The prime minister who went swimming and never returned

His greatest fear was that death would cover all that he had done throughout his life.

Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt disappeared.

Those were the words that erupted in Australian media on December 17, 1967, the day Holt went surfing on Chevio Beach near Melbourne and was never seen again.

It was supposed to have been sunk and, in his honor, a coma was held in which world leaders, including British Prime Minister Harold Wilson and American President Lyndon Johnson, participated.

But his body has never been found, raising ridiculous theories, including a book claiming that the prime minister had been kidnapped by a Chinese submarine.

Fifty years after his disappearance, the career of Australian progressive politician Holt was completely dimmed by the mysterious nature of his death.

“Conspiracy Theories have become so well known and certainly part of Australian folklore,” told CNN Tom Frame, biographer and leader of the group for studying public leadership at the University of South Wales.

Holt became Australia's prime minister in January 1966, about two years before his disappearance. He was a loyal minister under the leadership of the leader, Robert Menzie.

“Holt was the breath of clean air”, CNN quoted Johnhurst, a political science professor at Australian National University.

“was younger than Menzies and was known as a very modern, progressive man... seen from today, he is Australia's first modern prime minister,” addshurst.

Despite relatively short time in office, Holt has provided a number of important achievements, including transition into Australian dollar currency from complicated pounds.

An accomplishment of his time as a leader was a national landmark referendum in 1967, which enabled the autochthonic population to register permanently among the country's population.

Frame also said Holt was one of the first politicians to have worked to end the notorious white Australia policy, which limited immigration from non-European countries and diplomatic relations with Asian neighbours, Kosovo Press broadcasts.

The day Holt disappeared was hot. Before the morning of December 17, 1967, he decided to go to the beach near the holiday home in Portsea, on the coast of Victoria.

Holt, says Frame, was a diver and a good swimmer, but he wasn't in good health.

“Time used to have an operation and the doctor suggested taking a break. On Saturday he had played tennis, and on Sunday he approached the water, despite doctors' advice”, Frame said.

Witnesses at the beach told the police that they saw huge waves at sea that day.

Despite this, Holt had continued to swim away from the beach deep in the water, says the 1968 police report.

One of the last things Holt had told the group before entering the water was: “I know this beach as the signs in my hands”.

Australia was terrified of the news of its disappearance.

I think after the murder of American President John F. Kennedy, most people thought world leaders should have insurance, which should never stay away from them, and if something happens to them, they have to come to the aid of”, Frame says.

Research into the prime minister's lifeless body took part in 300 people, but no sign of it was found at sea.

His disappearance created a heated debate and raised speculation, that Holt committed suicide because of his spouse's separation, or as a result of fatigue.

But the police in her report from 1968 say it's a little bit reliable that these were the reasons.

Other theories that erupted back then had international proportions.

Some alleged that Holt had been kidnapped by Russian or Chinese missions”, says Frame.

British journalist Anthony Gray says Holt was a Chinese spy and was evacuated to the Chinese submarine at Cheviot Beach, at the end of his mission.

However, Frame says that such claims have no basis nor meaning.

“The simplest explanation is that he's sunk. People think that this should not happen to Prime Minister”, he points out,