New Delhi: The date was December 17, 1967. The place was Victoria state of Australia. The Prime Minister of a country had gone for a picnic on the sea shore with his friends. He entered the water, swam some distance and then suddenly disappeared. No scream was heard, no struggle was seen. Just one person disappeared like the wind. This story is not of any film, but of Harold Holt, the then Prime Minister of Australia. Even today, after 58 years, it is one of the biggest political and mysterious events in the world. A PM whose body has not been found till date. Were they swallowed by the sea? Or was he kidnapped by a submarine? Let us know the whole truth of this dreadful incident.
Bad weather and PM’s insistence
Harold Holt was very fond of swimming. He loved the sea very much. That Sunday he had gone to ‘Cheviot Beach’ with his friends. The weather was very bad. High waves were rising in the sea. The flow of water was very fast. What is called ‘rip current’ was at its peak.
His companions tried to stop him. But Holt had great confidence in his swimming. They did not agree and went into the water. According to eyewitnesses, they were moving fast amidst the waves. But suddenly a big bubble of water and foam surrounded them. Within no time they disappeared from sight. His friends thought he was joking or swimming. But when he did not come up for a long time, there was a panic. The Prime Minister of Australia had drowned in the sea.
The largest search operation in history
The entire country was stunned as soon as the news was received. The government immediately started the biggest search operation ever. Hundreds of Royal Australian Navy, Air Force and Police personnel were deployed. Divers searched every corner of the sea. Helicopters were keeping an eye from the sky.
This campaign continued for several days. But the surprising thing was that no trace of the PM was found. Neither his body, nor his clothes, nor any other clue were found. It seemed as if the sea had completely wiped them out. In the end the government considered it an accident. It was said that the strong waves pulled him away and he died due to drowning.
The horrifying tale of Harold Holt’s disappearance while swimming at sea. (Photo : National Museum of Australia)
Chinese submarine and espionage theory
Even though the government accepted it as an accident, the world was not ready to accept it. Due to the body not being found, many ‘conspiracy theories’ were born. The most famous and sensational theory in this was that of ‘Chinese espionage’.
British journalist Anthony Gray claimed in his book ‘The Prime Minister was a Spy’ that Harold Holt used to spy for China. According to this theory, Holt did not drown. In fact, a Chinese submarine was already present there to pick them up. They swam to the submarine and escaped to China. However, no concrete evidence was ever found for this claim. Holt’s wife and friends called it nonsense. But this story is still a topic of discussion among people.
Suicide or CIA conspiracy?
Another theory was that Holt was depressed. At that time the Vietnam War was going on and there was pressure on Australia. It was said that he committed suicide due to political pressure and personal stress. Some people even said that the American intelligence agency CIA was involved in this, because Holt wanted to get Australia out of the Vietnam War.
However, a judicial inquiry conducted in 2005 rejected all these theories. The coroner said in his report that Holt had too much confidence in his abilities. Swimming in bad weather and a dangerous place proved to be the biggest mistake of his life.
Dead body found, no clue! Did Harold Holt disappear of his own free will? (Photo: Parliament of Australia)
A mystery that was never solved
Harold Holt’s death remains a mystery to this day. How could the head of a powerful country, who had complete security, disappear like this? A swimming center in Australia was named ‘Harold Holt Swimming Centre’ in his memory. It is an irony in itself that a swimming center is named after a person who died due to drowning.
Even today, when people visit Cheviot Beach, they remember that day of 17 December 1967. The waves of the sea make the same noise even today, but they never allow the secret buried within them to come out.
