Pravda, 23 Nov 1965: the situation in Indonesia, mass arrests
Pravda no. 327, 23 November 1965 (full issue). Page 1 TASS item 'The situation in Indonesia' (Jakarta, 22 Nov): arrests of 1,600 in South Kalimantan; in Central Java 1,630 (Wonogiri), 820 (Sragen), 711 (Boyolali), over 2,200 (Klaten), said by ANTARA to be members of PKI, Gerwani, Pemuda Rakyat, BTI, Partindo; Subandrio
Pravda, 23 Nov 1965: the situation in Indonesia, mass arrests (excerpt)
Pravda no. 327, 23 November 1965 (excerpt of the page). Page 1 TASS item 'The situation in Indonesia' (Jakarta, 22 Nov): arrests of 1,600 in South Kalimantan; in Central Java 1,630 (Wonogiri), 820 (Sragen), 711 (Boyolali), over 2,200 (Klaten), said by ANTARA to be members of PKI, Gerwani, Pemuda Rakyat, BTI, Partindo;
CIA, The Indonesian Situation, report 61, 14 November 1965
CIA 'Indonesian Situation' report no. 61, 14 November 1965: continuing anti-communist action and mass killings, Aidit's presumed whereabouts, and 1,000 women demonstrating in Jakarta for permanent dissolution of the PKI women's auxiliary. Records an early anti-Gerwani mobilisation.
ANP news report, 11 October 1965 (Indonesia: Gerwani headquarters burned in Aceh)
ANP radio bulletin, 11 Oct 1965: the army arrests all PKI board members in Bandung, and in Aceh demonstrators burned down the headquarters of Gerwani. Also notes the evacuation of American embassy families from Jakarta. Early evidence of anti-Gerwani violence outside Java.
Despite appeal for moderation, army hunts communists
De Nieuwe Limburger, 11 Oct 1965 (ANP/UPI/AFP): despite Sukarno's call for moderation, the army starts a nationwide drive against the PKI. On Saturday a Muslim crowd plundered the houses of Aidit and Njoto and the Gerwani building; about 2,000 arrests near Jakarta; 44 parties demand a PKI ban. Early report of attacks o
Self-defence from panic: commentary on the hunt for communists
De Volkskrant commentary (11 Oct 1965) warning that the hunt for communists could drive Aidit's followers to armed self-defence. It describes Muslim demonstrators wrecking Aidit's and Njoto's houses and then "the headquarters of the communist women's organisation Gerwani", and army occupation of PKI headquarters in Ace
U.S. Act As Tension Rises In Indies (Geraldton Guardian, 12 October 1965)
Geraldton Guardian, 12 Oct 1965, p. 1: wire report on rising tension as the Army purges Communists. Mentions a Radio Indonesia broadcast, via Radio Malaysia, that a crowd burned down the Aceh office of the Communist women's organisation Gerwani; Soviet leaders warn Sukarno against attacks on Communists; the US evacuate
U.S. Act As Tension Rises In Indies (Geraldton Guardian, 12 October 1965), duplicate
Geraldton Guardian, 12 Oct 1965, p. 1: wire report on rising tension as the Army purges Communists. Mentions a Radio Indonesia broadcast, via Radio Malaysia, that a crowd burned down the Aceh office of the Communist women's organisation Gerwani; Soviet leaders warn Sukarno against attacks on Communists; the US evacuate
Der Bund, 12 October 1965: The instigator of the coup captured
Der Bund (Bern), 12 Oct 1965, Reuter report from Singapore: Lt Col Untung, leader of the 30 September Movement, reported captured; tense Central Java as armed Communists flee to the mountains; curfew reduced. Citing Malaysian radio quoting Radio Jakarta, a crowd burned down the Gerwani premises in Aceh (North Sumatra),
Thurgauer Zeitung, 12 October 1965: The anti-communist wave in Indonesia
Thurgauer Zeitung wire digest, 12 Oct 1965, on the anti-communist wave in Indonesia: Communists fleeing in Central Java, an angry crowd burning Gerwani premises in Aceh (per Radio Djakarta), Untung's capture, Antara placed under Army control, and Sukarno's remarks on 'imperialists'. Gerwani appears only in one sentence
Schweizer Bauer, 13 October 1965: Hunt for communists
Short Reuter wire item in the Swiss farm paper Schweizer Bauer, 13 Oct 1965. Reports tension in Central Java as Communists flee to the mountains, and that an angry crowd burned down the Gerwani premises in Aceh, North Sumatra, per Radio Djakarta via Malaysian radio.
Walliser Volksfreund, 13 October 1965: The hunt for communists in Indonesia
Walliser Volksfreund (13 Oct 1965) running the Reuter report on the hunt for Communists: flight into Central Java mountains, Muslim attacks on PKI offices in Bandung, and an angry crowd burning down Gerwani premises in Aceh per Radio Djakarta. Includes a photo caption of the burned PKI headquarters.
Telegram 779A to Secretary of State, 18 Oct 1965
US Embassy telegram 779A, 18 Oct 1965: Foreign Ministry aide Sutarto says anti-PKI action is spreading across Sumatra, Sulawesi and Central Java, targeting Subandrio. Early-aftermath political context; no Gerwani content.
