Harold holt disappearances

1967 presumed death of the Prime Minister of Australia

On 17 December 1967, Harold Holt, the 17th prime minister of Australia, disappeared while swimming in the sea near Portsea, Victoria.

An enormous search operation was mounted in and around Cheviot Beach, but his body was never recovered. Holt was presumed to have drowned, and his memorial service five days later was attended by many world leaders.

It is generally agreed that Holt's disappearance was a simple case of an accidental drowning, but a number of conspiracy theories surfaced, most famously the suggestion that he was a spy for China and had been collected by a Chinese submarine.

Nfsa harold holt

Holt was the third Australian prime minister to die in office, after Joseph Lyons in 1939 and John Curtin in 1945.

Holt was initially replaced in a caretaker capacity by John McEwen, and then by John Gorton following the 1968 Liberal Party leadership election.

Holt's death has entered Australian folklore, and