195. Editorial Note
Chaerul Saleh, Minister of Construction, Minister of Basic Industry and Mining, and Acting Chairman of the People’s Consultative Congress, visited the United States September 24–October 8, 1961. While in Washington he met with Department of State officials on September 25 and Walt Rostow at the White House on September 26. He also met with officials from the International Cooperation Administration, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Export-Import Bank.
One of the issues within the government was whether or not to use the interim and preliminary conclusions of the Humphrey mission (see Document 186) as a topic of discussion with Saleh. In a memorandum to Walt Rostow, September 22, Robert Johnson summarized the problem:
“State is very much of the view that it is too early to start talking in specific terms about economic projects; the visit is occurring at the wrong time for that. I agree that we need to have the Humphrey report and get it reviewed within the government before we can move. However, I suggested to the State officer that the value of the Salant memo will be to indicate those subjects on which you might express friendly, interested [Page 438] noises and those on which (like rayon) you might ask a few questions. He believes, however, that Saleh will want to talk with you primarily about general U.S. policy toward economic development.” (Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Indonesia, 8/61–9/61) Walter S. Salant of the Bookings Institution was a member of the Humphrey mission; his memorandum has not been identified.
Accompanied by the chiefs of the Indonesian oil and tin industries and Indonesian Embassy officials, Saleh met with Avery F. Petersen, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Economic Affairs, and other U.S. officials on September 25. Later in the day, at 5:30 p.m., Saleh met with Acting Secretary of State Chester Bowles for an hour. (Memoranda of conversation, September 25; Department of State, Central Files, 898.00/9–2561 and 611.98/9–2561)
No record of the Rostow–Saleh conversation has been found beyond Johnson’s memorandum cited above. Telegrams 343 and 346 to Djakarta, September 29 and 30, transmitted accounts of Saleh’s discussions with the President of the IBRD, Eugene Black, and a summary of Saleh’s discussions with officials at the Department of State, International Cooperation Administration, the Export Import Bank, and members of the Humphrey mission. (Ibid., 033.9811/9–2961 and 033.9811/9–3061)