STATE DINNER FOR PRESIDENT SUHARTO

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000201350003-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 25, 2010
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: October 13, 1982
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/25: CIA-RDP90-00552R000201350003-9
STAT
ARTICLE APPEAP D
ON PAGE_.; -j
TH .;ASHLPTI O:i POST
13 OCTOBER 1982
State Dinner for
.President Sharto
By Donnie Radcliffe" i
President Reagan beamed with
self-congratulations last night, stand-
ing in the Blue Room of the White
House, where the talk around him
was of his surprise announcement
that Assistant Secretary of State
John H. Holdridge would be the new
U.S. ambassador to Indonesia.
"We had decided in our minds,
but we also had to find out from the
country he was going to," the pres-
ident said of the sequence of events
leading to the announcement. "That
we could not find out until today."
The president said that as far as
he knew, his announcement, which
came during the state dinner in
honor of Indonesia's President Su-
harto, was a first. "It's a first for
me," he said.
Reporters told the president
about the White House briefing ear-
lier in the day at which Holdridge
was studiously vague on the question
of who the Reagan administration
was going to name ambassador to In-
donesia. "You didn't get suspicious?"
the president asked. "How come you
all get suspicious when I hedg'
around?"
Across the room, President Su-
harto beamed, too.
"It's very good; I know him," he
said of Holdridge. "It's a great honor
for Indonesia to have someone ap-
pointed whir is a highly experienced
senior diplomat."
Suharto said that earlier in the
day he i&&-Reagan had discussed
the Hoidridge nomination for the
post, which .has been vacant for a
year. He said he had known of only
one other''Zandidate, but declinedto
confirm-that it was career diplomat
Morton Abramowitz, whose rumored
nomination sparked concern among'
the Indonesians. And what about
Kent : Crane,. the Washington busi-
nessman thought to have been a
leading candidate, if also a contrb-
versisl. one? Suharto snuled inno-
cently: "I didn't know at all about
that," -he said..
As it turned out, both Holdridge
and Crane were among ' the 120
black-tie guests at the dinner.
Pausing between dances with his
wife, , Holdridge kidded reporters
about his performance at the White
House briefing. "You don't let him
[the president] hedge, but I got away
with it."
He said . the appointment had
been in the works only since Satur-
day. And when did he accept? "The
moment it was offered," he laughed.
Looking at his wife, Martha, he
added, "I had to discuss it with my
chief of staff."
Holdridge, whose area of expertise
at the State Department long has
been East Asian and Pacific affairs, ,
said it was "rather unique" to be
named during a state dinner and
that afterwards he spoke briefly with
President Suharto about it.
"We've all been shaking hands
with big smiles," Holdridge said.
His boss, Secretary of State
George P. Shultz, called the nomi-
nation "A-plus-Indonesia knows
him and the president trusts him."
Vice President George Bush was
ecstatic at the announcement, calling
it "a marvelous tribute to Indonesia
because he's a senior diplomat and
so highly regarded. I served with him
in China. I couldn't be more enthu-
siastic about it."
And from one who didn't get the
nomination: "You didn't expect to
see me here, did you?" laughed Kent
Crane when he arrived.
STAT
"Inever was a nominee, remember
that, just someone on the list," said
Crane. Of reports that he handled
Suharto family investments, Crane, a
consultant and international invest-
ment counselor, . said, "I never did
any business with any government in
any country, so this has been an in-
teresting experience." Of Holdridge,
with whom he had worked at the
National Security Council: "They got
a good man."
But he didn't deny that he would
have liked the job. "It's the best
country. in the world, a 'beautiful
place. I speak the language; I worked
there three years-a baby diplomat,
you know-it was my first post .in
the foreign service."
Not the CIA, as was speculated .
around town when his name sur-
faced as a potential nominee?
"The foreign service," Crane re-
peated.
Some other old friends at the din-
ner were comedian Joey Adams and
his wife, author'Cindy Adams, who
wrote the life story of Suharto's pre-
decessor, former president Sukarnd
He was ousted in 1967-"and the In-
donesian legislature named Suharto
acting president. The -following year
he was formally elected to the post.
"Don't go heavy on Sukarno-it's
the wrong group, cautioned Cindy
Adams.
"One thing I'm not going to do
tonight is tell jokes about Sukarno,"
said her husband,- who told of being
sent to Indonesia as a "goodwill am-
bassador" by President Kennedy.
"Sukarno was our 'great friend. So
you can't make fun of him."
After a dinner of tenderloin of
beef, souffle potatoes and Pear Wil-
liams Bombe, the Adarnses had a
brief chat with Suharto' in the Blue
Room in which they repeatedly
praised Indonesia and expressed the
hope that they could soon return.
Suharto nodded with a smile.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/25: CIA-RDP90-00552R000201350003-9
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/25: CIA-RDP90-00552R000201350003-9
Yet another Indonesian friend was
golf pro Arnold Palmer, who said the
fact that President .Suharto is a golf-
er probably had something to do
with his invitation to the dinner. He
told of a golf course he expects to
build in Bali.
"At the moment it's on hold, but
we expect to see something happen-
ing very soon," said Palmer.
A Californian with strong ties to
Indonesia as well as the Reagan ad-
ministration was Stephen D. Bechtel
Jr., chairman of the Bechtel Group
Inc., the corporate alma mater of
Secretary of State Shultz and, De-
fense Secretary Caspar W. Weinber-
ger, who was also- there last night.
Bechtel said his firm has three pro-
jects going on at the moment in In-
donesia, two of them involving lique-
fied natural gas and the other the
modernization of a refinery. He said
he didn't make it to Washington too
often because "I like San Francisco."
After the entertainment, a recital
by mezzo-soprano Frederica Von
Stade with pianist Martin Katz,
'Shultz and his wife Helena took a
turn around 'the dance floor. Then
Shultz took Nonie Bechtel Ramsay,
daughter of his former boss, on an-
other turn.
Actress -Alexis'Smith led the gla-
mot contingent,.?which also included
Gloria Vanderbilt being escorted by
author and=as ' the White House
called him-"cuisine expert' Craig
Claiborne, and Washington socialites
Ina Ginsburg and Wendy Morgan.
From Bonner Springs, ,Kan., came
Leroy, Tombs, chairman of the Na-
tional 'Association `of Slack Manu-
facturers and a longtime friend of
Kansas Sen. Robert J. Dole (R).
Speaking as co-chair of the Repub-
lican Black Council, Tombs said that
"blacks have been with him [Reagan]
all along. Blacks have found what's
basically good for America is good
for them."
Not far behind was. Treasury Sec-
retary Donald T. Regan, who turned
thumbs down when asked about the
downturn in stock prices yesterday.
"Profit-taking," he explained, then
added that he nevertheless expected
the economy will "generally be bet-
ter" in the days ahead.
First Lady Nancy Reagan, in a
black and white satin dinner gown
by Bill Blass, was at the president's"
side to see President and Mrs. Su-
harto off at the end of the evening.
Tien Suharto clutched her White
House program and other dinner
mementos. President Suharto waved
good-bye, his diamond ring flashing
in the night.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/25: CIA-RDP90-00552R000201350003-9