Summary heading

 Prime Ministers Papers Project.

Function and purpose

 This series consists of personal items belonging to Harold Edward Holt, mainly covering the period when he was Prime Minister (1966-1967).

The most significant item is the briefcase Holt took to Portsea in Victoria the weekend he disappeared while swimming at nearby Cheviot Beach. Official documents in the briefcase at that time were removed and passed to the Prime Minister’s Department by Holt’s Private Secretary. They were placed in archival custody by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet in 1987 (M1945). The present contents of the briefcase include photocopies of the official documents, a small number of files and other documents concerning Holt’s personal financial affairs, a file covering the Holt v Egerton defamation case (1958), beach toiletries and some other objects.

Another item is a blue zipped documents wallet embossed ‘Very Important Papers’. Individual envelope sleeves in the wallet also contain a number of documents, mainly concerning Holt’s personal financial affairs and matters relating to journalist Maxwell Newton.

Other items in the series include five empty leather pocket wallets, most stamped ‘Rt Hon Harold Holt’, four brown luggage labels and an Israeli coin in a small wooden presentation box.

Related legislation

 

Using the series

 

Language of material

 

Physical characteristics

a)     Item [1]: Briefcase (brown leather with metal clasp and metal initials ‘HEH’ on closing flap, various contents).

b)    Items [2] – [4]: Wallets and luggage labels (leather, various colours and sizes, some gold embossing)

c)     Item [5]: Silver coin (in small wooden presentation case)

System of arrangement and control

The multiple number system of control was imposed by National Archives of Australia in the absence of any original order to the material.

Relationships with other records

 Originally part of a larger collection now controlled as M4297, M4298, M4299 and M4300, and also related to other Holt material (eg M19450) and to M4962; M4963; and M4964

Finding aids

 

Access conditions

 

Series history

The objects and associated papers in this series were amongst other records held in Holt family ownership after the death of Harold Edward Holt in December 1967. The arrangement of the material, including the item numbering and series description, was completed as part of the Prime Ministers Papers’ Project in July 2002. 

In August 2011, the contents of each of the Front Middle and Zip pockets of the briefcase were described and controlled and entered onto RecordSearch. The briefcase, Item [1] has four compartments which held various personal objects. These compartments are now numbered [1]-[4] to allow the contents to be intellectually controlled and their original location recorded: These compartments are numbered as below:

Front pocket [1]; Middle pocket [2]; Zip pocket [3];Outside (back) pocket [4]

 Harold Edward Holt (CP 27).

Immediate source of acquisition

 Cultural Gifts Program.

Custodial history

 The series was acquired by National Archives in May 2002.

Quantity in agency custody

 

Disposal history

 

Publication note

 

Additional information

National Archives: RKS file 2001/3037, R346572002

In July and August 2011, the Front, Middle and Zip pockets of the briefcase were designated as Items [6],[7] and [8] respectively. Each of the contents was described with its Item number and a running number as the control symbol.

End notes

 

Sources