Documents on Australian Foreign Policy :: Volume 20: Australia and the Indonesian Incorporation of Portuguese Timor, 1974

1. SUBMISSION TO WILLESEE: 29 April 1974; ‘Canberra, 29 April 1974 RESTRICTED Portugal Attached for consideration is a draft press statement on the events in Portugal. You will wish to consider as a separate issue the question of the Australian Government’s attitude to the Junta. Although the regime would appear, from all reports, to be in full...’
2. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 2 May 1974; ‘Canberra, 2 May 1974 0.CH51736 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor Although we do not want you to raise the matter formally with the Indonesians at present, we should also be interested to have reports on Indonesian views on the future of Portuguese Timor. In response to an enquiry by the Indonesian Embassy...’
3. POLICY PLANNING PAPER: 3 May 1974; ‘Canberra, [3 May 1974]1 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor The existence of the small and at present not economically viable colonial territory of Portuguese Timor to the immediate north of Australia is likely to attract increasing international attention in the near future. It is a subject on which our own attitudes need...’
4. MEETING OF AD HOC TASK FORCE ON PORTUGAL: 3 May 1974; ‘Canberra, 3 May 1974 CONFIDENTIAL Participants Mr F. B. Cooper(Chairman) Head, Europe, Central and Southern Africa Branch Mr R. J. Greet Head, West Europe Section Mr R. M. North Head, Central and Southern Africa Section Mr J. M. C. Watson Head, Defence Plans and Policy Section Mr A. J. Melhuish...’
5. MINUTE FROM EVANS TO CURTIS: 10 May 1974; ‘Canberra, 10 May 1974 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor Re Secretary’s note1 There is no legal basis for an Indonesian claim to Portuguese Timor, and a transfer of Portuguese Timor to Indonesia could create procedural problems in the United Nations context. The legal issue is not the same as in Irian Jaya...’
6. SECOND MEETING OF AD HOC TASK FORCE ON PORTUGAL: 17 May 1974; ‘Canberra, 17 May 1974 CONFIDENTIAL Participants Mr F. B. Cooper (Chairman) Head, Europe, Central and Southern Africa Branch Mr R. J. Greet Head, West Europe Section Mr T. Sofield Acting Head, Central and Southern Africa Section Mr A. J. Melhuish Head, UN Political Section Mr L. W. Herron General Legal...’
7. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 22 May 1974; ‘Jakarta, 22 May 1974 O.JA2479 CONFIDENTIAL ROUTINE Portuguese Timor Satari (BAKIN) told us today that following the change of government in Portugal, a comprehensive study has been undertaken by BAKIN on Portuguese Timor. The Indonesians do not consider there is any evidence of an indigenous liberation movement in Portuguese Timor;...’
8. SUBMISSION TO WILLESEE: 24 May 1974; ‘Canberra, 24 May 1974 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor The political changes in Portugal are bound to affect Portugal’s policy towards its overseas territories, including Timor. The possibility of change in Portuguese Timor is of interest to Australia, not least because of its effect on Indonesia, which is the regional country most...’
9. LETTER FROM MCCREDIE TO FEAKES: 29 May 1974; ‘Jakarta, 29 May 1974 SECRET I have no doubt that the Department is paying a good deal of attention to the Indian Ocean at present and, as most of the major developments have particular interest to Indonesia, we have been looking at ways of ensuring that respective policies do not...’
10. LETTER FROM FEAKES TO MCCREDIE: 6 June 1974; ‘Canberra, 6 June 1974 CONFIDENTIAL Thank you for your letter of 29 May 1974 about Portuguese Timor.1 I agree with much of what you say about our interests in Portuguese Timor and the implications of the future of that territory for our relations with Indonesia. My own feeling, which I...’
11. MEMORANDUM TO CANBERRA: 28 June 1974; ‘Jakarta, 28 June 1974 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor In private conversation after the informal1 talks of 27 June Colonel Sunarso elaborated on what he had said in the meeting about Portuguese Timor. The most interesting point he made was that when the Governor of Nusa Tenggara Timor, El Tari, visited Dili...’
12. LETTER FROM FURLONGER TO FEAKES: 3 July 1974; ‘Jakarta, 3 July 1974 TOP SECRET Indonesia: Clandestine Operation in Portuguese Timor Harry Tjan told Jan Arriens on 2 July that he intends to submit a paper to the President this week recommending that Indonesia mount a clandestine operation in Portuguese Timor to ensure that the territory would opt for...’
