WHAT IS IN DOCUMENT J? by Joe Fernside, 1954

audio - Joe singing it in the John Meredith Collection, NLA Oral History collection

Oh, what is this Document J?
That's what we ask today.
There's no-one knowin', says Justice Owen,
What's in Document J?

Oh, there is a dirty big spy,
He's got a big Yankee eye.
He's a workers' snob, his name is Bob,
Would that be in Document J?

They're selling us out to the yanks,
The marbled millionaire cranks;
They control our oil, our uranium spoil,
Would that be in Document J?

They sympathize with the Japs.
They're saying they're very good chaps.
For war they'll train, they'll addle the brain
Would that be in Document J?

The poor are all born to be slaves,
They work them to their graves.
Let us unite, defend our right,
Would that be in Document J?

Oh, we love our own native land,
But we don't like the rich robbers' hand.
We will cleave to the poor, for evermore,
Would that be in Document J?

I've been doing a bit of research recently into Document J which was a prominent item in the Petrov affair. It was written by an Australian journalist, Rupert Lockwood who was a member of the Communist Party, & was one of the papers brought out of the embassy by Petrov when he defected in 1954. The day it was declared secret by the Royal Commission, the Communist party printed copies of what Lockwood said was his original document, not the fake referred to in the Royal Commission! John Meredith was one of the members who sold copies for a shilling. Document J was of great interest to the Commission & the public, including Communist Party members so Joe, a bean farmer in Terrigal who was a Communist, wrote a song about it, & sent the words to John Meredith.

Lyrics & info from Keith McKenry's biography of John Meredith.

wikipedia reporting on Soviet espionage in Australia, aka Petrov affair

National library Public List (36 items) Research Question: In what ways was the Petrov Affair used as propaganda by various interests in Australia from 1954 to 1956?