Gerwani Archive
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GA-01536 1965-12-08 The Scotsman rel A licensed

Army plans to kill P.K.I. for ever (The Scotsman, 8 Desember 1965)

Army plans to kill P.K.I. for ever (The Scotsman, 8 December 1965)

The Scotsman, 8 Dec 1965, Dennis Bloodworth, 'Army plans to kill PKI for ever': Suharto and Nasution press to destroy the PKI while Sukarno refuses to ban it; the article analyses the PKI's miscalculations. It repeats the slander that six generals were mutilated by 'doe-eyed girls' of the PKI's 'Gerwani' women's moveme

GA-03352 1965-12-08 The Straits Times rel A

Almost overlords yesterday, almost outlaws today: What happened to the PKI? (Dennis Bloodworth)

Almost overlords yesterday, almost outlaws today: what happened to the PKI? (Bloodworth, Straits Times, 1965)

The Straits Times, 8 December 1965, p. 12, analysis by Dennis Bloodworth on why the PKI failed. In passing it repeats the Lubang Buaya slander as fact: 'six leading generals were done to death, horribly mutilated by doe-eye girls of the PKI's Gerwani women's movement'. It then covers Sukarno's weakness, Nasution's esca

GA-02926 1966 rel B licensed

Dossier of the Indonesian Drama (New Left Review 36)

Dossier of the Indonesian Drama (Lucien Rey, New Left Review, 1966)

Article by Lucien Rey (New Left Review no. 36, March 1966) reconstructing the 1 October 1965 events as a plot by dissident Central Java officers, plus a translated Asahi Shimbun interview with PKI deputy chair Njoto. Says People's Youth and Gerwani auxiliaries trained at Halim took part in the generals' executions in r

GA-00288 1966-04-15 The Canberra Times rel A

Bloody orgy at Halim air base (Canberra Times, 15 April 1966)

Bloody Orgy at Halim Air Base (Canberra Times, 15 April 1966)

Canberra Times, 15 Apr 1966, p. 10: concluding part of a 'Special Correspondent' account repeating the Lubang Buaya slander. Claims 100 Gerwani women at Halim took razor blades, tortured and mutilated the generals, citing 'Mrs Djamilah' via the Djakarta Mail (15 Nov), singing 'People's Blood'. Adds Nasution escape narr

GA-00289 1966-04-15 The Canberra Times rel A

Bloody orgy at Halim air base (Canberra Times, 15 April 1966)

Bloody Orgy at Halim Air Base (Canberra Times, 15 April 1966), duplicate

Canberra Times, 15 Apr 1966, p. 10: concluding part of a 'Special Correspondent' account repeating the Lubang Buaya slander. Claims 100 Gerwani women at Halim took razor blades, tortured and mutilated the generals, citing 'Mrs Djamilah' via the Djakarta Mail (15 Nov), singing 'People's Blood'. Adds Nasution escape narr

GA-00366 1966-06-29 Tribune rel A

Dossier of a slaughter (Tribune, 29 Juni 1966)

Dossier of a slaughter

Tribune (Sydney), 29 Jun 1966, p. 5: editorial attacking Western press whitewashing of the Suharto regime plus a long reconstruction of 30 Sep-1 Oct 1965 taken from the British New Left Review, portraying the movement as junior officers' action. It mentions that Halim auxiliaries from Pemuda Rakyat and Gerwani took par

GA-00367 1966-06-29 Tribune rel A

Dossier of a slaughter (Tribune, 29 Juni 1966)

Dossier of a slaughter

Tribune (Sydney), 29 Jun 1966, p. 5: editorial attacking Western press whitewashing of the Suharto regime plus a long reconstruction of 30 Sep-1 Oct 1965 taken from the British New Left Review, portraying the movement as junior officers' action. It mentions that Halim auxiliaries from Pemuda Rakyat and Gerwani took par

GA-00119 1970 rel A

Seperempat Abad Dewan Perwakilan Rakjat Republik Indonesia (1970)

A Quarter Century of the Indonesian Parliament (1970)

Official institutional history, 'Seperempat Abad DPR RI', compiled by the DPR-GR Secretariat for the 25th anniversary in August 1970; it traces parliament from the KNIP to 1970 with membership rosters. For Gerwani it matters in the 1965-66 chapters: it records the NU demand (5 Oct 1965) to ban Gerwani, the 15 Oct 1965

