The Dummies Guide to the Petrov Affair Its not all about the photo

What You Need to Know: An outline of what happened When it happened, and where this fits in with other events in the time period (attempts to ban the Communist Party, Korea, Vietnam, ANZUS & SEATO) An outline of why it happened at that particular time, linking to: o The Australian governments response to communism within Australia in the post-war era o Public perceptions and fear of communism How the Petrov Affair affected Australian politics in the decades afterward (ie, the split of the ALP) Where Does this Fit? The Petrov Affair occurs in 1954, in the lead-up to the federal election. The Royal Commission is also in 1954 but it is discussed in Parliament in 1955, leading to the split of the ALP into the ALP (Australian Labor Party) and the DLP (Democratic Labor Party). It happens after the attempts to ban the Communist Party (1950-51) and the signing of the ANZUS treaty (1951) and the SEATO treaty (1952). It is before our involvement in the Vietnam War begins in 1962. What Happened? Menzies was due for a Federal election in 1954 and Menzies was feeling the pressure. People were less concerned with the activities of the communist party now, and were paying more attention to the economy and social issues

and the ALP was starting to look more appealing. Menzies knew he had to pull a rabbit out of the hat to win the election, and kicking the communist can had always worked well for him in the past! On the night of 13 April, 1954, Menzies announced to Parliament that the Russian diplomat, Vladimir Petrov, would be defecting (seeking political asylum in Australia) and providing information about a communist spy ring operating in Australia. Menzies also announced that he would establish a Royal Commission to investigate the claims. (Menzies didnt announce publicly that ASIO had paid Petrov $10 000 to assist his decision to defect.) One week later (on April 19) the famous photo was taken! Mrs Petrov was being escorted back to Russia by the couriers, Jarkov and Karpinsky. There were huge demonstrations at Sydney Airport, and later on, when the plane stopped to re-fuel at Darwin, ASIO agents boarded the plane and asked Mrs Petrov if she would like to stay in Australia. She agreed, and was taken to Vladimir. NB: While this is the famous part of the event that we have such great sources about, it is NOT the whole thing! You do need to know about the events at Sydney and Darwin airport, but it is not sufficient for you to just talk about these events. You must also know about Vladimirs defection, Menzies use of the Petrov Affair to win the election, and the split of the ALP. On May 17,1954, Menzies set up the Royal Commission into Espionage, and then on 29 May, he won the Federal election. Evatt, the leader of the ALP, claimed that Menzies exploited peoples fear of communism to win the election (a not entirely unfounded claim!). In October 1955, the report of the Royal Commission was discussed in Parliament. While they were unable to find sufficient evidence to charge anyone, Evatt appeared to defend communism and made himself very unpopular both within and outside his own party. The tension lead to a

splinter group of ALP members breaking off to create the DLP, who give their preferences to the Liberal Party! This splitting of the Labor vote meant that the ALP was unable to win government for the next 16 years they were unable to win government again until 1972. Now that youve read the summary, answer the following questions: 1. Describe how the Australian government used the Petrov Affair to respond to the threat of Communism in Australia.