50. Memorandum From the Under Secretary of State (Herter) to Secretary of State Dulles0
I have studied the attached paper by Walter Robertson1 very carefully and have some reservations as to its implications. I have no objection [Page 91] to Jones taking the line with the Sukarno Government which Robertson recommends. [2 lines of source text not declassified] Last night’s reports indicated real fighting in which the dissidents seemed to have the advantage both in Central Sumatra and in the Celebes. There is an implication in this paper that we would write-off the dissidents and I am certainly not prepared to do this as yet.
- Source: Eisenhower Library, Herter Papers, Miscellaneous Memoranda. Top Secret.↩
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Robertson’s memorandum, March 31, has not been found. Robertson discussed Indonesian developments on April 13 at the Secretary’s staff meeting, with Deputy Under Secretary of State Loy W. Henderson presiding:
“In response to Mr. Henderson’s questions, Mr. Robertson said communist control of Indonesia’s 80 million inhabitants would be a catastrophe and that the likelihood of it has caused concern among other Asians, particularly our Philippine allies. He noted that the rebel movement has not won the support from the people as the leaders had hoped, that the rebel forces offered practically no resistance at Pakanbaru, and that there seems to be among the people of Indonesia no awareness of the communist menace and no will to fight. In answer to another question from Mr. Henderson, Mr. Robertson explained that if the US were to recognize the belligerency of the rebels we would very probably alienate large segments of the Indonesian public whose interests are identical with our own, namely maintenance of the country’s national independence.” (Notes of a Secretary’s Staff Meeting, Department of State, Secretary’s Staff Meetings: Lot 63 D 75)
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