Office of the Historian

261. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Indonesia1

Washington, August 31, 1957—3:57 p.m.

474. Department appreciates considerations raised your 505,2 but your statement that Department’s position reflects “completely defeatist attitude” is gross misinterpretation of Department’s thinking. Our concern is 1) that advantage may be taken of conference by Communists or Army to arrest or eliminate leading anti-Communist elements present Djakarta, and 2) that for lack of adequate preparation conference may not succeed which would only strengthen hand of Sukarno and lead to further disintegration of Indonesia to advantage of Communists. You should seek and report as much information as possible concerning conference.

Dulles
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 756D.00/8–2657. Top Secret; Limited Distribution. Drafted by Mein and Murphy; approved by Murphy; and cleared with Cumming, Howard P. Jones, and the Executive Secretariat. Repeated to Kuala Lumpur for Under Secretary Herter.↩
  2. Document 255.↩