227. Editorial Note
On October 29 at the 422d meeting of the National Security Council, Allen Dulles discussed developments in Indonesia during his intelligence briefing:
“Mr. Dulles summarized a recent report from the U.S. Embassy in Djakarta on the talk that Ambassador Jones had recently had with Foreign Minister Subandrio following Subandrio’s visit to Peiping. Subandrio had been treated with an arrogance and brutality that had left him staggered. He had come back suggesting that Indonesia should revise its foreign policy as it related to Communist China. He could not understand why the Chinese had been as crude as they had been. They had threatened Indonesia with economic warfare and other unspecified measures. Discussions at the technical level had also been heated. Subandrio stated that, when he had reported his views to the Indonesian Cabinet, Sukarno had supported his position. Mr. Dulles indicated, however, that he was doubtful whether Sukarno would have gone this far. In his view it was more likely that Sukarno had simply told Subandrio [Page 442] that he had ‘done a good job.’ This affair was in line with the blustering line which Communist China was taking in many fields. Only yesterday they had bombarded the Offshore Islands with more shells (227) than at any time since last March.” (Memorandum of discussion by Robert Johnson, October 29; Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records)
The reference may be to Jones’ conversation with Subandrio on October 24. A memorandum of that conversation, by Jones, is in Department of State, SPA Files: Lot 62 D 409, Communist China. It reads in part as follows: “At the outset of our discussion which lasted two hours Subandrio broke out into an excited tirade against the Chinese Communists. He was obviously upset, hurt and deeply resentful of the Chinese Communists’ attitude as well as frightened by their arrogance and direct threats.”