Suara Merdeka, 21 October 1965, p. 1: Anti-PKI mass action in Semarang
Suara Merdeka (Semarang), 21 Oktober 1965, hlm. 1. Front page on the anti-PKI mass action sweeping Semarang on 20 Oct 1965 after RPKAD's arrival under Sarwo Edhie: burning of PKI, SOBSI, CGMI and Baperki buildings; Gerwani appears among targets.
Peking Review no. 43, 22 October 1965: drastic changes in Indonesian political situation; Gerwani office burnt
Peking Review no. 43 (22 Oct 1965), Chinese state weekly, with a Xinhua round-up on 'drastic changes' in Indonesia after 30 September. It reports army-controlled Djakarta groups demanding dissolution of the PKI, Pemuda Rakyat and Gerwani (c. 5 Oct), Gerwani's office burnt down on 9 Oct, and the later banning order; Ren
Straits Times, 22 Oct 1965: Red homes wrecked, campaign spreads to Jogjakarta and Celebes
Straits Times, 22 Oct 1965 (lead only). The temporary ban on the PKI and affiliates spread across many regions, with homes of Communists wrecked; the PKI is linked to the failed 1 October coup. Matched on Gerwani as an affiliated organisation.
Berita Yudha, 28 October 1965
Berita Yudha, 28 Oktober 1965. Youth Pledge Day issue: Central Java under a state of war, 104 dead in Banyuwangi with 62 bodies in three pits; Gerwani item on p. 2.
Situation Summary for Central Java, 29 October 1965 (AURI Intelligence)
Secret Indonesian Air Force intelligence summary, 29 October 1965, on tension between nationalist/religious parties and the PKI in Central Java, with Solo security arrangements under Col. Sarwo Edhie and casualty figures. Early-aftermath regional context; no Gerwani content.
Sukarno: my life is in danger
Twentsch Dagblad Tubantia (3 Nov 1965): Sukarno tells cabinet his life is in danger; 100,000 demonstrate at the Chinese consulate in Medan demanding Subandrio's dismissal; army purge in Central Java hampered by unreliable troops; Gerwani expelled from the women's congress Kowani, chaired by Mrs Subandrio; soldiers kill
Straits Budget, 3 Nov 1965: army says wholesale slaughter of civilians in east Java
Straits Budget, 3 Nov 1965 (lead only). Reports a state of war declared in central Java, with the army saying Communists massacred civilians and Communists and Muslims fighting, citing Radio Jakarta. Typical army-sourced framing of the killings; matched on Gerwani.
US Consulate Surabaya 'Joint Sitrep 11', 4 November 1965: clean-up raids continue, Blitar a main concern, and Basuki Rachmat's East Java tour sealing off PKI areas. Regional military context of the repression; Gerwani not specifically named.
Straits Times, 7 Nov 1965: suicide squad women crushed by army tanks
Straits Times, 7 Nov 1965 (world round-up, lead only). An army bulletin claimed a 'suicide squad' of Communist women, nine 'suicide members' of Gerwani, were killed trying to block army tanks in a Central Java town. Army-sourced propaganda framing of Gerwani women.
The army: violence against Gerwani women near Solo
De Waarheid, 8 Nov 1965, p. 3: report that the army continues violent actions against progressives; per an army communique, paratroopers near Solo shot nine women who stood before tanks and refused to move, said to be Gerwani members. Also notes army encouragement of Muslims to destroy communists' buildings in Tasikmal
Freiburger Nachrichten, 8 November 1965: Indonesia - the hunt for communists continues
Freiburger Nachrichten, 8 Nov 1965, 'Indonesia: hunt for Communists continues' (Reuter/AFP). Citing the Army newspaper, paratroopers killed nine women described as 'suicide fighters of Gerwani' who tried to block army tanks near Solo, shot after warning shots; also arrests in Cilacap, suspensions in Kalimantan, a 'holy
251 dead in Central Java; women demonstrate against the PKI
Leeuwarder Courant, 9 November 1965, p. 5: report that about 10,000 housewives, schoolgirls and actresses marched in Jakarta to the National Front office demanding dissolution of Gerwani and state control of communist-run schools, while over a million demanded the PKI's dissolution. Governor Mokhtar says 251 were kille
Telegram 1425: Joint Situation Report no. 51, 12 Nov 1965
US Embassy Joint Situation Report no. 51, 12 Nov 1965: Army-Sukarno contest plus a security section on riots in Makassar, a massacre of 200 PKI prisoners in Bone and arrests in Jakarta. No Gerwani mention; shows how killings were framed as a 'security' item.
And shame (Solo, November 1965)
Limburgsch Dagblad, 20 November 1965, p. 5: correspondent's column from Solo. Paratroopers daily parade 'enemies of the people', yesterday three Gerwani members, described as involved in the massacres 'in the most dissolute manner', forced to lie face down on hot asphalt before a passive crowd. It also describes ex-may
Berita Yudha, 23 November 1965. Front page: Maluku Pepelrada dissolves the PKI and its mass organisations and detains 279 on Ambon in religious language denying the 'godless' PKI the right to live; Gerwani item on p. 2.
Berita Yudha, 24 November 1965. Antara: police and army officer at Harau (Payakumbuh), assisted by villagers, seize 38 Gerwani and 39 PKI members and 'green clothing' and an Aidit book.
US Consulate Surabaya Joint Sitrep 17, 24-26 November 1965: the PKI 'being slaughtered by Ansor' across East Java, bodies in rivers, Ludruk actors killed and a 'Holy War' coloration. Graphic contemporary evidence of the East Java killings.