THE SITUATION IN INDONESIAN (REPORT # 51-- AS OF 4:00 P.M. EST)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00472A001500040050-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 21, 2006
• Sequence Number: 50
• Publication Date: January 1, 1965
• Content Type: IM

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State Dept. review completed
OCI 2822/65
Central Intelligence Agency
Office of Current Intelligence
INTELLIGENCE MEMORANDUM
The Situation in Indonesia
(Nep~r ?->ca EST)
l.. The army is continuing to widen its independent
role in Indonesian affairs, 25X1
the army s moving s people"
pee ;;:]governmental framework with a -
view to keeping control of political trends and events
and has no intention of allowing civilians to resume
control of the country. The army is also training and
arming Moslem youths in Central Java as a counterweight
to Communist influence in that area.
2w The military is allowing Moslem and other anti-
Communist, groups to take the lead in the campaign against
First Deputy Premier Subandrio, preferring to remain in
the background on this issue. The army has, however,
announced an impending reorganization of the Supreme
Operations Command (KOTI), the chief military,. policy--
making body, Subandrie.has served as Sukarno es chief
deputy on this,-body. Army Commander Subarto is to carry
out the reorganization, and it likely that Subandrio will
be removed in the reshuffle,
be giving day-.to-day..orders to this arty and to be dealing
directly with Sukarno, The Embassy feels that he may
be emerging as_a "strong. man" in the present Indonesian
context, although. the army apparently 'has plans for
Nasution eventually to Succeed Sukarno upon the latter c s
death.
3. It appears that Suharto is assuming an increa
ingly active role in army..-and national affairs. Sep
rather than Defense Minister Nassution, is reported to
4
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most of his prestige and still has considerable room
for maneuver, The Embassy comments, however, that the
atmosphere at the Presidential Palace is one of increasing
'?unreality" in contrast to the businesslike bustle at
army headquarters,
3, At the same time the army is continuing its
hunt for PKI chief Aidit. An army spokesman reports
that he h,L.been seen several times in Central Java,
and army forces are attempting to surround him in the
area,
including Sukarno and the politicians closest to him.
This relatively sanguine assessment may be an attempt
6. The PKI itself is said to believe that at the
moment it. is losing the struggle with the army and
Indonesian religious groups, but still has many assets,
to bolster party morale.
7. The military, however, continues to fear a
PKI uprising on or about 10 November, which is a national
holiday. In particular it feels that its farces are
epeard,too . thin in East Java, but it remains reluctant
to reinforce East Java with troops drawn from Central
Java because of the potentially explosive situation in
the latter area,
SIMIlar mass renunc a ons for several day
The army has been publicizing
8. Some 5,000 more PKI members publicly renounced
Communismtoda in a ceremony in Bojolali. Central Java
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