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It has
already been shown that
Australia’s security and intelligence organisations took great interest in Editor Jim Bowditch , his politics, movements, editorials ,
associates. From the files , it
is apparent that some of the authors of
Bowditch reports frequently conversed
with him. A senior field officer based in Melbourne at the time , who had known Bowditch for two years in
Darwin , in June l960 painted an interesting picture of the editor .
Bowditch, he
wrote, was living with his wife “ Beth ”
and three children - Peter ,
Stephen and Noari ( sic) . His “ part-coloured ” wife was “ probably
identical ” with Betty Hodgson mentioned in
a l954 report. Bowditch, he said
, was a somewhat complex
character , had a good war record
and appeared devoted to his wife and family.
CHAMPIONS PEOPLE WITH PROBLEMS
CHAMPIONS PEOPLE WITH PROBLEMS
As a result of “
many conversations” with Bowditch , the
officer said he gained the impression
“ that he is seeking what he
considers to be a better form of society”, and was an idealist. He continued :
Bowditch has a
ready ear to listen to any person’s
problems and seems to champion
those people who, because of colour,creed or the own inability , have failed to achieve their ambitions or in some way been baulked
by authority . He is
particularly sensitive on
the colour question,probably because his second wife is a quadroon .
Bowditch is
easily roused and will pursue a subject in which he is interested with
tenacity. His tendency to support the
underdog and/or under-privileged is
sometimes reflected in his articles in the Northern Territory News in which he
is open in his criticism of the government and the local administration , and possibly stems from the time
when he started to take an active part in the affairs of the Clerks’ Union and in local politics in Alice Springs ...
Bowditch has
stated to me on more than one occasion that he has, for some years, taken
an interest in politics and has “ tried them all ” ( meaning all political parties ). He admitted
to us that he joined the Communist Party
of Australia in Adelaide in l952 to see whether communism would prove to be the answer to his own
idea of an ideal society ; this apparently it was not as he stated further that he did not agree with either
its ideals or methods and left
the party without ever having paid his dues...
At the time when
Bowditch admitted past membership of the C.P.A. , it was considered unwise to press him for further details of the reasons and personalities involved
in his joining and leaving the party . A suitable occasion for
following the line did not
eventuate before I left Darwin ...
Concerning the suitability of Bowditch for a further
approach regarding his past
association with the C.P.A. and knowing the man , I consider that
he might not react favourably to a direct
formal approach. However, if he can be induced to raise the topic again in general conversation with an officer he knows well
and trusts, there would be some
chance of success. The Regional Director , Northern Territory is cognizant
of all the facts in this case and
will no doubt exploit any opportunity
which might occur in this regard...
Bowditch now gives the impression of
being anti-communist.”
In another
paragraph, the officer said there was no
evidence at the time that Bowditch
was overtly sympathetic to and / or
connected with the C.P.A. Commenting on a photograph
attached to the Bowditch
file , the author of the
report said it was a
good likeness , but his hair was
now greying. Another
report in l962 contained
interesting statements about his
relationship with communists. It
said that while he appeared militant and
a good friend of the Communist Party , at other times he appeared “ very anti communist”. There was
a claim that Bowditch would use the Communists
to advance news stories; politically , he could be described as Labor with
a left tendency.
It would seem
that watching and reporting on Bowditch and
Darwin’s army of activists was a growth industry . At public protests
and other meetings in Darwin it was
not unusual for jokes to be made about the identity of the ASIO man in
attendance. An ASIO report mentioned
that Robert Wesley- Smith
publicly speculated about who was
the ASIO representative at a meeting.
In the cat and
mouse game of watching each other
, Bowditch was not averse to ringing up
ASIO headquarters in Darwin . One such
episode involved the l965 deporation from Darwin
of Englishman Eugene Fenton Davies who claimed to have been asked by Russia to engage in esponiage
in Australia . Naturally,
watersiders agitated against the
deportation and Bowditch was drawn into the affair ; an intriguing
story unfolded. Davies claimed that he had been asked by
Russians in Beirut to spy for
them in Australia before he moved to this country .