13. SAVINGRAM TO POSTS: 3 July 1974; ‘Canberra, 3 July 1974 O.CH794571 CONFIDENTIAL BY BAG Portuguese Timor-Political Situation and Prospects Summary The coup in Portugal has undermined the colonial order in Timor where the authorities now permit freedom of political activity. Political change has influenced the small elite in Timor but has scarcely permeated to the mass...’
14. MEMORANDUM TO JAKARTA: 5 July 1974; ‘Canberra, 5 July 1974 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor We should like you to discuss our assessment of the political situation in Portuguese Timor (SAV 026)1 with the Department of Foreign Affairs and other interested Indonesian agencies. Those parts of the assessment that relate to the role and interests of Australia and...’
15. SUBMISSION TO WILLESEE: 16 July 1974; ‘Canberra, 16 [July] 1974 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor: Visit to Australia of Ramos Horta Mr Ramos Horta, a leader of the Timorese Social Democratic Association (ASDT), arrived in Canberra on Tuesday evening, 16 July. ASDT is one of three political parties in Portuguese Timor. Despite its name there is nothing at...’
16. LETTER FROM FEAKES TO FURLONGER: 26 July 1974; ‘Canberra, 26 July 1974 TOP SECRET Portuguese Timor I am sorry to have delayed in replying to your letter of 3 July about Portuguese Timor.1 While you were on leave in Australia, John McCredie and I wrote to each other on that subject and you may be interested to have...’
17. LETTER FROM FURLONGER TO FEAKES: 30 July 1974; ‘Jakarta, 30 July 1974 TOP SECRET Thank you for your letter of 26 July.1 I was particularly interested in what you wrote to John McCredie earlier in the year, since it seems to me that your thinking has changed a little since then. Am I right in thinking that we...’
18. REPORT BY FISHER: July 1974; ‘Jakarta, [July 1974]1 CONFIDENTIAL Visit to Indonesian Timor and Flores The main purpose of my visit to Indonesian Timor and Flores from 19-27 July was to try to ascertain attitudes to Portuguese Timor in light of the recent developments in Portugal and in Portugal’s overseas provinces. The following is an...’
19. MEMORANDUM TO POSTS: 7 August 1974; ‘19 Memorandum to Posts1 Canberra, 7 August 1974 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor-Visit to Canberra of Ramos Horta Attached is a report prepared in the Department on the recent visit to Canberra of Ramos Horta. A.D. McLENNAN Indonesia Section Attachment AUSTRALIA-PORTUGUESE TIMOR RELATIONS VISIT OF RAMOS HORTA [matter omitted] Horta’s visit, as...’
20. MINUTE FROM ARRIENS TO FURLONGER: 14 August 1974; ‘Jakarta, 14 August 1974 SECRET AUSTEO Portuguese Timor Harry Tjan called today on his own request to discuss Portuguese Timor. He said that he had put up a second paper to the President on 13 August. This paper was in anticipation of Mr Whitlam’s visit next month. As I had...’
21. MEMORANDUM TO ROGERS: 15 August 1974; ‘Canberra, 15 August 1974 CONFIDENTIAL Defence Significance of Portuguese Timor In response to your oral request of some months ago, I now attach a paper on the Defence Significance of Portuguese Timor. Please note that the status of this paper is only a departmental working paper. It has not been...’
22. RECORD OF MEETING WITH TJAN: 21 August 1974; ‘Canberra, 21 August 1974 SECRET AUSTEO Officers Present: Mr G. B. Feakes First Assistant Secretary, South Asia Division Mr J. L. Lavett Assistant Secretary, South East Asia Branch Mr A. D. McLennan Indonesia Section Mr G. J. Forrester Indonesia Section Indonesian Policy Towards Portuguese Timor-the View of the Palace Group...’
23. MEMORANDUM TO DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE: 26 August 1974; ‘Canberra, 26 August 1974 SECRET AUSTEO Defence Significance of Portuguese Timor I refer to your paper on the defence significance of Portuguese Timor (sent to us with your memorandum of 15 August1 ) as revised by the amendments you sent us on 21 August. We have a major disagreement with...’
24. BRIEF FOR WHITLAM: 2 September 1974; ‘Canberra, 2 September 1974 SECRET AUSTEO Prime Minister’s Visit to Indonesia-Portuguese Timor During your forthcoming visit to Indonesia, President Soeharto will expect to receive an authoritative statement from you of Australia’s attitude towards Portuguese Timor. A visit to Canberra between 20 and 22 August by Mr Harry Tjan of the...’
