AG/LIT/16/18/4 - Anthony Grey interview of Ronald and Wendy Titcombe

AG/LIT/16/18/4

Item

Anthony Grey interview of Ronald and Wendy Titcombe

29/11/1983

1 Audiocassette

Side A: Submissions to publishers; and dealings with the Chinese

Anthony Grey interviews Ronald Titcombe in East Sussex. Wendy Titcombe is also present. They discuss the day HH disappeared.

RT had presented a synopsis to six publishers in all, including Methuen; and to three publishers he’d sent the first four chapters.

They discuss the 1976 meeting with Chi Peng-fei and other Chinese contacts. AG asks for specific information about their meetings: what specific people were wearing, where they stood, etc. RT and WT have difficulty in agreeing on their recollections. RT says he visited Hong Kong from Jersey in 1980 and talks of his commercial business dealings with the Chinese.

They discuss the papers RT had seen in the archive of Queen’s College, Melbourne (HH had written debating papers in his own hand in his college days. On a subsequent visit to the archives these papers could not be found).

Side B: Writing of the manuscript and the authorities’ handling of Holt’s disappearance

Anthony Grey interviews Ronald Titcombe. He asks him to summarise the process of writing the book [his biography of HH]. In November 1981 in Australia RT started writing an outline. He started writing chapters in late 1982. His initial compilation of notes turned into quite a different manuscript. The serious writing was from March to May 1983. RT would dictate the manuscript and WT would type. There were 3 or 4 drafts of 400-500 pages. RT didn’t know that the book proposal would jeopardise his Jersey shipping enterprise. AG asks RT about his motivation for writing the book and exposing the story.

RT discusses the handling of the search for HH; diving procedures ; and the Federal Police taking over from an independent organisation. RT was not allowed to be involved in the search for HH. AG asks if he was petulant over the situation. RT discusses naval practices; and the signalling of the siting of the submarines near Melbourne around the time of HH’s disappearance.

Now, in 1983, Sir John Bunting (former Australian High Commissioner to the UK), says he doesn’t recall meeting RT. They discuss the role of the Australian government in the hours following HH’s disappearance.