Gough Whitlam

Gough Whitlam   (politician)
Born	Edward Gough Whitlam 1916-07-11 Kew, Melbourne, Australia
Died	2014-10-21 (Age 98) Elizabeth Bay, Sydney, Australia
Alma mater	Mowbray House School, Knox Grammar School, Telopea Park School, Canberra Grammar School, University of Sydney
Children	• Tony • Nicholas • Stephen Catherine
Spouse	Margaret Whitlam
Member of	US/Department/State/International Visitor Leadership Program
Interest of	Australian Secret Intelligence Service
Party	Australian Labor Party
Prime Minister of Australia In office 5 December 1972 - 11 November 1975 Preceded by William McMahon Succeeded by Malcolm Fraser  Australia/Minister for Foreign Affairs In office 5 December 1972 - 6 November 1973  Australia/Leader of the Opposition  In office 11 November 1975 - 22 December 1977 Preceded by Malcolm Fraser Succeeded by Bill Hayden  Australia/Leader of the Opposition  In office 9 February 1967 - 5 December 1972 Succeeded by William McMahon  Australia/Leader of the Labor Party In office 9 February 1967 - 22 December 1977 Succeeded by Bill Hayden  Australia/Deputy Leader of the Labor Party In office 7 March 1960 - 9 February 1967  Member of the Australian Parliament for Werriwa In office 29 November 1952 - 31 July 1978  Minister for Foreign Affairs In office 5 December 1972 - 6 November 1973  Leader of the Opposition  In office 11 November 1975 - 22 December 1977  Leader of the Opposition  In office 9 February 1967 - 5 December 1972  Leader of the Labor Party In office 9 February 1967 - 22 December 1977  Deputy Leader of the Labor Party In office 7 March 1960 - 9 February 1967

Gough Whitlam became Prime Minister of Australia on 5 December 1972 and quickly began a series of reforms which distanced Australia from its former colonial masters and from USA. Some of his ministers publicly condemned the American’s indiscriminate bombing of towns, civilian targes and dense population centres as corrupt and barbaric. Whitlam also expressed his unhappiness about the Pine Gap spy station in the middle of Australia, spying on everyone including civilians, government and military.

Downfall

Full article: 1975 Australian coup

The ‘Whitlam Problem’ was considered such a threat to US hegemony and control over Australia that they dispatched their problem solver man of the moment, ‘Coup Master’ Marshall Green, to Canberra as Ambassador.

The deep political milieu, Le Cercle, has been accused of destabilizing Gough Whitlam's Australian government because it opposed a conservative economic agenda.

References

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