25. CABLEGRAM FROM FURLONGER TO WHITLAM: 2 September 1974; ‘Jakarta, 2 September 1974 O.JA4494 SECRET PRIORITY You may find it helpful to have, on the eve of your departure from Australia, the following up-to-date assessment of President Soeharto’s personal position and of the political atmosphere in Jakarta, as well as some observations on matters relevant to your private meeting...’
26. RECORD OF MEETING BETWEEN WHITLAM AND SOEHARTO: 6 September 1974; ‘State Guest House, Yogyakarta, 6 September 1974, 10 a.m. SECRET President Soeharto said that he was most pleased to receive the visit of the Prime Minister. The visit planned for April had, unfortunately, been postponed. It was fortunate, however, that the visit could proceed. President Soeharto hoped that with the...’
27. RECORD OF SECOND MEETING BETWEEN WHITLAM AND SOEHARTO: 6 September 1974; ‘Wonosobo, 6 September 1974, 8 p.m. SECRET [matter omitted]1 Domestic Situation in Australia The Prime Minister said that he wished to explain something of the electoral situation in Australia. Since last April there had been a new feature in internal politics in Australia. Every six months both Houses of Parliament...’
28. BACKGROUND PAPER: 11 September 1974; ‘Canberra, 11 September 1974 UNCLASSIFIED The Future of Portuguese Timor Press reports have suggested that the Prime Minister and President Soeharto of Indonesia discussed the future of Portuguese Timor, at their recent meeting. This paper examines briefly the question of the future of that territory. [matter omitted] Indonesian Attitude Indonesia...’
29. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 12 September 1974; ‘Canberra, 12 September 1974 0.CH110619 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Prime Minister’s Discussion with President Soeharto about Portuguese Timor Ref 0.CH1106201 Our immediately succeeding telegram gives text of Departmental Background Paper on the future of Portuguese Timor. It has the Prime Minister’s concurrence. The paper will be used for unattributable background briefing of...’
30. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 12 September 1974; ‘Jakarta, 12 September 1974 O.JA4767 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Prime Minister’s Discussions with President Soeharto RefO.CH110619, O.CH110620, O.CH1106211 I spoke to Sudharmono today about the above three telegrams. Generally, Sudharmono thought that the action you contemplate, particularly on Portuguese Timor, will be helpful, and he had no disagreement with the basic approach....’
31. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 13 September 1974; ‘Canberra, 13 September 1974 0.CH111833 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Thanks your O.JA4767.1 Sudharmono’s views on how the Indonesian attitude towards Portuguese Timor might be described complicate matters for us. We should be grateful for your comments on the following:- In essence, Sudharmono is saying that the Indonesian public position is...’
32. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 16 September 1974; ‘Jakarta, 16 September 1974 O.JA4822 SECRET IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor RefO.CH1118331 In retrospect, I think it is a pity that the President did not spell out to the Prime Minister the difference between the substance of the Indonesian position, which was conveyed frankly to the Prime Minister as a friend, and...’
33. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 19 September 1974; ‘Jakarta, 19 September 1974 O.JA4892 TOP SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor For the Minister from Furlonger (Personal for Mcintyre) Tjan (the Adviser to Ali Murtopo, to whom President Soeharto has given the main running on Portuguese Timor) passed the following information to us in strict confidence on 18 September. He asked...’
34. MINUTE FROM FEAKES TO LAVETT AND MCLENNAN: 20 September 1974; ‘Canberra, 20 September 1974 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor This week’s Policy Information Report includes a statement that ‘Australia has no special ambitions in Portuguese Timor .. .’I think that I cleared this text; but at this morning’s meeting with the First Assistant Secretaries, Mr Border said that he had reservations about...’
35. SUBMISSION TO WHITLAM: 23 September 1974; ‘Canberra, 23 September 1974 SECRET Portuguese Timor The accompanying series of telegrams from our Embassy in Jakarta and our Mission to the United Nations in New York about Portuguese Timor report information which gives us cause for concern. The most important information is in Jakarta telegram O.JA4892 of 19 September1...’