GA-02938 1970 rel B licensed

Interpretations of the 1965 Indonesian Coup: A Review of the Literature

Interpretations of the 1965 Indonesian Coup: a review of the literature (van der Kroef, 1970)

Review essay by Justus M. van der Kroef (Pacific Affairs, winter 1970) surveying interpretations of the 1965 coup (Wertheim, Rey, the Cornell Report, Utrecht, Pluvier, Hughes, Nugroho/Saleh) from a pro-PKI-complicity standpoint. Several passages mention Gerwani members' role at Halim; he cites 'Mrs Djamilah's' confessi

GA-03050 1970 rel B licensed

Youth and the Wane of Soekarno's Government

Youth and the Wane of Soekarno's Government (Paget, 1970)

Roger Paget's 1970 Cornell PhD thesis on how student and youth action groups, culminating in KAMI, emerged after 1 October 1965 and helped undermine Sukarno. Gerwani appears in several passages: action fronts demanded its banning (p. 44) and its offices were ransacked (p. 63); Herlina denounced it for not fighting Mala

GA-00499 1970-06-22 Algemeen Handelsblad rel B

Soekarno, grondlegger van Indonesië (Sukarno, pendiri Indonesia)

Sukarno, founder of Indonesia

Algemeen Handelsblad obituary-profile of Sukarno (1970-06-22), covering his life, Guided Democracy, Nasakom, and the 30 September 1965 events, which it blames on palace guards and communist groups, followed by an anti-communist reaction costing 'tens of thousands' of lives. A photo caption states General Yani was murde

GA-03704 1971 Interim Reports Series, Modern Indonesia Project, Cornell University (compilation on Internet Archive) rel A

Archive of the Event of 1965 in Indonesia (compilation incl. Anderson and McVey, A Preliminary Analysis of the October 1, 1965 Coup)

Archive of the Event of 1965 in Indonesia (compilation incl. Anderson and McVey, Preliminary Analysis of the October 1,

Internet Archive compilation on the 1965 events whose main text is Anderson and McVey's Cornell 'Preliminary Analysis of the October 1, 1965 Coup' (1971), with source documents. It says Gerwani and Pemuda Rakjat trainees at Lubang Buaya were drawn into the killings (pp. 22-23) while stressing the army-fed 'orgy' storie

GA-03705 1971 Interim Reports Series, Modern Indonesia Project, Cornell University (compilation on Internet Archive) rel A

Archive of the Event of 1965 in Indonesia (compilation incl. Anderson and McVey, A Preliminary Analysis of the October 1, 1965 Coup)

Archive of the Event of 1965 in Indonesia (compilation incl. Anderson and McVey, Preliminary Analysis of the October 1,

Internet Archive compilation on the 1965 events whose main text is Anderson and McVey's Cornell 'Preliminary Analysis of the October 1, 1965 Coup' (1971), with source documents. It says Gerwani and Pemuda Rakjat trainees at Lubang Buaya were drawn into the killings (pp. 22-23) while stressing the army-fed 'orgy' storie

GA-02939 1976 rel A licensed

The 1965 Coup in Indonesia: The CIA's Version

The 1965 Coup in Indonesia: The CIA's Version (van der Kroef, 1976)

Critical review by Justus M. van der Kroef (Asian Affairs, Nov 1976) of the CIA's declassified 1968 report 'Indonesia-1965: The Coup That Backfired'. Takes issue with the CIA's claim that Lubang Buaya victims were not mutilated and that Gerwani/Pemuda Rakyat confessions were Army-contrived, quoting Gerwani member Djami

GA-02712 1980-01 TAPOL rel A

TAPOL Bulletin No. 37, January 1980 (Indonesia's Political Trials)

TAPOL Bulletin No. 37, January 1980: Indonesia's Political Trials

TAPOL Bulletin no. 37 (London, January 1980): editorial on the end of KOPKAMTIB's release plan, plus Julie Southwood's long study of 1,014 political trials since 1966. It notes the 1965 Lubang Buaya claim that communist women castrated the generals, and the 1975 subversion trial of Gerwani's Sulami and Sudjinah, with S

