US State Department cable 1978JAKART10473: 1965 coup plotter sentenced (Mrs Sutanti Aidit to be tried next)

=== [Page 1] === Title: US State Dept (1978) - Cable 1978-215607, trials incl. Mrs. Sutanti Aidit Source: Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/StateDeptcable1978-215607 Date retrieved: 2026-10-19 OCR text (_djvu.txt) Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Message Text LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 01 JAKART 10473 021015Z ACTION EA- 12 044090 030552Z/11 R 020836Z AUG 78 FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA TO SECSTATE WASHDC 604 INFO AMCONSUL MEDAN AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE AMCONSUL SURABAYA LIMITED OFFICIAL USE JAKARTA 10473 E.O. 11652: NA TAGS: PINS, SHUM, ID SUBJECT: 1965 COUP PLOTTER SENTENCED 1. FORMER ARMY COLONEL ABDUL LATIEF, A KEY MAN IN THE 1965 PKI COUP ATTEMPT, WAS SENTENCED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT BY A MILITARY TRIBUNAL AUGUST 1 IN JAKARTA. LATIEF WAS COMMANDER OF THE INFANTRY BRIGADE OF THE JAKARTA MILITARY GARRISON AT THE TIME OF THE COUP ATTEMPT AND HAD COOPERATED CLOSELY WITH KEY COUP PLOTTER LT. COL. UNTUNG IN PREPARING TO ARREST THE SEVEN GENERALS WHO WERE SUBSEQUENTLY KILLED. ACCORDING TO THE VERDICT, HE WAS FOUND GUILTY OF REBELLION AND ATTEMPT- ING THE OVERTHROW OF THE LEGAL GOVERNMENT IN 1965, AS WELL AS HAVING ENCOURAGED OTHERS TO TAKE THE LIVES OF VARIOUS PERSONS INCLUDING THE ASSASSINATED GENERALS. 2. LATIEF ACTED AS HIS OWN DEFENSE COUNSEL DURING THE 3- MONTH TRIAL AND DENIED HAVING BEEN INVOLVED IN ANY ACT OF REBELLION AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT, CLAIMING HE HAD ONLY TRIED TO PROTECT PRESIDENT SUKARNO FROM THE MACHINATIONS OF THE GENERALS. HE ASKED THE COURT FOR ONE WEEK'S TIME TO REPLY TO THE VERDICT. LIMITED OFFICIAL USE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PAGE 02 JAKART 10473 021015Z 3. TRIALS OF OTHER CATEGORY A POLITICAL DETAINEES ARE CONTINUING IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GOTS ANNOUNCED INTEN- TION TO BRING THEM ALL TO TRIAL OR DOWNGRADE THEM TO CATEGORY B FOR RELEASE BY THE END OF 1979. THE NEXT MAJOR FIGURE TO BE TRIED IS REPORTED TO BE MRS. SUTANTI AIDIT, WIDOW OF THE FORMER PKI CHIEF. MANY OF THOSE Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 TRIED SOON AFTER THE 1965 COUP ATTEMPT HAVE ALREADY COM- PLETED THEIR SENTENCES AND HAVE BEEN RELEASED, SUCH AS FORMER MINISTER OF TRANSMIGRATION AND COOPERATIVES DRS. MOHAMMED ACHADI, RELEASEDIN MAY AFTER SERVING 12 YEARS. GARDNER LIMITED OFFICIAL USE NNN Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Message Attributes Automatic Decaptioning: X Capture Date: 01 jan 1994 Channel Indicators: n/a Current Classification: UNCLASSIFIED Concepts: TRIALS, COURT DECISIONS Control Number: n/a Copy: SINGLE Draft Date: 02 aug 1978 Decaption Date: 01 jan 1960 Decaption Note: Disposition Action: RELEASED Disposition Approved on Date: Disposition Case Number: n/a Disposition Comment: 25 YEAR REVIEW Disposition Date: 20 Mar 2014 Disposition Event: Disposition History: n/a Disposition Reason: Disposition Remarks: Document Number: 1978JAKART10473 Document Source: CORE Document Unique ID: 00 Drafter: n/a Enclosure: n/a Executive Order: N/A Errors: N/A Expiration: Film Number: D78031 7-0771 Format: TEL From: JAKARTA Handling Restrictions: n/a Image Path: ISecure: 1 Legacy Key: Iink1978/newtext/t1 978081 08/aaaadmui. tel Line Count: 67 Litigation Code IDs: Litigation Codes: Litigation History: Locator: TEXT ON-LINE, ON MICROFILM Office: ACTION EA Original Classification: LIMITED OFFICIAL USE Original Handling Restrictions: n/a Original Previous Classification: n/a Original Previous Handling Restrictions: n/a Page Count: 2 Previous Channel Indicators: n/a Previous Classification: LIMITED OFFICIAL USE Previous Handling Restrictions: n/a Reference: n/a Retention: 0 Review Action: RELEASED, APPROVED Review Content Flags: Review Date: 01 may 2005 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: 1564328 Secure: OPEN Status: NATIVE Subject: 1965 COUP PLOTTER SENTENCED TAGS: PINS, SHUM, ID, (LATIEF, ABDUL) To: STATE Type: TE Review Markings: Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Markings: Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014