36. CABLEGRAM TO NEW YORK: 24 September 1974; ‘Canberra, 24 September 1974 O.CH115723 SECRET ROUTINE Portuguese Timor For the Minister for Foreign Affairs (on arrival) from the Acting Minister Before leaving Australia you saw Telegram O.JA4892 of 19 September1 reporting information from the Indonesians about their discussions with the Portuguese and their views on the future of the...’
37. MINUTE FROM WOOLCOTT TO RENOUF: 24 September 1974; ‘Canberra, 24 September 1974 SECRET Portuguese Timor Last night Mr Feakes and I cleared a cable from the Prime Minister and Acting Minister to the Minister in New York and Furlonger in Jakarta, seeking to ensure that his position on Portuguese Timor was clearly understood. You should see this cable...’
38. CABLEGRAM TO NEW YORK: 26 September 1974; ‘Canberra, 26 September 1974 O.CH117514 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Portuguese Timor: Seabed Boundary Please pass following to Minister as additional background in case the question of the seabed boundary is raised by the Portuguese Foreign Minister. An interdepartmental meeting was convened by Foreign Affairs on 25 September to consider whether the Australian...’
39. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 26 September 1974; ‘New York, 26 September 1974 O.UN1034 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Portuguese Timor For Prime Minister from Willesee I talked today with Malik and with Soares about Portuguese Timor, as a result of which I think all three of us have arrived at an acceptable understanding (if at this stage necessarily broad and...’
40. LETTER FROM LAVETT TO RENOUF: 28 September 1974; ‘Canberra, 28 September 1974 SECRET PERSONAL [matter omitted]1 My main worry is that the tenor of the telegram2 seems to imply that we are getting out too far in front. I believe that it would be appropriate for us at this stage to adopt a more reticent role. You will...’
41. MINUTE FROM ARRIENS TO FURLONGER AND DAN: 30 September 1974; ‘Jakarta, 30 September 1974 SECRET Discussion with Harry Tjan I saw Harry Tjan this morning. The following were the main points of interest, some of which I expect you will wish to have cabled. Portuguese Timor Tjan said that he had now developed what he called a ‘grand design’ on...’
42. CABLEGRAM TO LISBON: 4 October 1974; ‘Canberra, 4 October 1974 O.CH121337 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Timor For Ambassador You should take the opportunity of your call on Campinos to outline Australia’s attitude towards Portuguese Timor. As you know this attitude is based on the principles of the United Nations. Australia supports the right to self-determination for all colonial...’
43. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 7 October 1974; ‘Lisbon, 7 October 1974 O.LB439 SECRET ROUTINE Timor I had a useful and fairly frank exchange of views with the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Campinos) today. After developing the theme of the mutuality of our interests in a number of fields I turned the conversation to decolonisation in...’
44. CABLEGRAM TO LISBON: 8 October 1974; ‘Canberra, 8 October 1974 O.CH122140 CONFIDENTIAL ROUTINE Visit by Ali Murtopo For Ambassador You will be generally aware of Lieutenant-General Ali Murtopo’s background and his role within the Indonesian Government. However, the following material may be helpful when he calls on you. He prefers to be known as General Ali....’
45. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 14 October 1974; ‘Lisbon, 14 October 1974 O.LB462 SECRET PRIORITY Timor Ali Murtopo, accompanied by his Secretary (Halim) came to see me late this afternoon after having had discussions with Soares and Campinhos (separately) and other Portuguese officials. I invited Ali to comment on his talks with the Portuguese. He said they had...’
46. STATEMENT BY CAMPBELL IN FOURTH COMMITTEE OF UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY: 14 October 1974; ‘New York, 14 October 1974 Portuguese Territories [matter omitted] When my delegation addressed itself to the question of the Portuguese-held territories last year, we found it possible to do so only in terms in which ‘dismay’ minimised the concern and indignation we felt. None of the pre-conditions for decolonisation was...’
47. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 14 October 1974; ‘New York, 14 October 1974 0.UN1259 RESTRICTED PRIORITY Fourth Committee—Portuguese Timor Following is the text of paragraph on Portuguese Timor from the Statement by Indonesia in Fourth Committee on 14 October in the general debate on the Portuguese territories. Begins Finally, Mr Chairman, my delegation would like to refer to...’
48. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN SANTOS AND WILLESEE: 16 October 1974; ‘Canberra, 16 October 1974 SECRET EXTRACT Senator Willesee said that he thought that it would be bad if there were signs of hurry in the resolution of the situation in Portuguese Timor. The problem was Portugal’s although Australia and Indonesia were naturally interested in developments there. If,however, a hurried decision...’