GA-02718 1985-09 TAPOL rel B

TAPOL Bulletin No. 71, September 1985

Issue no. 71 (September 1985) of TAPOL Bulletin, the British campaign for Indonesian political prisoners. It carries an anonymous ex-prisoner's article on the 'G30S/PKI' symbol, reports on death-row prisoners, the Gatot defence statement, harassment of ex-prisoners and military reorganisation. Gerwani appears only once

GA-01617 1989-03-21 Harian Neraca rel B

Harian Neraca, 21 Maret 1989: 'Siapa menabur angin akan menuai badai' (67)

Harian Neraca serial 'Siapa menabur angin akan menuai badai' (67): Aidit's capture and alleged confession

Harian Neraca, 21 Maret 1989, p. 10: instalment 67 of Soegiarso Soerojo's serial. Aidit's capture in Solo on 22 Nov 1965 and extracts of his alleged confession (Asahi Evening News) that Pemuda Rakyat and Gerwani units were assembled from July 1965.

GA-01523 1990-09-08 The Guardian rel B licensed

The black hole of Bali (The Guardian, 8 September 1990)

The Guardian (Weekend Guardian), 8 Sept 1990, p.A4, John Gittings, 'The black hole of Bali': long feature on the 1965 massacre (250,000 or more killed), how the killings were organised by the army under Suharto, the Aidit/PKI role, the US list of communists (Martens/Kadane) and US encouragement, survivors ('Tapols') an

GA-01368 1995-09-30 Trouw rel A

Het trauma van 1965 jeukt en zeurt (The trauma of 1965 itches and nags)

The trauma of 1965 itches and nags

Jan Bezemer's long Trouw weekend feature (30 Sep 1995) on the unresolved 1965 trauma. Covers the 30 September events, Suharto's role, US encouragement, massacres (Gatot's trial testimony) and the smear campaign against Gerwani. Draws on Saskia Wieringa's doctoral research: Gerwani was blamed for mutilating the generals

GA-03650 2009 Pusat Sejarah dan Tradisi TNI / Yayasan Kajian Citra Bangsa, Jakarta rel A

Komunisme di Indonesia, Jilid IV: Pemberontakan G30S/PKI dan Penumpasannya (1960-1965)

Communism in Indonesia, Vol. IV: The G30S/PKI Rebellion and its Suppression (1960-1965), Pusjarah TNI, 2009

Official Army history (Pusjarah TNI, Jakarta 2009), vol. IV of 'Komunisme di Indonesia', presenting Gerwani as a PKI mass organisation in the 1960-65 build-up and the G30S. It reports Gerwani's Nov-Dec 1964 housewives' seminar (p. 70), 'unilateral actions' (p. 122), the 27 Sept 1965 Surabaya governor's-office raid unde

GA-03651 2009 Pusat Sejarah dan Tradisi TNI / Yayasan Kajian Citra Bangsa, Jakarta rel A

Komunisme di Indonesia, Jilid IV: Pemberontakan G30S/PKI dan Penumpasannya (1960-1965)

Communism in Indonesia, Vol. IV: The G30S/PKI Rebellion and its Suppression (1960-1965), Pusjarah TNI, 2009

Official Army history (Pusjarah TNI, Jakarta 2009), vol. IV of 'Komunisme di Indonesia', presenting Gerwani as a PKI mass organisation in the 1960-65 build-up and the G30S. It reports Gerwani's Nov-Dec 1964 housewives' seminar (p. 70), 'unilateral actions' (p. 122), the 27 Sept 1965 Surabaya governor's-office raid unde

GA-03054 2014 rel C licensed

The Cold War in the City of Heroes: U.S.-Indonesian Relations and Anti-Communist Operations in Surabaya, 1963-1965

The Cold War in the City of Heroes: US-Indonesian Relations and Anti-Communist Operations in Surabaya (Setiyawan, 2014)

PhD dissertation in History (UCLA, 2014) by Dahlia Gratia Setiyawan on U.S. anti-communist operations and the 1965-66 purge in Surabaya. Gerwani appears in context: as the PKI's women's affiliate (ch. 1), through the Surabaya women's coalition GOWS in the 27 September 1965 Grahadi demonstration (ch. 4), and in the Army

