Office of the Historian

856D.00 TA/10–1652: Telegram

No. 228
The Consul General at Singapore (Hawkins) to the Department of State1

secret
priority
Singapore, October 16, 1952—4 p.m.

418. For Johnson FE from Allison. After discussions in Djakarta with Cochran, Hagberg and other Emb and STEM officers both individually and collectively and talks with Sukarno, Mukarto, Hatta and other Indo leaders I am convinced we shld not be in hurry to press Indo Govt on TCA agreement. Polit situation Djakarta so volatile anything cld happen and danger of Cabinet being unseated definitely not over. Questions asked me in press conf yesterday by Indo newspapermen definitely indicated deep suspicion that any sort of aid agreement with US had strings attached and wld violate [Page 332] Indo independence. Mukarto told me last night he planned to leave for US on eighteenth and as he has only discussed TCA agreement with Prime Min there will be no one in Djakarta to defend agreement before Parliament if it is questioned. None of Indo leaders from Pres on down expressed any interest in obtaining early TCA agreement—in fact I recd definite impression they wld prefer to let matter slide for moment and do nothing until Cabinet crisis definitely settled.

I strongly recommend that timing of next approach to Indos be left up to Cochran. He definitely wants to obtain agreement but hopes to do it in manner which will benefit both US and Indo Govt—precipitate action might well have serious adverse effects.

In this connection what I have seen in every post visited to date convinces me we have been trying to give too much detailed direction from Wash to field. Officers in charge of all posts visited are unusually competent and they know local situations as we cannot.

With respect size of 1954 TCA budget, Cochran will forward Emb and STEM views. With exception of STEM labor officer there is unanimity among Emb and STEM officers re size and scope of program. My observations lead me to agree that program in neighborhood of $3.1 million and in any case not more than $4 million is largest that can usefully be absorbed. Contrary to my opinion before arrival I am convinced that English Language Institute probably doing more harm than good under present set-up. Under no conditions cld I support before Budget Bureau or Congress TCA Wash figure of $6.2 million for 1954 budget.

Hawkins
  1. Repeated to Djakarta.↩