49. LETTER FROM FURLONGER TO FEAKES: 16 October 1974; ‘Jakarta, 16 October 1974 SECRET AUSTEO We have spoken with Lim Bian Kie since he returned from his trip to the United States. (Harry Tjan was present.) The following were some of the main points that emerged. Lim said that his discussions with Duncan Campbell in New York had been...’
50. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 21 October 1974; ‘Jakarta, 21 October 1974 O.JA5445 SECRET ROUTINE Portuguese Timor We spoke to Harry Tjan this morning about Ali Murtopo’s visit to Lisbon, about which Ali reported to the President today. Ali spoke with Campinos, Soares, Gomes, Gonsalves and Santos.1 From each of these Ali received assurances of understanding of Indonesia’s...’
51. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 22 October 1974; ‘Canberra, 22 October 1974 O.CH128045 SECRET ROUTINE Portuguese Timor Thank you for your reports on Santos’s visit. It is to be expected that like the Indonesians the Portuguese will describe their attitude towards Timor with emphases that differ according to their audience. There is, however, a difference going beyond a...’
52. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 24 October 1974; ‘Jakarta, 24 October 1974 O.JA5501 SECRET ROUTINE Portuguese Timor Ref 0.CH1280451 We agree that differences in emphasis according to the audience are to be expected but wonder whether these differences go beyond a simple variation of emphasis as you suggest. Your account of what Santos said in Canberra is not...’
53. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 25 October 1974; ‘Lisbon, 25 October 1974 O.LB491 CONFIDENTIAL ROUTINE Timor I think we are now in general agreement that the essential difference between Portuguese and Indonesian thinking is that whereas the former do not see incorporation with Indonesia as necessarily a desirable objective per se, they will nevertheless not actively oppose it...’
54. MINUTE FROM ARRIENS TO FURLONGER: 26 October 1974; ‘Jakarta, 26 October 1974 SECRET AUSTEO Portuguese Timor I had a long talk with Harry Tjan this morning about the hard line that has emerged in Indonesia towards Portuguese Timor. He confirmed that policy had hardened and said that HANKAM now had the running and that the Centre’s influence was...’
55. RECORD OF AUSTRALIAN-INDONESIAN OFFICIALS' TALKS: 29 October 1974; ‘Jakarta, 29 October 1974 SECRET EXTRACT Mr Renouf said that he should point out that there had been some unfavourable publicity in Australia about Portuguese Timor. The Prime Minister himself had been criticised for allegedly conniving in the surrender of Portuguese Timor to Indonesia. The shadow foreign minister, Mr Peacock,...’
56. LETTER FROM FURLONGER TO JOCKEL: 1 November 1974; ‘Jakarta, 1 November 1974 SECRET You will have received copies of the series of conversations with Tjan, Liam Bian Kie and Yoga, regarding the possible resort by Indonesia to military action of some sort to advance its policies in Portuguese Timor.1 As a postscript to these conversations, it is worth...’
57. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 11 November 1974; ‘Lisbon, 11 November 1974 O.LB526 CONFIDENTIAL ROUTINE Timor A Mr Jose Celestino DaSilva Martins came to see me today. He said he was a Portuguese citizen and the nephew of a Timorese chieftain. He said the highland chiefs rejected any of the proposed three solutions for Timor and he hoped...’
58. MEMORANDUM TO NEW YORK, WASHINGTON, MOSCOW AND PEKING: 14 November 1974; ‘Canberra, 14 November 1974 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor The Department is currently considering the policy options it might develop in relation to Portuguese Timor. One consideration is the fear harboured by the Indonesians about possible Chinese and/or Soviet intentions. In its crudest form, the Indonesian concern amounts to a fear that...’
59. SUBMISSION TO WILLESEE: 25 November 1974; ‘Canberra, 25 November 1974 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor: Visit to Australia by Mr Ramos Horta Mr Ramos Horta of FRETILIN, the party in Portuguese Timor favouring independence, will be visiting Australia at the beginning of December at the invitation of the Association for International Co-operation and Development. [matter omitted] Background When...’
60. MINUTE FROM MAYNE-WILSON TO FEAKES: 27 November 1974; ‘Canberra, 27 November 1974 Portuguese Timor Mr. Joseph has shown me the attached last few pages of his draft on Portuguese Timor,1 which he had rewritten after discussions with Mr Forrester and myself. I feel bound to point out that I do not agree with the approach outlined, as Mr...’