GA-03656 2015-10 Bhinneka (Yayasan Bhinneka Nusantara, Surabaya), edisi Oktober 2015 rel A

Bhinneka, October 2015: Setengah Abad Genosida 1965 (Indonesian edition, incl. Christina Sumarmiyanti and women ex-prisoners' testimonies)

Bhinneka, October 2015: Half a Century of the 1965 Genocide (Indonesian edition, women ex-prisoners' testimonies)

Bhinneka, October 2015 (Surabaya; ed. Soe Tjen Marching), a 1965 anniversary issue. Women ex-prisoners testify: Hartiti, a Gerwani member, was asked whether she joined the 'naked dance' and castrated the generals; Maria Goretti Sumilah was beaten and burned to confess she was Gerwani; Theresia Kadmiyanti ran a TK Melat

GA-03657 2015-10 Bhinneka (Yayasan Bhinneka Nusantara, Surabaya), edisi Oktober 2015 rel A

Bhinneka, October 2015: Setengah Abad Genosida 1965 (Indonesian edition, incl. Christina Sumarmiyanti and women ex-prisoners' testimonies)

Bhinneka, October 2015: Half a Century of the 1965 Genocide (Indonesian edition, women ex-prisoners' testimonies)

Bhinneka, October 2015 (Surabaya; ed. Soe Tjen Marching), a 1965 anniversary issue. Women ex-prisoners testify: Hartiti, a Gerwani member, was asked whether she joined the 'naked dance' and castrated the generals; Maria Goretti Sumilah was beaten and burned to confess she was Gerwani; Theresia Kadmiyanti ran a TK Melat

GA-02292 2021-10-02 Tempo rel A licensed

Gerwani, Sukarno, dan Poligami (Gerwani dan dilema semangat persaudaraan)

Tempo, 2 October 2021: Gerwani, Sukarno and polygamy (Gerwani and the dilemma of brotherhood)

Tempo essay (2 Oct 2021) by I Gusti Agung Ayu Ratih on why Gerwani did not criticise Sukarno's polygamy. It recounts Kowani expelling Gerwani on 29 Oct 1965 and removing Hurustiati Subandrio in 1966, the erasure of Gerwani from women's movement history, Perwari rivalry, Gerwani members' reverence for Sukarno, and anti-

GA-02297 2021-10-02 Tempo rel A licensed

Umi Sardjono dan Hantu Tahunan PKI

Tempo, 2 October 2021: Umi Sardjono and the annual PKI ghost

Tempo column (2 Oct 2021, Budi Setyarso) using Umi Sardjono's life to argue that 1965 history is still painted in black and white. It notes her arrest without trial, Bukit Duri and Plantungan until 1979, Gerwani's origins in Gerwis, about 1.5 million members by 1960, literacy courses, her immigration and marriage-law w

GA-02318 2021-10-04 Tempo English rel A licensed

Opinion: The Story of Gerwani Leader Umi Sardjono and Communism Phobia (Umi Sardjono and the Annual Ghost)

Tempo English, 4 October 2021: Opinion - Umi Sardjono and communism phobia (the annual ghost)

English edition of the Tempo column 'Umi Sardjono and the Annual Ghost' (4 Oct 2021) arguing that 1965 history is still black and white. It uses Umi Sardjono's life (arrest without trial, Bukit Duri, Plantungan to 1979), Gerwani's Gerwis origins, a mid-1960s membership of 1.5 million, literacy classes, her immigration

GA-02859 2025 rel A

Transformasi Gerwani: Keterlibatan dalam Perjuangan Gender hingga Stigmatisasi Pasca 1965 (Aisyah, 2025)

Transformation of Gerwani: gender struggle to post-1965 stigmatisation (Aisyah, 2025)

Rania Dhiyaulhaq Aisyah, 'Transformasi Gerwani' (Jurnal Sejarah Indonesia 8:2, 2025), a literature-based article on Gerwani's pre-1965 gender activism (education, health, anti-polygamy, 1955 elections, PKI ties, congresses) and its post-1965 stigmatisation. It repeats Wieringa's finding that the Lubang Buaya sexual-vio