The 1975 Dismissal: Spies, Sovereignty, and Secrets

Transcript

Host2:You know, the 1975 Dismissal always felt like a political earthquake, but recent revelations, especially from Professor Jenny Hocking's work, have really shifted my understanding of what truly happened.

Host1:Absolutely. Her campaign to release the Palace letters was groundbreaking. But what truly expanded my view was learning about the deep involvement of the CIA and MI6. It wasn't a military coup, as we might see in other countries, but a constitutional one, backed by the Palace and MI6.

Host2:A constitutional coup? That's a strong claim. What was their motivation during the Cold War?

Host1:Whitlam. His views on foreign bases were seen as a major threat. I knew he was conscious of security, but I'd discounted direct CIA/MI6 involvement until more information became available. They were worried about his stance on installations like Pine Gap, which was actually run by the CIA, not just the Pentagon as Sir Arthur Tange initially briefed him.

Host2:So, Pine Gap was the flashpoint?

Host1:Precisely. Whitlam explicitly stated in April 1974 that there shouldn't be foreign military bases in Australia, and he didn't favour prolonging existing ones. The lease on Pine Gap was due in December 1975. The US was appalled. Nixon, apparently, couldn't stand Whitlam, called him a 'c**t', and considered Australia a 'North Vietnamese collaborator' after his comments on bombing Hanoi.

Host2:That kind of language from a President is shocking. So, the US actively considered undermining him?

Host1:They did. Nixon's National Security Study Memorandum 204, declassified much later, recommended 'setting the stage for opposition victory' if Whitlam's policies were inimical to US interests. Then, in late 1975, a new CIA station chief, Milton Wonus, was assigned, explicitly tasked with 'bringing Whitlam down'.

Host2:And MI6? How were they involved?

Host1:MI6 was actively considering intervention by October 1975. Sir Michael Palliser, from the British Foreign Office, made a very unusual visit to Australia, meeting only with Governor-General Kerr and the NSW Governor, not even the Foreign Minister or the head of PM&C – me! It seems he was acting to safeguard the Queen's interests with plausible deniability. There were also deep ties between MI6 chief Oldfield and Justice Hope, who was reviewing Australian intelligence.

Host2:Whitlam seemed to be pushing back hard against these agencies.

Host1:He was. He wanted Australian intelligence to distance itself from the CIA and MI6. He even sacked ASIS head Bill Robertson over alleged activities in East Timor, and threatened to abolish ASIS entirely. This was seen as an attack on the Five Eyes. And then came his Port Augusta speech.

Host2:Ah, the one about the CIA funding the National Country Party?

Host1:Exactly. He accused the CIA of channelling funds into domestic Australian politics, specifically naming Richard Stallings, a former head of Pine Gap, who had rented Doug Anthony's house. Kissinger was furious, sending a furious telegram to the ambassador.

Host2:And that led to the demarche?

Host1:Yes. On November 8th, just three days before the Dismissal, Ted Shackley, chief of the CIA East Asia Division, sent a demarche to ASIO – with Kissinger's permission. It warned that Whitlam's actions could 'blow the lid off installations in Australia' and jeopardize mutually beneficial relationships. This message was relayed to Kerr as an ultimatum. I was excluded from seeing it, not being part of the 'Austral American club'.

Host2:So the pressure from both domestic and foreign fronts was immense. It sounds like Kerr was heavily encouraged to act.

Host1:Undoubtedly. With CIA and MI6 encouragement, he pushed Whitlam over the cliff. Interestingly, the Government House guestbooks for that period went missing. And both Whitlam's ASIO file and mine have been 'culled'. These agencies often believe they're more patriotic, even than prime ministers, but their judgment can be incredibly poor.

Host2:It's a stark reminder of the hidden forces at play in our history. Though, I recall President Carter later made a promise to Whitlam, didn't he?

Host1:He did. In 1977, his deputy secretary of state, Warren Christopher, told Whitlam that Carter had instructed him to say the US administration would 'never again interfere in the domestic political processes of Australia'. A clear admission of past interference, wouldn't you say? Though Fraser, upon becoming PM, promptly renewed the Pine Gap lease.