This Happened—December 17: Australian Prime Minister Goes Missing, Forever
On December 17th, 1976, Australian prime minister Harold Holt went for a swim with friends and never returned.
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How did Harold Holt go missing?
The Prime Minister of Australia from 1966-1967, Holt was an avid outdoorsman and loved to swim in the ocean near to where he lived Portsea, Victoria. On the morning of December 17, Holt woke up in Portsea, called his wife, and went to the store. That afternoon, he suggested to friends that they all go for a swim in a particularly unsafe part of the beach. His friends stayed close to the shore, but he went deeper and was pulled out to sea.
Was Harold Holt murdered?
Although a massive search party was conducted, his body was never found and he is presumed to have died. Conspiracy stories have since erupted, saying he had committed suicide, or was a spy for the People’s Republic of China.