Pt. Cook. 

11. 1960-61. Posted to Hong Kong.  Continued inadequate Chinese study at University of Hong Kong.  Part-time work in Australian Consulate.

12.  1961-62. Return to Canberra and EA, East Asia section, China desk.  See closeup unblinking Indian mendacity and equally unblinking Western mendacity over 1962 China-India border dispute and war.

One year ‘live’ Chinese with Taiwan Embassy friend, Duan-mu Ch’ien-min, provides much-needed Chinese fluency. 

…

13.  1962. Receive strong offers from both John Crawford (ANU) and Bruce Miller (ANU International Relations department) to set up China studies units. I ask to postpone since am likely to receive Moscow posting and will be more valuable as Sino-Soviet specialist.

Also receive strong offer from Modelski to join ANU as China researcher.

14.  1963-5. posted to Moscow, USSR. Second (later First) Secretary. Interests: Soviet politics, extensive travel in Soviet Union, Russian language ‘live’ study in nearby Moscow University student restaurants. 

Discover Diane is in Germany, already married to rocket expert in Egypt, but warm reunion.

15. 1964. Receive offer of posting to New York as Australian delegate to UN Disarmament Commission to follow Michael Cook. Decide to accept. At 28 years age, I am youngest delegate.

16. Late 1964. Suffer KGB entrapment attacks using Moscow student friends. Canberra demands we tell Moscow how Australia regrets Moscow support for Hanoi in Vietnam. Taken together, forces rethink of planned EA career and New York posting. 

Am witness to weird Hasluck effort in the Kremlin to recruit Kosygin and Gromyko to join Western effort in Vietnam War.

…

17. Growing horror of Vietnam War leads me to decline UN posting offer, return to Australia, get study leave from EA and find new career outside. Also plan actively to protest Australian involvement in Vietnam War.

18. 1965. Return to Canberra.  Decide not to follow up on earlier Crawford or Miller offers because of their now obvious anti-China, pro-Vietnam War bias.

Foolish generosity leads me to pass Modelski offer to Stephen Fitzgerald despite  realising as result I might lose chance of future China career.

Posted to EA East Asia section, China desk. Prepare to request two-three year study leave from Department.  Am told leave is available  “till Vietnam thing is over”.

…

19. 1965. Apply for and receive four year PhD scholarship, Australian National University (ANU), Economics Department, three years to study Japan’s overseas direct investment plus one year for Japanese language study while still formally employed by EA.

Incompetent ASIO stunts lead me to resign formally from External Affairs since EA refusal to investigate means diplomatic career thrown in doubt.  

20. 1965-6. Canberra, ANU. Begin PhD level economics studies and Japanese language study. Involvement with anti-Vietnam War groups around Australia.

Seek and receive one year leave from ANU studies to write book ‘In Fear of China’ with crucial help from Ms.Ronnie Baldwin. Shall always be grateful.

21. 1967. Tokyo. One year field studies for PhD topic. Helped greatly by Yasuko Tanno of Institute of Developing Economies (IDE).

22. 1968. Return to Canberra, Australian National University. Badly shocked by ANU pro-Vietnam War consensus. 

23. Suffer severe below from ANU Press refusal to publish ‘In Fear of China’ manuscript (described as pro-communist propaganda by ANU International Affairs Department).  Fortunately published by Lansdowne Press, and translated to Japanese by IDE as Kokusai Seiji to Chugoku (International Affairs and China). 

Decide to postpone ANU PhD studies since it is obvious I have no future in hostile, ASIO-infiltrated International Affairs departments in ANU and elsewhere.

Invitation from John Menadue via Eric Walsh to join The Australian newspaper as Tokyo correspondent.          

24.  1969:  Sydney, News Corp Offices. Preparing to be correspondent to work in Tokyo.

25. 1969-74: Tokyo, Bureau Chief, The Australian. Dramatic reporting years – China recognition, Japan’s economic rise, Tanaka Kakuei. 

