Episode 5 pulls the lid off the competing explanations, contradictions and shifting power plays that erupted after Harold Holt vanished. The official line was simple: a tragic drowning. But the documents, briefings and behind-the-scenes manoeuvring tell a more fractured story.

We break down the inconsistencies that surfaced in the first 72 hours—conflicting witness accounts, sudden changes in language from police and Cabinet, strange timing in ASIO’s internal memos, and a government struggling to keep its message straight as the world demanded answers. At the same time, Canberra entered its most delicate succession battle in decades, with party heavyweights quietly positioning themselves before Holt’s chair was even cold.

Through archival audio, speech fragments, and intelligence-era atmospherics, this episode explores the early pressure points: what was said, what was corrected, what was buried—and who benefitted.

Episode 5 marks the moment the Holt case stopped being a disaster… and became a political fault line.

Credits

Voiceover, production & editorial direction by Stephen Johns.

Historical research & script development by Steve Hart & Alex G.

Archival materials sourced from:

– National Archives of Australia

– Parliamentary Library

– Trove

– Australian War Memorial

– ASIO & diplomatic releases

Music Credits:

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators)

Flow State — Simon Folwar

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Electromagnetic Interference — Adi Goldstein

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Avalanche — Allalo

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Slinky Crunch — Sky Cassette

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Do What You're Supposed To — West Valley Shakers

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Monument Music - Chapter One

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