TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Half a century has passed since the 1965 tragedy, yet it remains shrouded in mystery. Out of the fog that still covers the darkest time in Indonesia's post-independence history, it now emerges that foreign governments may have been involved. Information on the intelligence operations of some countries around this incident have frequently been alluded to, but they have tended to disparate, like a puzzle waiting to be pieced together.
We know for sure that Indonesia was seen as a strategic country in the Cold War struggle for influence between the American and Soviet blocs. Under President Sukarno, Indonesia was seen to be leaning to the left, due to his close relations with Peking and Pyongyang. After the September 30, 1965, incident, Indonesia became even more the focus of the two competing powers.
Indonesia's importance could be seen in the intelligence summaries submitted by the CIA to President Lyndon B. Johnson between October and November 1965. From documents which since last July have been open to public scrutiny under the Freedom of Information Act, the Indonesia file was always at the top of the pile. It usually opened with a map, showing the status and strength of the Indonesian Army.
Prepared especially for President Johnson, the CIA assessments contained commentaries and analyses, specifically dealing with Sukarno's health, Indonesia's military strength and the ongoing purge of Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) cadre. One CIA report stated that all of the army's generals agreed on General Suharto being made the head of anti-PKI operations. Almost everything about that turbulent period can be found in that document.
It is true, the October-November 1965 files failed to confirm the direct role of the CIA in the purge, given the thick white-outs covering some of the pages. It is clear the US government still considers some information from that period to be particularly sensitive.
A more clear indication of the CIA's involvement can be found in secret documents dated February 23, 1965, which were declassified in 2001. In a document titled Memorandum Prepared by Commission 303, the CIA needed the approval of the US National Security Council to carry out political actions aimed at destroying communism in Indonesia. One way suggested was to "collaborate quietly to back anti-communist groups, such as through blackmail letters, a media campaign, as well as political action inside organizations and institutions in Indonesia."
Some documents also showed that information-gathering operations in 1965 may not have been exclusively the domain of the US intelligence operatives, but also those from Britain, Germany and the Netherlands. These countries are suspected of quietly assisting by providing funds, communications equipment, and also weapons. The only open assistance consisted of food and medicine.
The assortment of help provided by the Western countries both overtly and covertly could well explain why the Army was able to launch such a wide-ranging purge throughout Indonesia. Yet, the country was almost broke at the time, the budget deficit as well as the rate of inflation reaching unprecedented levels. The operation killed hundreds of thousands of people branded as pro-PKI. Thousands more were imprisoned without trial.
Light must be shed on the 1965 darkness. Reconciliation must begin from the most basic item, and that is a thorough investigation to discover the truth of what really happened. A government apology without revealing the facts would be meaningless.
That requires the Government, the military and our divisive society to approach it with open minds. Ironically, terror and intimidation greeted the screening of two well-made documentaries that differed from the official version of the September 30, 1965, events. Act of Killing and the Look of Silence, both produced by Joshua Oppenheimer, could not be openly screened around the country because of threats.
Indonesia should open its archives from that period, as the US Government has done. Denying access to secret documents more than 30 years old prevents a thorough investigation of the 1965 events. Of course, many of those files may have disappeared, at the possible instigation of President Suharto himself during his 32 years in power.
Unfortunately, attempts uncover what really happened in 1965 is being perceived by conservative elements as a sign of the re-emergence of the 'latent danger of communism'. That mindset is rooted in the days of the New Order because it offered legitimacy to the Suharto regime. Unless such a mindset is eliminated, we may never have the chance to learn about that dark period in our history. (*)
Read the full story in this week's edition of Tempo English Magazine
