Cable, US Embassy Singapore to State Department, 1 September 1977: Dr. Sutanti Aidit

=== [Page 1] === Title: US State Dept (1977) - Cable 1977-226398, Dr. Sutanti Aidit PKI CC membership Source: Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/State-Dept-cable-1977-226398 Date retrieved: 2026-10-19 OCR text (_djvu.txt) Margaret P. Grafeld Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 22 May 2009 LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 01 SINGAP 03809 011105Z ACTION EA- 12 016652 011114Z/15 R R010419Z SEP 77 FM AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE TO SECSTATE WASHDC 8451 Message Text LIMITED OFFICIAL USE SINGAPORE 3809 si:Ams,iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii FOR EA/TIMBS FROM INGRAHAM TAGS: PINS, SHUM, ID SUBJ: DR. SUTANTI AIDIT REF: STATE 207433 1. MY SOURCES EOR THE STATEMENT THAT DR. SUTANTI AIDIT WAS A MEMBER OF THE PKI CENTRAL COMMITTEE WERE OE TWO SORTS: RECENT AND QUITE ANCIENT. 2. THE LATTER SOURCES GO BACK TO MY TOUR AS POLITICAL OEFICER IN lAKARTA IN 1958-60 AND AS INDONESIAN DESK OFFICER IN 1962-65. AT LEAST DURING LATTER PART OF THIS PERIOD, DR. AIDIT WAS KNOWN TO EVERYONE EOLLOWING INDONESIAN POLITICAL AEFAIRS AS HEAD OF GERWANI, THE WOMEN'S ORGANIZATION OE THE PKI (SHE MAY EVEN HAVE BEEN PUBLICLY IDENTIEIED AS SUCH, ALTHOUGH I AM NOT SURE OF THIS). GERWANI WAS IN NO SENSE A MERE FRONT ORGANIZATION BUT AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE PKI. DURING THAT TIME I RECALL SEEING DOCUMENTS IDENTIEYING HER AS GERWANI'S REPRESENTATIVE ON THE PKI CENTRAL COMMITTEE. THIS WAS 22-PLUS YEARS AGO UNFOR- TUNATELY AND I CANNOT CITE THE SPECIEIC DOCUMENTS. A CHECK OE THE DEPARTMENT'S FILES, ESPECIALLY OF THE RETIRED EMBASSY JAKARTA LIMITED OFFICIAL USE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 02 SINGAP 03809 011105Z FILES DURING THAT PERIOD, SHOULD PRODUCE SOMETHING. 3. 1 DID NOT, HOWEVER, DESCRIBE DR. AIDIT AS A MEMBER OF THE PKI CENTRAL COMMITTEE ON THE BASIS ONLY OF THESE RECOLLECTIONS. I DISTINCTLY REMEMBER A POST- 1974 TELEGRAM FROM EMBASSY JAKARTA DESCRIBING HER AS SUCH. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL FIRST DESIGNATED DR. AIDIT AS A "PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE" IN (I BELIEVE) 1975, Margaret P. Grafeid Deciassified/Reieased US Department of State EO Systematic Review 22 May 2009 Margaret P. Grafeld Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 22 May 2009 AND THE FIRST CONGRESSIONAL INQUIRIES ON HER BEHALE REACHED EA/IMS SHORTLY AETERWARD. TO HELP US RESPOND TO THESE EARLY INQUIRIES, WE SENT A MESSAGE TO JAKARTA ASKING FOR INFORMATION ON HER STATUS. AS I REMEMBER, SEVERAL MESSAGES WERE EXCHANGED. IN ONE OE THEM, MY RECOLLECTION IS THAT THE EMBASSY SAID SPECIEICALLY THAT GOI OFEICIALS BELIEVED HER TO HAVE BEEN A MEMBER OE THE PKI CENTRAL COMMITTEE. SINCE THIS CHECKED FULLY WITH MY OWN MEMORY, I INCLUDED IT IN THE STANDARD LETTER ON DR. AIDIT THAT (WITH SOME MODIEICATIONS) WE CONTINUED TO USE IN RESPONDING TO CONGRESSIONAL QUERIES ON DR. AIDIT UNTIL AT LEAST JULY 1977. SUGGEST YOU CHECK THE EILES, AND YOU MAY WANT TO QUERY JAKARTA ON THIS. 4. ONE OTHER ASPECT OE THE SUTANTI AIDIT MATTER MIGHT SHED SOME ADDITIONAL LIGHT. SHORTLY AFTER AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL DESIGNATED HER A "PRISONER OE CONSCIENCE", I RECALL SOMEONE (I DON'T REMEMBER WHO BUT I BELIEVE HE WAS FROM THE BRITISH