WEST NEW GUINEA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79-01006A000100210001-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 27, 2002
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: April 11, 1961
• Content Type: IM

25X1
"C-RE
Approved For Release 2002/05/09 : CIA-RDP79-01006A000100210001-3
Copy No._3
GEOGRAPHIC
INTELLIGENCE
MEMORANDUM
CIA/RR GM 61-3
II April 1961
WEST NEW GUINEA
GK~n`t l~ D r
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND REPORTS
WARNING
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within of the espionage
d
793
S
transm rev ationnof which in any manners to an u authori ed per on is p ohib ted by 1 wisaion or
25X1
25X1
Approved For Release 2002/05/09 : CIA-RDP79-01006A000100210001-3
 Approved For Release 2002/
Introduction
-01006A000100210001-3
25X1
The dispute between Indonesia, and The Netherlands over West New Guinea concerns
one of the least-developed lands on earth -- an area of 160,000 square :miles, spar-
sely populated by some 700,000 persons, most of whom are still in a stone-age stage
of culture and probably unaware of the controversy over the territory that they
inhabit. Prospects for economic improvement are extremely limited; and., in the
foreseeable future, the colony will probably remain a financial drain upon its ad-
ministering authority. Despite this lack of intrinsic value the governments of
both Indonesia and The Netherlands, in the course of a decade of disputation over
the political status of West New Guinea, have become committed almost irrevocably
to positions that now involve not only national honor but also the personal pres-
tige of the top leadership. These inflexible postures, althou
product of deeply gh.essentially the
rooted historical and political forces within the contending
countries, are also closely related to the geographical position and unique char-
acter of the territory in dispute.
Dutch interest in the island dates back to 1660, but not until December 1949
did West New Guinea officially become a colony of The Netherlands. As Nederlands-
Nieuw-Guinea, the colony is administered by a Governor who is appointed by and
responsible to the Crown. Paradox=ically, the 17,000 Dutch residents of West New
Guinea no longer constitute a vital strategic interest for The Netherlands, and
the Dutch Government has expressed a willingness to relinquish its position in
the colony provided only that the inhabitants are guaranteed self-determination.
The neighboring Republic of Indonesia, on the other hand, views West New Guinea
as a critically strategic area. Since its inception that republic has been plagued
by internal rebellion. Justifiably or not, many these (especially
in the South Moluccas) have been attributed to Dut hnspirati n disturbances 1 up-
port based in West New Guinea. Consequently the Dutch presence there is regarded
as a threat to Indonesian security as well as an affront to Indonesian sovereignty.
Terrain
West New Guinea consists of a broad 'mainland" tapering westward into the
narrow isthmus that links it with the two peninsulas of the Bomberai and the
Vogelkop, which, in turn, are connected by the Bintoeni Isthmus, only 15 miles
in width. The Radja Ampat Groep (island group) located off the west coast of
the Vogelkop east of 129?15?E and north of Ceram, except the island of Gebe,
is administered as part of West New Guinea. East of the Vogelkop are the islands
of Geelvink-baai (bay), among them Noemfoor, Japen, and the Schouten-eilanden
(islands), including Biak.
The dominant terrain feature of New Guinea is an extremely high mountain system
that trends east-west through the center of the island and extends at lower ele-
vations northwestward into the Vogelkop. In mainland West New Guinea, this rugged
cordillera is generally 80 to 100 miles in width, with several peaks above 15,000
feet and minimum elevations of 10,000 feet maintained for a distance of more than
300 miles without interruption. This mighty barrier divides the mainland into two
parts, with little overland communication between them. Trails through the high-
lands are few and exhausting to traverse. The deeply incised Baliem-rivier (river)
pierces the mountain wall east of Wilhelmina-top (peak); and, farther west, several
trails cross the highlands at 6,000-foot elevations by way of the relatively popu-
lous Wissel-meren (lakes) district.
On the south, the central mountains drop abruptly to a narrow band of lower but
still rugged highlands, which, in turn, slope precipitously to the vast plain of
southern New Guinea. Immediately north of the high peaks, the ranges are aligned
in a series of parallel east--west ridges separated by narrow longitudinal valleys.
On the north the ranges drop off sharply to the flat, swampy Meervlakte Depression.
