123. Telegram From the Embassy in Indonesia to the Department of State1
1284. During Congressional group call on President yesterday Chairman Zablocki expressed satisfaction over improved U.S.-Indonesian relations and asked what might be done to improve them. As might be expected Sukarno plunged into Irian question but less emotionally and more logically than in past talks with me. He stressed that he would continue as long as he lived to fight for Irian and that Soviet support Indonesian position had strong influence on Indonesian people and other Asians which could only be counter balanced by positive U.S. action. He said he could overnight swing Indonesian [Page 210] people to full friendship with U.S. if we publicly supported Indonesia. He hoped that at very least we would use our influence with Dutch to induce them to be more flexible in Indo-Dutch discussions including Irian and would support any U.N. resolution promoting discussion. Sukarno very persuasively maintained that despite U.S. world-wide commitments it should make its decisions in Asian matters uninfluenced by our commitments in Europe to those countries having Asian colonial possessions such as the Netherlands. Of considerable importance was Sukarno’s statement induced by questioning from visitors that if all else failed he would agree to a plebiscite to enable indigenous inhabitants Irian decide as between Dutch and Indonesians. This is first time so far as I know President has even privately conceded possibility solution short of outright transfer of Irian to Indonesia.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 033.1100–ZA/11–3055. Confidential.↩