26.  1971. Extraordinary events lead to my organising pingpong diplomacy for Australia, bypassing Canberra’s blocking moves, and leading to eventual Australian recognition of China. 

27. 1972-3. Extensive travel in Cultural Revolution, China. Invited by Simul Press to write book about China, Japan.  

28.  Relationship with Yasuko Tanno formalised.  First son, Dan Tanno, is born.

29. 1974. Invitation from John Menadue to join Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet Department, Canberra, as consultant, Assistant Secretary level, Policy Coordination Unit.

30.  1975-9. Canberra. PM&C Department, handling domestic and foreign problems. Confront government policies over looming East Timor tragedy, attempted hawk sabotage of Japan-Australia friendship treaty, economic rationalism. 

Attempt to save Whitlam in Vietnam cables affair leads to severe public service career damage.

31.  1979. Change of government in Canberra, return to Tokyo with family. Part-time lecturer, Faculty of Comparative Culture, Sophia University.

32. 1980. second son, Ron, is born.

33. 1980. Successful publicity efforts by self and Simul Press for publication of Japanese translation of earlier requested China,Japan book, which they entitle  ’Japan – Origins of a Nation’s Uniqueness.’ ( I call it The Japanese Tribe – Origins of a Nation’s Uniqueness). Leads to many years of academic positions, a never-ending lecture circuit, and appointment to many committees, including Japanese government policy committees. 

Also leads to Aust Embassy, Tokyo, blacklisting due to my book’s mention of previous year revelations in Australia of secret Australian decoding efforts of Japanese cables, previously unreported in Japan. 

34. 1980-95. Tokyo, Sophia University, Dual Professor in Faculties of Economics (one year,1980) and Comparative Culture.  

Invited to publish more books  ‘Gokai sareru Nihonjin’ (The Misunderstood Japanese), (Kodansha), Understanding the Japanese (Kinsiedo),etc. 

Hobby: Kiwi fruits farming and land development for outdoor training centre in Nakadaki, Boso Peninsula, near Tokyo.

35. 1995-2001. Tokyo. Invited to be President, Tama University. Difficulties in reforming Tama lead me to publish book in Japanese ‘Why Japan’s Education System will not Change’. Appointed Emeritus President, Tama.

36.  2002.  Member, Founding Committee, experimental all-English language, Akita International University (AIU).

37. 2003-2010.  Visiting Professor, AIU. 

38. Yasuko dies (leukemia). Causes me serious distress.

39.  Nakadaki Centre sold (too big to manage).  Development work to create smaller community at Ohara ocean-front site nearby. 

40.  2010— Honorary Select Professor, AIU, now a well-ranked and much-imitated university in Japan.

41. 2019.  Failure of operation to cure childhood backbone injury causes rare CIDP nerve injury, which makes future obscure.

42.  2015 — Friendship with Carolina from Peru (a refugee from revolution tormented Lima) leads to discovery of Peru, serious study of Spanish language. 

Receive valuable post-operation care from Carolina who moves between Japan and Peru.

Currently in semi-retirement, moving between Tokyo apartment and ocean-front house in Boso Peninsula. Sons Dan and Ron have houses nearby, both married with children.

2. Lessons Learned

It was a career filled with many twists and turns, many created by pure chance. In total, more than forty it seems.  What did I learn from all that?:

1. Learn languages. They open many doors.

2. Study Russian and Chinese affairs. They will open to an understanding of world affairs.

3. Realise there are no limits to the mendacity and cruelty of our Western foreign affairs agencies in their cooperation with our Western military agencies seeking to create the wars and the enemies needed to justify their budgets and existence.

4.Treasure the women in your life.

5. Play sport (squash). The fitness will stay with you.

6. Appreciate Japan – a difficult but crime-free country with important cultural homogeneity lessons.  

7. Prepare in advance. You may live longer than you expect.