Office of the Historian

227. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter1

Washington, September 22, 1980

SUBJECT

  • Proposed Invitation to Indonesian President Suharto (U)

The NSC, State, and CIA have become concerned by a potentially serious deterioration in our relations with Indonesia. This down-turn [Page 749] is still in the pre-crisis stage but without remedial action on our part, could lead to a situation damaging to our interests in Southeast Asia. (C)

As in other cases of this sort, the trend has been brought about incrementally. The resource crunch has forced us to make seemingly small cuts in PL480, IMET, and other Indonesian aid programs. The negative impact of these cuts has been larger than one would normally expect from the dollar amounts involved. Another issue has been our termination of notification to the Indonesians of US naval ship passage through their territory. This last problem, has, we believe, been rectified [less than 1 line not declassified]. (C)

Perhaps the most central issue has been President Suharto’s growing desire to meet with you. Suharto met with President Nixon in 1970 and President Ford in 1975. Our failure to invite President Suharto during your first term, taken in conjunction with the aid cuts, and ship notification issue, has produced a situation in which we have less access to the Indonesian leadership, and the atmosphere in Jakarta has become noticeably cooler. (C)

State recommends that President Suharto be issued an oral invitation to visit the US at a mutually convenient time during the first half of 1981. (Tab A)2 Issuance of an invitation now could have a pivotal effect on our relations and is in my view probably the single most effective thing we can do to arrest a significant decline. Indonesia has a fine record in terms of supporting our key policies and is potentially one of the most powerful nations in Asia. Its record in human rights has improved markedly in the last four years. Patt Derian, has commented that one of the things that she is proudest of is the improvement in the human rights of Indonesia. (C)

Attached at Tab B is a summary of Indonesia’s recent human rights record, prepared at State.3 (C)

RECOMMENDATION

In view of Indonesia’s growing importance as a regional power, and because of its influence in the Moslem world, I recommend that you authorize the Ambassador in Jakarta to issue an oral invitation for Suharto to visit the US in the first half of 1981. Suharto would be asked not to publicize the invitation until a time agreed upon by both countries.4 (C)

  1. Source: Carter Library, President’s Files, Presidential Handwriting File, Box 22, 9/26/80. Confidential. Sent for action. Carter initialed the top of the page.↩
  2. Not attached. See Document 226.↩
  3. Not attached. The undated paper, entitled “Indonesia’s Recent Human Rights Record,” is in Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Indonesia, Box 28, 1/77–1/81.↩
  4. Carter checked the approve option and initialed in the adjacent right-hand margin. Suharto did not visit the United States until October 1982.↩