Editing Bob Hawke (section)

===Informer for the United States===
During the period of 1973 to 1979, Hawke acted as an [[informant]] for the United States government. According to Coventry, Hawke as concurrent leader of the ACTU and ALP informed the US of details surrounding labour disputes, especially those relating to American companies and individuals, such as union disputes with [[Ford Motor Company]] and the [[General strike|black ban]] of [[Frank Sinatra]].<ref name="Coventry-2021">{{cite journal |last=Coventry |first=C. J. |title=The 'Eloquence' of Robert J. Hawke: United States informer, 1973–79 |journal=Australian Journal of Politics & History |year=2021 |volume=67 |issue=1 |pages=67–87 |doi=10.1111/ajph.12763 |s2cid=237825933 }}</ref> The major industrial action taken against Sinatra came about because Sinatra had made sexist comments against female journalists. The dispute was the subject of the 2003 film ''[[The Night We Called It a Day (film)|The Night We Called It a Day]]''.

{{blockquote|In retaliation, unions grounded Sinatra's private jet in Melbourne, demanding he apologise. The popular view was that Mr Hawke engaged in protracted, boozy negotiations with Ol' Blue Eyes to reach a settlement. The [diplomatic] cables say the US embassy reached a deal with Mr Hawke to end the standoff, no apology was sought from Sinatra and that most of Mr Hawke's time was spent with the singer's lawyer.<ref>{{cite news |first=Jamie |last=Walker |title='Secret notes claimed Hawke 'informed' for US |date=28 June 2021 |work=The Australian |pages=1–2 |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a_GGL&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fnation%2Fsecret-notes-claim-bob-hawke-informed-for-us%2Fnews-story%2F84cc958a7093f0764ad5b6d2a2c8c501&memtype=registered&mode=premium |url-access=subscription |access-date=4 February 2022 |archive-date=16 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716135557/https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a_GGL&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fnation%2Fsecret-notes-claim-bob-hawke-informed-for-us%2Fnews-story%2F84cc958a7093f0764ad5b6d2a2c8c501&memtype=registered&mode=premium |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

Hawke was described by US diplomats as "a bulwark against anti-American sentiment and resurgent communism during the economic turmoil of the 1970s", and often disputed with the [[Whitlam government]] over issues of foreign policy and industrial relations. US diplomats played a major role in shaping Hawke's consensus politics and economics.<ref name="Coventry-2021"/> Although Hawke was the most prolific Australian informer for the United States in the 1970s, there were other prominent people at that time who secretly gave information.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sparrow |first=Jeff |date=2021-07-02 |title=Secret embassy cables cast the Bob Hawke legend in a different light |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jul/03/secret-embassy-cables-cast-the-bob-hawke-legend-in-a-different-light |access-date=2024-09-13 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Biographer Troy Bramston rejects the view that Hawke's prolonged, discreet involvement with known members of the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] within the US Embassy amounted to Hawke being a CIA "spy".<ref>Troy Bramston, Bob Hawke: Demons and Destiny, Viking 2022.</ref>