Honest History vice president, Alison Broinowski, is quoted today in a story in The New Daily about whether the United States interfered in the Australian election of 1975. The article references authors Andrew Fowler and John Pilger and former CIA sources. Alison Broinowski said US interference ‘appeared obvious’.
“From writings by Marian Wilkinson, Christopher Boyce, John Pilger, Jenny Hocking, James Curran, and others, it is clear that Whitlam came close to closing down the bases and getting sacked in return,” she said.
“The trouble is those who know the whole story are either dead or won’t say how or whether the US actually changed the outcome of the election. If they did, it would only be one of many around the world, before and since.
A comprehensive American study of declassified US documents found no evidence of American involvement, however, and some other Australian observers, including James Curran, are doubtful that it occurred. The article, by John Stapleton, concludes that critics of the US alliance believe that an undertaking by the US not to interfere in Australian domestic politics applies only as long as Australia is compliant. The Trump era may change matters.
Alison Broinowski’s chapter in The Honest History Book, forthcoming April, looks at foreign policy and defence matters.
20 January 2017