Office of the Historian

127. Memorandum of the Substance of Discussion at a Department of State–Joint Chiefs of Staff Meeting0

Washington, June 27, 1958, 10 a.m.

PRESENT

  • Defense
    • General Twining, USAF
    • General Taylor, USA
    • Admiral Burke, USN
    • General White, USAF
    • General Pate, USMC
    • Lt. General Picher, USAF
    • Maj. General Wheeler, USA
    • Vice Admiral Libby, USN
    • Maj. General Cary, USAF
    • Brig. General Mangrum, USMC
    • Brig. General Wentworth, USAF
    • Captain Carde, USN
    • Rear Admiral Triebel, USN
    • Maj. General Barnes, USA
    • Colonel Moses, USA
    • Colonel Phillips, USA
  • JSSC
    • Maj. General Timberman, USA
    • Rear Admiral Dudley, USN
  • ISA
    • Mr. Sprague
    • Lt. General Fox
    • Lt. General Byers
  • State
    • Mr. Robert Murphy
    • Mr. Frederick Reinhardt
    • Mr. Gerard Smith
    • Mr. Walter Robertson
    • Amb. Joseph S. Farland
    • Mr. Stewart Rockwell
    • Mr. Allen Stewart
    • Mr. Roswell McClelland
    • Mr. Richard Finn
  • CIA
    • Mr. Robert Amory
  • NSC
    • Mr. Gleason

1. Indonesia.

General Taylor said that we are moving pretty fast in Indonesia but maybe not fast enough. The situation in Indonesia has improved somewhat with a Cabinet change. It is important to give General Nasution material support right away. It might be desirable to get Presidential approval for the $7 million package in assistance and we would then be in a position to move rapidly if the situation required it.

Mr. Robertson described the background leading up to the recent Cabinet changes, noting that the changes were disappointing, that the Indonesians had indicated that the changes would be more drastic and [Page 231] that Hanafi, the extreme leftist, remains in the Cabinet. A telegram has gone out authorizing additional assistance;1 the Army Attaché is to advise General Nasution directly and the Indonesian Government is not to know. Sukarno remains the dominant personality and it is a calculated risk to attempt to strengthen Nasution’s position.

Admiral Burke said that Nasution is now the only hope we have in Indonesia. His position is being weakened by certain Javanese officers. It is important we try to strengthen his position. The program for training ten Indonesian officers in intelligence matters should be got under way.

General Taylor stressed the importance of getting authority to expend funds for various items of military assistance to Indonesia. General Byers2 noted that funds are not currently available and special Presidential authorization will be necessary; the intelligence training program will cost only a very small amount.

It was agreed that steps should be taken to obtain Presidential authorization so as to be prepared to move when political conditions warrant.

Admiral Burke noted that the UK is evidently planning to sell some airplanes to Indonesia. Mr. Robertson said we had not been consulted and that this would be raised with the UK. Mr. Murphy noted that the French may also be planning to sell planes to Indonesia.

[Here follows discussion of other subjects.]

  1. Source: Department of State, State–JCS Meetings: Lot 61 D 417. Secret. No drafting information indicated on the source text. The meeting was held at the Pentagon. A note on the source text reads: “State Draft. Not cleared with the Department of Defense.”↩
  2. Reference is presumably to telegram 3858 to Djakarta, June 25, which approved additional assistance for the Indonesian Army, including the furnishing of radio sets, the issuing of export licenses for transmitting sets, gasoline generators, and dry radio batteries, and the provision of training for Indonesian Army intelligence officers. (Ibid., Central Files, 756D.00/6–1958) See Supplement.↩
  3. Lieutenant General Clovis E. Byers, USA, Military Adviser to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs.↩