Saturday, 5 September 2026

Irish Diary on disappearance of Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt 1967

The Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt (1908-1967) went swimming at a secluded beach in Victoria in December 1967. He was never seen again. Read my Irish Diary in the Irish Times newspaper about the disappearance of Harold Holt.

Photograph of Harold Holt swimming. Image source.

Holt enjoyed swimming and snorkeling. His disappearance was a shock to his fellow countrymen and women and led to a whole range of conspiracy theories (which probably developed further as his body was never recovered despite an extensive search operation). 

At the time of his disappearance, Holt was an experienced politician who was seeking to develop Australia's relationships with other countries in the region and further afield. As a senior minister in Sir Robert Menzies' governments from 1949, he frequently visited London, New York and Washington for meetings of the Commonwealth and international organisations like the World Bank. 

Holt supported sending Australian troops to Vietnam during the Vietnam War and used the slogan "All the way with LBJ" when visiting the White House in June 1966 to show his support of the US President Lyndon Baines Johnson and his approach to the War. You can find out more about Holt's time in office in this resume on the National Archives of Australia website.

Irish Press, 21 October 1966.

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