Hick's gag came from the US military

The Australian Government did not request the controversial one-year gag imposed on David Hicks, says the man who negotiated the deal on behalf of the United States.

Brigadier-General Thomas Hemingway said the gag was his idea.

"I thought it appropriate, given all the rhetoric that was floating around, that it would be appropriate if he would agree not to talk to the press or other media for a while," he said.

General Hemingway is the legal adviser to the military tribunal convening authority, which can approve reductions in sentences.

He negotiated the deal with Major Michael Mori, Hicks' military defence counsel.

Hicks, who has spent five years in the military prison at Guantanamo Bay after being captured in Afghanistan, last week pleaded guilty to a charge of giving material support to terrorists.