Bowditch rang the Darwin ASIO office on April l5 and left an interesting message which was relayed to ASIO headquarters in Canberra. According to a secret note, Bowditch said Davies wished to send a letter via the office to the Director General of ASIO , Colonel Spry, and copies to the PM , Sir Robert Menzies,and the Minister for Immigration, Mr Hubert Opperman .
I am writing this direct to you
now, with a copy to the Prime Minister
of Australia, Sir Robert
Menzies, and one to Mr Opperman, Minister
for Immigration . For all I know , you
may have acquainted the Prime Minister and Mr Opperman with the particular facts of my case.
I put it to you , sir, that the publicity arising from the decision to deport me from Australia has placed me in a most difficult position.
You will recall that very soon
after my arrival in Australia
last year , I contacted Mr
McKendrick in Darwin , and informed him
of action I had already taken in Singapore
to alert your Government to
the fact that I had been asked by the Russians in Beirut
to spy for them in Australia
. There seems no point at this stage in reiterating the story that I told Mr McKendrick
and one of your officers sent from
Canberra to interview me. You decided
not to act, at least through me,on the information I gave you , but I
can assure you it was correct in every detail.
I will, however, reiterate that
the reason for the “ bears”(Russians) approaching me was
because of my apparent activity
against the French in the Algerian war situation. Your files will show
that I informed your people that in fact
I was acting for the French
while being employed
by other people . I offered
quite sincerely to do just this
for your Government while
apparently being employed by “ the “
bears. ” I did point out, sir, that the veracity of my story could have been easily checked by going
along with the proposition, which
would have undoubtedly resulted in my setting up
for you at least one contact
with Russian Intelligence in your public service. The point about all this now
is that quite obviously
whether you wish to make use of me or not, it would almost
certainly be too dangerous in face of the publicity I have unwillingly received because of what I consider your Government’s most ungrateful action in
deporting me under these
circumstances. Whatever you may think of
me, I have experience in these matters , and I am quite frankly alarmed at what
may occur if certain people
believe I may now talk about my reasons for coming to Australia. I further put
to you to strengthen my claims
that I would not have come to
Australia originally because of the High
Court of England’s interest in me over my taking out of England a ward of the court- now my legal wife.
At that stage , the last place
I wanted to be was in a
Commonwealth country . I came here , as
I told your people in Singapore and
elsewhere, to inform you on the proposition put to me in Beirut.
However, subsequently we settled down here , and I find it difficult to understand why , under all the
circumstances, even in the light of my record , which is not a particularly
serious one, I am now to be hounded out of the country after trying
to render very genuine
service , which probably led to
the discovery of my English past.
It may be that my credit
with you waned when I put it to your
officer that I should at least be reimbursed for the cost
of my own and my wife’s fares from Singapore to Darwin and out again
. The
reason for this was simply that I had gone to considerable expense
to acquaint your Government with what I
considered then , and still do,
very valuable information , and I had been
delayed in so
doing by your people
in Singapore.
On arrival in Darwin I was very
nearly out of funds and because of my difficulties with the High Court in England, wished then to get my business done with you people , and then be flown
back again –surely a reasonable request.
I was frankly amazed that you did
not make use of what I told you. I was even more
amazed that no attempt was made
to reimburse my substantial expense incurred in this country’s interests.
If the Prime Minister and
Mr Opperman have not been made
aware to date of these facts, and others that are in your possession , and still
further supporting evidence
can be given to you , I now
ask you to confirm the details
and to speak for me in my bid
to remain in Australia ...
Bowditch was on
the phone to the Darwin
ASIO office again on April 24 saying Davies had written a story “about his espionage
activities” and that the story would be either published in the NT News or sent south for publication .( The
ASIO note carried the information that the News was owned by the Murdoch group of newspapers ). Bowditch had “intimated” that ASIO
was mentioned in the story . The
author of the ASIO report then
went on to discredit Bowditch saying that while he was a good
journalist , he regarded
him as “ completely
untrustworthy and unscrupulous”.
“ He is not well respected
in the Darwin community and has numerous convictions for drunken and
irresponsible behaviour.” [Not so]
