Was the ABC's greatest foreign correspondent a spy?
Over the course of a long career, Peter Barnett was the face of the ABC's international news, meeting presidents, revolutionaries and war criminals. But rumours always swirled around his work.
Peter Barnett, far left, in the Oval Office on September 21, 1967, with ABC general manager Talbot Duckmanton, US President Lyndon Johnson, and the ABC's head of North America Charles Buttrose. Barnett wrote about the two-hour meeting in detail. Associated Press
For almost two decades, Peter Barnett covered international affairs with an effortless authority and access to power that made him a role model for a generation of broadcast journalists who followed.
Barnett died four weeks ago in Melbourne, aged 90. His death was marked with a condolence note from the ABC's director of news, Gaven Morris, and mourned by the small group of journalists still alive who worked with him, including Ray Martin, Tim Bowden and Helene Chung, the ABC's first female foreign correspondent.
Aaron PatrickSenior correspondentAaron Patrick is the senior correspondent. He writes about politics and business from the Sydney newsroom. Email Aaron at apatrick@afr.com
