Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume XXII, Southeast Asia and the Pacific

226. Memorandum From Secretary of State Muskie to President Carter¹

Washington, September 16, 1980

SUBJECT

• Proposed Invitation to Indonesian President Suharto for a State Visit

As reported to you previously,² a “mini-PRC” meeting on Indonesia was held on August 27³ to assess the risk of deterioration in our relations with that important and friendly country, and to consider ways to resolve a number of problems which have arisen in our bilateral relations. Indonesia—the world’s fifth most populous nation, the world’s largest Muslim nation, strategically located, and a moderate member of OPEC, ASEAN, the Islamic League, and the NAM—has been a strong supporter on many matters of U.S. interest, including President Suharto’s public appeal for release of the hostages in Iran, participation in the Olympic boycott, and condemnation of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In 1977, you instructed State to give special attention to Indonesia, India and Nigeria as three major emerging nations.⁴

A number of bilateral problems have arisen, including our exercise of navigation rights through the Indonesian archipelago and declining U.S. security and economic assistance. The GOI has begun to take a more distant posture towards the U.S. which, if continued, could create serious problems for our strategic, political and economic interests.

Contributing to the GOI’s resentment has been their feeling that we have not given the Indonesian leadership—and particularly President Suharto—sufficient high level attention. The last visit to the U.S. by President Suharto was in July 1975, when he met with President Ford.⁵ Suharto also met with President Nixon in 1970.⁶ Suharto, who looks to the U.S. as a special friend, appears to believe that our failure to extend an invitation to him to visit during the past four years represents a serious slight.

An invitation from you to President Suharto to make a state visit to the U.S. during the first half of 1981 would be a useful and important step in preventing serious deterioration in our relationship. A later date could be perceived as U.S. interference in Indonesia’s 1982 Parliamentary elections. I believe the invitation should be extended before the November election to forestall further, and perhaps less retrievable, problems with Indonesia. There would be no public announcement of the invitation until later this year. Precise timing of the visit itself would be determined by other Chiefs of State visits now under consideration and by President Suharto’s other commitments.

Although Indonesia has been criticized for its human rights policies, in recent years it has made substantial improvements in this area, including (after pressure from the U.S.) release of all but 23 detainees from the 1965 attempted coup and, after 1979, a more enlightened handling of the East Timor problem. I believe human rights concerns with respect to Indonesia are not of such magnitude as to prevent us from inviting President Suharto to visit the U.S. We intend, of course, to continue to press for human rights improvements.

RECOMMENDATION

That you approve issuing an oral invitation through our Ambassador to President Suharto to visit the U.S. in 1981.⁷

1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 28, Indonesia, 1/77–1/81. Confidential.
2. Not found.
3. See Document 225.
4. Not further identified.
5. See Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, vol. E–12, Documents on East and Southeast Asia, 1973–1976, Document 126.
6. See Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, vol. XX, Southeast Asia, 1969–1972, Document 295.
7. Carter did not approve or disapprove the recommendation.