160. Memorandum of a Conversation, Between Foreign Minister Abdulgani and the Ambassador to Indonesia (Cumming), Salt Lake City, Utah, June 3, 19561
SUBJECT
- Military Equipment
During our conversation in Salt Lake City, reported in a summary memorandum of conversation dated June 4, 1956,2 Foreign Minister Roeslan Abdulgani raised the subject of government-to-government supply of arms and other military equipment.
The Foreign Minister requested that I be prepared to let him know informally after his and my return to Djakarta what, in principle, the United States might be able to do with regard to the supply of arms and other military equipment to the Indonesian Government on a government-to-govemment basis. He stressed that at this time he only wanted to know what was possible in principle under our laws and what the general attitude would be; that subject to the nature of our reply and “other considerations” further conversations possibly might then proceed. The Foreign Minister strongly hinted that he was aware that some discussions on this subject had already taken place between Indonesians (he specifically mentioned the Indonesian Military Attaché in Washington) and American officials and stressed very emphatically his desire “that future confusion be avoided” through stopping all conversations on the subject except such as might take place between him and me within the framework of a possible government-to-government arrangement. He was equally emphatic in saying that he was opposed to any arrangement for acquisition of arms and military equipment on a commercial basis, commenting meaningfully that such proposals as might have been made were not approved by the Indonesian Government and would not be approved since they were designed to profit “certain political groups in Indonesia.” During this and further conversations which I had with the Foreign Minister I asked him if he was thinking of any particular types of arms and equipment or of any specific quantities or dollar values, since I felt that his views on these points might have a bearing on such reply as I might be authorized by my Government to make to his initiative. He asked me if I had read the abortive Cochran–Subardjo agreement3 and when I said I had not he said that a reading of this agreement might be suggestive. He did not elaborate. He then referred to the equipment we gave some years ago to [Page 277] the Indonesian Mobile Brigade and said that that type of equipment was along the lines that he had in mind. He said that while details would have to await my reply to his question and subsequent recommendations of the Indonesian military authorities, he could say that generally speaking he had in mind small arms including small automatic weapons and light field guns and ammunition and spare parts therefor; communications equipment (field type); personnel carriers and light armored vehicles suitable to the Indonesian terrain; and perhaps other forms of transport, including trucks. He referred specifically to the interest displayed by Indonesian military officers accompanying the Presidential party in the howitzers which they had seen dropped at Fort Bragg. He also indicated an interest in the current Indonesian Air Force negotiations for SA–16 Grumman Albatrosses (U.S. Navy designation UF–1) and light reconnaissance planes for army use. In an effort to find out the dollar figure the Foreign Minister might have in mind I asked him whether he was thinking of five million, 10 million, 15 million or 20 million dollars. He replied somewhat vaguely that his mind leaned toward the latter figure but he could not be specific at the time of speaking.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 756D.56/6–456. Secret. Drafted by Cumming on June 4.↩
- Supra.↩
- Reference is to the agreement of January 5, 1952; see footnote 7, Document 116.↩