149. Editorial Note
At a meeting of the National Security Council on April 5, Allen Dulles commented as follows on developments in Indonesia:
“Mr. Dulles next turned to the situation in Indonesia. He pointed out that while the new Cabinet was moderate in composition, the program that it was adopting was extremely nationalist as well as socialist in character.
“At this point the President interrupted Mr. Dulles and said he wished to put a question to him. Supposing Mr. Dulles were a government leader in Indonesia. How could he avoid creating either a socialist or a dictatorial regime in such a country? There was obviously no basis in Indonesia, said the President, for a free private enterprise economy such as that of the United States. Countries like Indonesia were too immature politically to be able to build up our kind of a system. Such immature countries required a strong centralized government. In point of fact, added the President, the United States would be better off if France, for instance, had a strongly centralized national government. Accordingly, said the President, he did not worry unnecessarily about Indonesia’s adoption of the socialist route.
“Secretary Humphrey pointed out that there was a world of difference between a socialist system and a dictatorship. Personally, he added, he very much preferred dictatorship over the socialist system because at least, in his opinion, dictatorships got things done. The President merely reiterated his belief that in countries such as Indonesia, some kind of strong leadership was required. It was plain silly to suppose that an economy of the U.S. type could be made applicable to all the other nations in the world.” (Memorandum of discussion by Gleason, April 6; Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records)
Later during the same meeting, the Council noted and briefly discussed an Operations Coordinating Board Progress Report on Indonesia (NSC 5518) dated March 26, which reported developments concerning Indonesia between May 16, 1955, and March 22, 1956. (Department of State, S/S–NSC Files: Lot 63 D 351, NSC 5518 Series) According to Gleason’s memorandum, the only discussion pertaining to the report was a question by the President as to whether or not Indonesia normally imported foodstuffs and the reply that Indonesia normally purchased rice from both Burma and Thailand.