December 17th, 1967. It’s a warm summer day on the beaches of Australia. The Prime Minister, Harold Holt, decides to go for a swim in the ocean. Kissing his wife, he sets out, dives in and is never seen again.
Holt was an avid swimmer, venturing out into the ocean almost daily. The press liked to play him up as a sort of James Bond Scuba Action man, the playboy PM. Liked by most, Holt was a man of distinguished back ground, having been in the government for 32 years before he became PM. He was the youngest minister in parliament, having served in the Immigration, Labour and National Service seats.
At the time, Holt has been PM for 11 months, and it was rumored that he was threatening to pull troops out of Vietnam. It was not well known if he was in opposition to Australia’s involvement in the conflict, as it’s not documented to be the case, and he had tolerated it up till this point. Perhaps he changed his mind that fateful day?
The disappearance of Holt remains a mystery. His body was never found, nor were any scraps of clothing. The only thing left behind was his briefcase. He was a strong swimmer and an excellent spear fisherman. On the day of his disappearance it was hot and clear, but the waters were choppy. Eye witness Alan Stewart told Australia’s GNT History Channel “The surf was extremely turbulent. It was wild. It was berserk. Berserk is the best word for it.”
Holt surely would not have entered the water if he thought he couldn’t handle it. The beach was like his private backyard. He knew it well, having swum there almost every day. Is it possible that Holt knew what he was doing out there? Aside from death by drowning there are other theories to Holt’s death, including CIA assassination, or a Chinese Submarine.
Some claim that the CIA wanted Holt out of the picture, for threatening to pull out of Vietnam. The CIA were trigger happy, they had the motive, and the ability to pull off an audacious stunt like that. The eyewitnesses at the time were sure Holt was simply in rough surf and wasn’t strong enough to battle the crashing waves. If the Chinese submarine was involved, they would have been battling the same rough sea while managing to stay hidden from the witnesses. It was rumored by some that Holt was a spy, and was transferring secret documents to the Chinese in return for a secret life away from his wife with his secret mistress.
Holt may have been showing off at the time he dove into the wild surf, it was known that Holt was surrounded by a constant entourage of women, being something of a ladies man. Nothing impresses the troop of women like catching a fish with a sharp stick. He may have been distracted, his brother had recently died and his term in office was giving him some stress. It Seems likely Holt simply drowned. At 59 he still believed he was a strong and capable swimmer, buying into his own stories of his swimming prowess, believing he couldn’t drown. The waters were known to be filled with sharks, and it seems likely his body was probably ones lunch.
To me, the most likely story is one that the police, government and conspiracy theorists haven’t even considered. Insane sea turtles. Though unproven It is well known sea turtles live in the sea and are by human standards insane. Coincidence? You decide.