The dramatic events of the Petrov Affair took place in and around many familiar Canberra landmarks.
 Old Parliament House during the 1950s, where the defection of Vladimir Petrov was announced, the ‘Molotov debate’ held and the Labor Party Split occurred. Image courtesy of the National Library of Australia. |
 The Albert Hall in Canberra, site of the preliminary hearings of the Petrov Royal Commission. Photographer – Norm Danvers. Image courtesy of the Mitchell Library. State Library of New South Wales. |
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 J B Young’s store in Queanbeyan. Madame Ollier from the French Embassy met Vladimir Petrov here on several occasions. Image courtesy of the National Library of Australia. |
 The Kingston Hotel, scene of secret meetings between ASIO and Vladimir Petrov. Image courtesy of the National Library of Australia. |
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 The Petrov’s house in Canberra at 4 Lockyer Street, Griffith. Image courtesy of Newspix. |
 Railway bridge near Queanbeyan. This bridge was allegedly used as a hiding place for the exchange of secret material. Image courtesy of the National Archives of Australia. |
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 The Soviet Embassy in Canberra, opposite the Kingston Hotel. The Embassy was closed down in 1954 and the staff returned to Russia. Image courtesy of Fairfax Photos. |
The signed letter in which Evdokia Petrov seeks political asylum in Australia.
Reproduced with the permission of the National Archives of Australia.
An illustrated timeline of the Petrov Affair and a selection of audio files are available on our Resources page.
more >The Petrov Affair exhibition was shown at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House in 2003.
More information is available on the exhibitions page.