Office of the Historian

237. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Indonesia0

Washington, February 21, 1962, 1:02 p.m.

947. For Ambassador Jones. Rome and Berlin eyes only Attorney General. Your 1496 and 1487.1 You should go back to Sukarno ASAP and inform him that his failure to accept the proposal discussed with the Attorney General, that negotiations for a peaceful settlement with Dutch would be undertaken without preconditions provided agreement was reached on agenda, has pulled the rug out from under the Attorney General. He had planned on his visit to The Hague to urge Dutch to accept reasonable wording agenda item on transfer of administration.2 If Sukarno wishes the Attorney General to use his visit to The Hague to advance the possibilities of negotiations for a peaceful settlement, Sukarno must provide him with some basis for talk with Dutch.

It seems to us much in Sukarno’s interest, if he sincerely wants negotiated settlement, for him to stick to proposal for negotiations without conditions but providing for prior agreement on agenda.3

Rusk
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 656.9813/2-2062. Secret; Niact; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Harriman and approved by Rice. Repeated to The Hague, Rome, and Berlin. A typed note on the bottom of the source text indicates that Harriman obtained approval of this telegram in draft from Rusk and the President.↩
  2. See Document 236 and footnote 1 thereto.↩

  3. In a telegram to Jones (via non-Department of State channels) before the controversy over Sukarno’s backtracking was reported, President Kennedy sent the following message to Jones:

    “President suggests that when you see Sukarno, if you think it useful you should indicate wisdom of Indonesians waiting for further word from us after Attorney General has visited The Hague. In any event, President would like you to indicate that Attorney General can be expected to speak as frankly in The Hague as he has in Djakarta.” (Telegram CAP 6068–62 from McGeorge Bundy to Jones, February 19; Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, West New Guinea, 2/11/62–2/19/62)

    ↩
  4. In telegram 1525 from Djakarta, February 22, Jones reported that “Attorney General Kennedy is now in a position to tell Dutch that negotiations for a peaceful settlement with Dutch will be undertaken by Indonesians without preconditions provided agreement is reached on agenda in secret talks.” Jones reported that he was unable to see Sukarno, but he received assurances that Subandrio’s statement represented Sukarno’s views. (Department of State, Central Files, 656.9813/2–2262)↩