The continuing story of Australia's domestic intelligence organisation during the turbulent years from the end of the Menzies era to the downfall of the Whitlam government.
By 1963, Robert Menzies had been prime minister for thirteen years, Australia had its first troops in Vietnam, and change was in the air. There would soon be street protests over women's rights, Aboriginal land rights and the Vietnam War, and unprecedented student activism. With the Cold War lingering, ASIO was concerned that protests were being orchestrated to foment revolution.
The Protest Years tells the inside story of Australia's domestic intelligence organisation from the last of the Menzies years to the dismissal of the Whitlam government. With unrestricted access to ASIO's internal files, and extensive interviews with insiders, for the first time the circumstances surrounding the alleged role of ASIO in the demise of the Whitlam Government are revealed, and the question of the CIA's involvement in Australia is explored. The extraordinary background to the raid on ASIO headquarters in Melbourne by Attorney-General Lionel Murphy, and Australia's efforts at countering Soviet bloc espionage, as well as the sensitive intelligence activities in South Vietnam, are exposed.
The Protest Years is the second of three volumes of The Official History of ASIO.
By:
John Blaxland
Imprint: Allen & Unwin
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 153mm,
Weight: 804g
ISBN: 9781760294182
ISBN 10: 1760294187
Series: OFFICIAL HISTORY OF ASIO
Pages: 592
Publication Date: 28 September 2016
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
List of Figures and Tables..Preface..Acronyms and Abbreviations..Glossary..Chronology..Introduction..PART 1: ASIO DURING THE VIETNAM WAR, 1963-1972..1. The Challenge of Adolescence: ASIO's Growing Pains, 1963-1972..2. Shaping and Influencing: ASIO, Politics and the Media, 1963-1972..3. Listening and Watching: Human Intelligence Techniques and Procedures, 1963-1972..4. Tracking 'Revolutionaries': Counter-subversion Operations, 1963-1972..5. The Rise of Terrorism: Croatian Emigres and Counter-subversion, 1963-1972..6. Grappling with Dissent: Anti-Vietnam War Protests, 1963-1972..7. Refining the Methods: Counterespionage Techniques and Threats, 1963-1972..8. Looking for Leads: Counterespionage Operations against the Soviets, 1963-1972..9. Monitoring the Rest: Counterespionage and non-Soviet Targets, 1963-1972..10. Vetting and Advising: Protective Security, 1963-1972..PART 2: INTERNATIONAL AND OVERSEAS ENGAGEMENT, 1963-1975..11. Operations Far and Wide: ASIO's Foreign and Overseas Connections, 1963-1972..12. Australia's Cold War Frontline: ASIO in Papua New Guinea, 1962-1975 by Rhys Crawley..PART 3: ASIO AND THE WHITLAM YEARS, 1972-1975..13. Whitlam, Murphy and the 'Raid': Turbulent Times, 1972-1973..14. Beyond the Murphy Raid: ASIO in Turmoil, 1972-1975..15. Responding to New Priorities: Countersubversion and Counterterrorism, 1973-1975..16. Multiplying Targets: Counterespionage, 1973-1975..17. Changing the Rules: Protective Security, 1973-1974..18. ASIO on the Brink: The Last Days of the Whitlam Government, 1974-1975..Conclusion: Reflections on ASIO in Transition..Bibliography..Notes..Index
JOHN BLAXLAND is a Senior Fellow at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University and writes about military history, intelligence, security and Asia-Pacific affairs. He is a former Director of Joint Intelligence Operations at Headquarters Joint Operations Command, the editor of East Timor Intervention and the author of The Australian Army from Whitlam to Howard and Strategic Cousins.