To the east and west, the ridges become lower until they merge with the low mountain
arc of northern West New Guinea.
Approved For Release 2002/05/09 : CIA-RDP79-01006A000100210001-3
 Approved For Release 2002/05/09 : CIA-RDP79-01006A000100210001-3
REP
I N
HALMAHERA
TP it,
Weda
ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS
AND URBAN CENTERS
130 135
-~ AIGO 140
?r
p
I P A C
M nokwari
SCHOUTEN-
G~ 7 ornno /" ' f\ h.EILANDEN I
Biak Division capital
NUMBER OF INHABITANTS
0? Over 7000
o 1200 to 3600
? 600 to 1200
FREDERIK
HENDRIK-
Approved For Release
PHILIPPINES
BRUNEI /RNEO. "\_..~
(U.K.)
//~? 1 S
SARAW,AK
SU.K.)
BORNEO
--,,:REPUBLIC OF I
JAVA -- ,~?-;> ~'t+ /~v?c: .
PORT. TIMOR
__ .9 RAPURA .c( I
TIMOR
Darwin-
INDIAN OCFAN
/ AUSTRALIA
 Approved For Release 2002/05i bP79-0l 006A000100210001-3
25X1
At present the Hollandia Government is seeking to attract overseas investors
to reportedly large deposits of copper, nickel, and cobalt in West New Guinea.
Plans have already been advanced for the exploration of nickel and cobalt deposits
in the Cyclop Mountains west of Hollandia and on Waigeo and nearby islands of the
Radja Ampat Groep. Copper and other ores are doubtless to be found in abundance
in the central highlands, but the cost of extraction probably would be prohibitive
for any except the most precious metals. Encouragement also is being given to the
exploitation of forest resources by foreign firms and to the production of cacao,
rubber and other tropical crops for export.
For most Papuans of West New Guinea, traditional ways of life have been modified
only slightly, if at all., by contact with Western civilization. The self-contained
village unit, hostile toward outsiders and speaking a dialect unintelligible rela-
tively few miles away, prevails over most of the territory. Agriculture is largely
of the primitive shifting-cultivation type, in which small forest areas are cleared
and planted to crops such as bananas, taro, and sweet potatoes for a year or two
-- until the soil is exhausted -- and then abandoned. The damp tropical-forest
climate also provides excellent conditions for the growth of sugarcane, tobacco,
and a multitude of vegetables, the chief hazard being unexpected floods. Pigs
have been domesticated in the highlands, but the lowland Papuans depend upon hunt-
ing and fishing for proteins. Limited amounts of copra are produced as a cash crop
along the sandy north coast and on the offshore islands.
Current Outlook
Economically and strategically, West New Guinea is not valuable to The Nether-
lands, but politically it has become the rallying point for forces of Dutch na-
tionalism, as the final opportunity for The Netherlands to regain some of its former
prestige as an able administrator of underdeveloped territories. The Dutch are
now committed to a policy of self-government for the Papuans. The first step toward
this goal was the establishment in April 1961 of a 28-member advisory council, of
which 16 were elected by local inhabitants. The electorate included Europeans,
Asians, and those Papuans resident in Follandia and Manokwari. Attempts will be
made to broaden the franchise and accelerate the filling of lower ranks of the
civil service with qualified Papuans. In 1962, the Papuans are to be given an
opportunity to choose their own political status, which is expected to be the cre-
ation of an "autonomous" state with strong ties to The Netherlands.
The Dutch program threatens to hamper the Indonesian campaign to gain sover-
eignty over West New Guinea. In consequence, Indonesia might undertake military
or paramilitary gestures in hopes of internationalizing the dispute. Although
Indonesian prospects for building a significant resistance movement among the
Papuans are slight, the resident Indonesians constitute an attractive target for
subversion, especially in areas currently suffering from depression in the petro- 25X6
leum industry.
25X1
- 1006A000100210001-3
MLjr1U
Approved For Release 200 r IUDIUU : -
 Approved For Releas T -RDP79-01006A000100210001-3
? Air base
? Major airfield
} Minor airfield
O Inland seaplane station
Ongo Major landing beach
Naval base
Major port
Minor port
A Marine repair facility
A
osnek
10
statute Miles
AAP D'URVILLE
Aaoy~p4igRC .. ,
`'PEAR. OF F