61. DRAFT SUBMISSION TO WILLESEE: 5 December 1974; ‘Canberra, 5 December 1974 SECRET EXTRACT Portuguese Timor Australia’s Attitudes Australia has no axe of its own to grind in Portuguese Timor. But it is also true that what interests we have-deriving from the territory’s proximity, its straddling of important shipping routes, its nearness to our seabed resources zone, and...’
62. SUBMISSION TO WILLESEE: 6 December 1974; ‘Canberra, 6 December 1974 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor In your absence there have been some developments of importance relating to Portuguese Timor.1 You will be aware that following on discussions with Ramos Horta a proposal has emerged from the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee of Caucus for a joint Government-Opposition party...’
63. DRAFT BRIEF FOR BARNARD: December 1974; ‘Canberra, [December 1974]1 SECRET AUSTEO EXTRACTS Portuguese Timor The Australian Interest There is no established Defence view on the defence importance to Australia of Portuguese Timor. It has been argued in some departmental Branch working papers that our interest would be served by the territory becoming independent, when we could...’
64. MINUTE FROM WILLIAMS TO JOSEPH: 9 December 1974; ‘Canberra, 9 December 1974 SECRET Portuguese Timor Reference our discussion on Friday afternoon on your draft submission on Timor.1 I would make two general comments: 1. The argument in paragraph 7 that the Australian interests (listed in the second sentence) would be ‘best served’ by Timor’s incorporation into Indonesia would...’
65. LETTER FROM WILLESEE TO WHITLAM: 10 December 1974; ‘Canberra, 10 December 1974 SECRET There have been a number of recent developments in relation to Portuguese Timor about which I think you would wish to be acquainted before you proceed overseas.1 In particular, I have now received the text of a resolution adopted on 13 November by the Foreign...’
66. RECORD OF POLICY DISCUSSION: 11 December 1974; ‘Canberra, 11 December 1974 SECRET Portuguese Timor Mr Feakes introduced the paper1 which had been circulated before the meeting. By way of background he said that there was general agreement at an earlier FAS meeting that our policy on this issue should reflect our preference:- for the association of Portuguese...’
67. SUBMISSION TO WILLESEE: 13 December 1974; ‘Canberra, 13 December 1974 SECRET Portuguese Timor [matter omitted]1 Future Policy The Government’s stated preference for association of Portuguese Timor with Indonesia remains qualified by the concern that the choice must be for the people of Portuguese Timor themselves to make in an internationally acceptable manner, that is, in a...’
68. MEMORANDUM TO JAKARTA: 13 December 1974; ‘Canberra, 13 December 1974 RESTRICTED Portuguese Timor: Visit by Ramos Horta Please refer to Canberra telegram CH148927.1 We will be despatching separately the record of discussion between the Minister and Horta on 11 December. Again little new emerged. You might, however, wish to convey the following to the Indonesians. It...’
69. DISPATCH FROM FURLONGER TO WILLESEE: 13 December 1974; ‘Jakarta, 13 December 1974 3174 CONFIDENTIAL EXTRACTS The Indonesian Armed Forces and the Future Part 1: The Present Role Indonesia is commonly regarded as a military regime. Its defenders maintain that it is not; while its detractors find evidence that it is. Neither are quite right. In this despatch, I...’
70. RECORD OF CONVERSATION WITH HABIB AND MOERDANI: 6 January 1975; ‘Canberra, 6 January 1975 CONFIDENTIAL EXTRACT Notes on Discussions held by Sir Arthur Tange in Indonesia, December 19741 Indonesian Intentions Towards Portuguese Timor In separate discussions with Hasnan Habib and Moerdani I worked around to the future possibilities in Portuguese Timor in order to make the point that, in the...’
71. LETTER FROM WILLESEE TO WHITLAM: 14 January 1975; ‘Canberra, 14 January 19751 SECRET In my letter to you of 10 December, 1974 regarding a proposed visit to Portuguese Timor by a joint parliamentary delegation.2 I mentioned that a comprehensive paper had been prepared for my consideration which proposed several recommendations for future Australian policy towards the territory.3 This...’
72. MEMORANDUM TO CANBERRA: 15 January 1975; ‘New York, 15 January 1975 CONFIDENTIAL EXTRACT 29 UNGA: Fourth Committee: Question of Territories Under Portuguese Domination (Item 66) The Portuguese territories were also dealt with in the Plenary debate on decolonisation which commenced later than usual this year on 3 December 1974. The Portuguese Minister for Inter-Territorial Co-ordination, Dr...’