EMBASSY) COMMENTING CASUALLY THAT AMNESTY'S INEORMATION ON HER HAD COME EROM CARMEL BUDJARDJO, THE BRITISH COMMUNIST WHO WAS AN OEEICIAL OE THE SUKARNO GOVERNMENT PRIOR TO HER ARREST ALTER THE 1965 PKI COUP ATTEMPT. I POUND LATER THAT AMNESTY'S LITERATURE ON DR. AIDIT INCLUDED CONSIDERABLE ALLEGED DETAIL REGARDING HER MISTREATMENT WHILE IN PRISON, ETC. THE LITERATURE STATED SPECIFICALLY THAT THIS INFORMATION COVERED ONLY THE PERIOD THROUGH 1971 AND THAT NOTHING WAS KNOWN OF HER SITUATION SUBSEQUENT TO LATE 1971. YOU WILL RECALL, OP COURSE, LIMITED OEEICIAL USE LIMITED OEEICIAL USE PAGE 03 SINGAP 03809 0III05Z THAT CARMEL BUDJARDJO WAS RELEASED BY THE INDONESIANS AND RETURNED TO BRITAIN IN DECEMBER 1971. IP THE QUESTION OP DR. AIDIT'S STATUS IS GOING TO BE EXAMINED IN SOME DETAIL, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL BE REQUESTED TO SPECIPY THE SOURCE OP ITS INEORMATION ON HER. 5. SINCE I HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THIS MATTER POR SO LONG, I WOULD APPRECIATE IF YOU COULD LET ME KNOW HOW ALL THIS COMES OUT. HOLDRIDGE LIMITED OFPICIAL USE NNN Margaret P. Grafeid Deciassified/Reieased US Department of State EO Systematic Review 22 May 2009 Margaret P. Grafeld Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 22 May 2009 Message Attributes Automatic Decaptioning: Z Capture Date: 01 -Jan-1 994 12:00:00 am Channei indicators: n/a Current Classification: UNCLASSIFIED Concepts: POLITICAL PRISONERS, COMMUNISTS Control Number: n/a Copy: SINGLE Sent Date: 01 -Sep-1 977 12:00:00 am Decaption Date: 22 May 2009 Decaption Note: 25 YEAR REVIEW Disposition Action: RELEASED Disposition Approved on Date: Disposition Case Number: n/a Disposition Comment: 25 YEAR REVIEW Disposition Date: 22 May 2009 Disposition Event: Disposition History: n/a Disposition Reason: Disposition Remarks: Document Number: 1977SINGAP03809 Document Source: CORE Document Unique ID: 00 Drafter: n/a Enclosure: n/a Executive Order: N/A Errors: N/A Expiration: Film Number: D77031 6-0591 Format: TEL From: SINGAPORE Handling Restrictions: Image Path: ISecure: 1 Legacy Key: Iink1977/newtext/t1 977091 07/aaaadmgr.tel Line Count: 103 Litigation Code IDs: Litigation Codes: Litigation History: Locator: TEXT ON-LINE, ON MICROFILM Message ID: SOaal 13a-c288-dd1 1-92da-001cc4696bcc Office: ACTION EA Original Classification: LIMITED OFFICIAL USE Original Handling Restrictions: STADIS, ONLY Original Previous Classification: n/a Original Previous Handling Restrictions: STADIS Page Count: 2 Previous Channel Indicators: n/a Previous Classification: LIMITED OFFICIAL USE Previous Handling Restrictions: STADIS, ONLY Reference: 77 STATE 207433 Retention: 0 Review Action: RELEASED, APPROVED Review Content Flags: Review Date: 24-Feb-2005 12:00:00 am Review Event: Review Exemptions: n/a Review Media Identifier: Review Release Date: n/a Review Release Event: n/a Review Transfer Date: Review Withdrawn Fields: n/a SAS ID: 1083463 Secure: OPEN Status: NATIVE Subject: DR. SUTANTI AIDIT TAGS: PINS, SHUM, ID, (AIDIT, SUTANTI) To: STATE Type: TE vdkvgwkey: odbc://SAS/SAS.dbo.SAS_Docs/80aa1 1 3a-c288-dd1 1 -92da-001 cc4696bcc Review Markings: Margaret P. Grafeld Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 22 May 2009 Markings: Margaret P. Grafeld Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 22 May 2009 Margaret P. Grafeld Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 22 May 2009