Was the CIA involved in Whitlam's dismissal?

11/11/2025 26 min
Was the CIA involved in Whitlam's dismissal?

Listen "Was the CIA involved in Whitlam's dismissal?"

Episode Synopsis


On 11 November 1975, Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was sacked by Governor-General Sir John Kerr. For the past 50 years, people have speculated about the motives behind Kerr’s unprecedented decision — could there have been interference from outside Australia? Today, we’re getting to the bottom of the CIA conspiracy theory that’s dogged Whitlam’s dismissal for decades. Matt talks to The Eleventh producer and award-winning journalist Ninah Kopel about possible American meddling in this most infamous of Australian incidents. Follow If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDTPrMoGHssAfgMMS3L5LpLNFMNp1U_Nq