Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, Southeast Asia, Volume XXII

159. Memorandum of a Conversation Between Foreign Minister Abdulgani and the Ambassador to Indonesia (Cumming) Salt Lake City, Utah, June 3, 1956¹

Utah, June 3, 1956

SUBJECT

• Summary of Final Conversation Between Indonesia Foreign Minister and Ambassador Cumming

Yesterday morning at Salt Lake City, Roeslan Abdulgani, the Indonesian Minister for Foreign Affairs, sought me out. He said that by that time I must have realized that the United States had made a fine impression on President Sukarno. This was evidenced not only by conversations which I had had with the President alone, but also by conversations with the Foreign Minister and other conversations with the President at which the Foreign Minister had been present. Roeslan Abdulgani then said that his and my job was now “to bring down to earth in practical form the various public statements which the President had made on a high plane.” He said he could not engage in any formal discussions or negotiations until after he had returned to Djakarta and had reported to the Cabinet, but in the meantime he hoped the State Department could be preparing studies on the following matters:

1. Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation

The Foreign Minister suggested that the State Department review and revise, if necessary, the previous documentation of this subject which had been given to the Indonesian Foreign Office over two years ago.² He thought that as soon as possible we should resume discussions on the subject, perhaps informally, and go ahead as rapidly as circumstances permit. He agreed with my suggestion that even if discussions ran into difficulties both sides should try not to let them lapse but to continue discussions “even if they took many months” so as to prevent a formal failure of negotiations, compromising Indonesian-U.S. relations.

2. Fulbright Agreement³

Roeslan Abdulgani suggested that I be prepared after his return to Djakarta to present him, informally, with a draft agreement together with exploratory material and other necessary documentation. He said in the meantime he would also ask Ambassador Moekarto to look into the subject.⁴

3. Economic Aid

Reiterating that he could not commit his Government until after he had reported to the Cabinet, Roeslan Abdulgani suggested that I be prepared to come up with specific suggestions as to what the United States Government might be able to do to assist in the development of the Indonesian five-year plan. He thought it would be helpful if we could make specific suggestions as to types of projects, together with cost estimates which might be appropriate for financial assistance under the Mutual Security Program. He expressed some interest in the private investment guarantee provisions of the Mutual Security Act and expressed the personal hope that some implementation of these provisions could be worked out with regard to Indonesia. (My feeling was that he mentioned this more as a sop to my frequently expressed views on the subject rather than as a concrete proposal.)

During this conversation and subsequent conversations on the subject of economic aid, the Foreign Minister obliquely indicated that in effect what he was suggesting was that the United States informally present what might become the Indonesian desiderata during any discussions of economic aid that might develop.

4. Improvement of Relations Between the United States and Indonesia

Roeslan Abdulgani said that he thought this would be an opportune time for the State Department to survey the whole range of U.S.-Indonesian relationships, with a view to coming up with concrete suggestions as to what might be done to consolidate what he felt were the very real gains to both Indonesia and the United States, occurring from President Sukarno’s visit. He added smilingly that our suggestions would have to fall within the framework of Indonesia’s “active, independent foreign policy.”

5. Miscellaneous Observations

(a) On the subject of economic aid, the Foreign Minister said he planned to set up a separate committee to handle the details of this subject and would appoint Mr. Thajeb⁵ as chairman.

(b) On numerous occasions President Sukarno expressed to me his enthusiastic approval of everything he had seen in the United States. Pointing this up he said he had made the definite decision to send his son, Guntur, to college in the United States and had already discussed possibilities with Ambassador Moekarto. In this connection he expressed the hope that he could return in 1957 or 1958 as a private visitor with a minimum of formality in order to travel through the country and see things for himself that necessarily could not be seen during a formal State visit.

Note: During part of my conversation with the Foreign Minister the President was present as he had been on a number of other occasions when he suggested that I talk to the Foreign Minister in his presence but without the President’s participation so that he could observe the “constitutional amenities.” I am satisfied, however, that all of the Foreign Minister’s conversations with me, as I have reported, received the prior approval of the President. The Foreign Minister did tell me that his conversation with me had previously been discussed by him with the politicians included in the President’s party⁶ and had received their informal approval.

Before leaving the Foreign Minister at Niagara Falls on the evening of June 3, Roeslan Abdulgani said that he would telegraph a summary of our conversation to Subandrio, Acting Secretary General of the Foreign Office. He added that he had also informed Ambassador Moekarto of the substance.

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.56D/6–456. Secret. Drafted by Cumming on June 4.
2. See footnote 3, Document 107.
3. Reference is to an agreement for educational exchange under Public Law 584 (60 Stat. 754).
4. Negotiations on this subject were not initiated during 1955–1957. Documentation concerning the U.S. educational exchange program in Indonesia is in Department of State, Central File 511.56D.
5. Ismael M. Thajeb.
6. A list of the members of Sukarno’s party is in Department of State Bulletin, June 4, 1956, p. 939.