242. Telegram From the Embassy in Indonesia to the Department of State1
297. Major Brenthl, Assistant to Secretary General Ministry Defense, told Assistant Army Attaché today that representative of Lt. Colonel Sumual in Hong Kong had approached representative of copra dealer, US citizen named Bayline, presently in Manila, and requested Bayline’s assistance in obtaining arms. Sumual reported to have been engaged in copra business and dealt with Bayline previously. Brenthl stated that Sumual has already made arrangements obtain vehicles, probably jeeps, through Bayline and the Central Government aware of this but has no objection. Brenthl asked Assistant Army Attaché if American Government would prevent Bay-line from obtaining arms for Sumual.
Department requested to instruct Manila to inform Bayline of this report and that involvement any American citizen in arms traffic to dissident elements in Indonesia would not be in the best interests of United States Government.2
Brenthl also told Assistant Army Attaché Hussein obtaining arms from Singapore and that Central Government had no objection as they believed he had his unit under good control. This attitude [Page 404] indicates different views of government toward situation Sumatra and Sulawesi.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 756D.56/8–557. Confidential. Repeated to Manila and Hong Kong.↩
- Telegram 416 to Manila, August 8, instructed the Embassy that, if it had substantial reason to believe Bayline was engaged in arms traffic negotiations with the Sulawesi dissidents, to “inform him such activities by any American citizen prejudicial interests U.S. Government.” (Ibid.) Telegram 1033 from Manila, September 16, stated that the Embassy had refrained from approaching Bayline, who had not been determined to be a U.S. citizen. (Ibid., 756D.56/9–1657)↩