73. CABLEGRAM TO LISBON: 29 January 1975; ‘Canberra, 29 January 1975 O.CH166709 CONFIDENTIAL ROUTINE Portuguese Timor The Joint Communique published on 22 January by UDT and FRETILIN could foreshadow important and possibly rapid developments in Portuguese Timor. It does not of course indicate when FRETILIN and UDT might hope to achieve their now common aim of independence,...’
74. LETTER FROM JOSEPH TO COOPER: 29 January 1975; ‘Canberra, 29 January 1975 RESTRICTED In Graham Feakes’ absence, I thought I should drop you a line on the question of Portuguese Timor. It seems that developments there could be picking up in pace, although one cannot help wondering whether the latest alliance between Fretilin and UDT will hang together....’
75. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN TJAN AND TAYLOR: 30 January 1975; ‘Jakarta, 30 January 1975 SECRET AUSTEO Coalition Between UDT and FRETILIN As Harry [Tjan] had not seen a copy of the Joint Communique between UDT and FRETILIN1 I gave him one, stressing that I could not guarantee its correctness and noted that there were several words missing. After a quick...’
76. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 4 February 1975; ‘Lisbon, 4 February 1975 O.LB689 SECRET PRIORITY Timor I called on Santos this morning as arranged. The Minister said he welcomed my call as he thought the time had come for his government to consult with us and Indonesia about the future of Timor. Santos said that following his visit...’
77. MEMORANDUM TO CANBERRA: 5 February 1975; ‘Lisbon, 5 February 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor Our memorandum No. 20 of 21 January, 1975 refers.1 Lieutenant Colonel Alfredo Carneiro suggested recently that I also establish contact with the 2nd Division of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and on 5 February I had a discussion with Commandant Jorge...’
78. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 6 February 1975; ‘Lisbon, 6 February 1975 O.LB671 SECRET PRIORITY Timor Santos called me in this afternoon to say that the Decolonisation Commission (consisting of the President, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Melo Antunes and himself) had considered and approved his proposals. His preference would be for a secret meeting in London on either...’
79. SUBMISSION TO WILLESEE: 10 February 1975; ‘Canberra, 10 February 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor There has been a number of recent developments since we last addressed you on the subject of Portuguese Timor. We require guidance on some new proposals advanced in Lisbon by Dr Almeida Santos, the Portuguese Minister for Inter-territorial Co-ordination. We also seek your...’
80. CABLEGRAM TO LISBON: 11 February 1975; ‘Canberra, 11 February 1975 O.CH172733 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Ref0.LB689, O.LB6711 We have examined carefully the proposals made to you by Dr Santos on 4 February. As you surmise, his idea do[es] indeed envisage a much greater degree of Australian involvement in P. Timor’s future than we would consider desirable...’
81. LETTER FROM BARNARD TO WILLESEE: 11 February 1975; ‘Canberra, 11 February 1975 SECRET AUSTEO Thank you for sending me a copy of your letter of 13th January to the Prime Minister about Portuguese Timor.1 This subject bears very directly on our defence and strategic interests. I think it has serious implications not only for our policy but for...’
82. MINUTE FROM FORRESTER TO FEAKES: February 1975; ‘RESTRICTED Portuguese Timor I refer to paragraph 2 of the attached record of conversation with the Portuguese Ambassador and the Ambassador’s reference to a ‘special ingredient’ in Macao. In our most recent cable to Lisbon we suggested that Portugal should come to regard Portuguese Timor in the same light as...’
83. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN WILLESEE, FEAKES AND JOSEPH: 13 February 1975; ‘Canberra, 13 February 1975 SECRET Portuguese Timor On 11 February the Minister discussed the attached submission on Timor1 with Messrs Feakes and Joseph. Several points emerged:- The Minister expressed concern about the risks of embroilment in Timor. He agreed that so far as possible we should not allow ourselves to...’
84. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 13 February 1975; ‘Jakarta, 13 February 1975 O.JA7640 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Ref0.CH172733,1 O.LB711 I had a discussion today on Portuguese Timor with Harry Tjan of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. There were two matters of particular significance arising from this discussion. Tjan began by reviewing developments over the past...’
85. MINUTE FROM JOSEPH TO FEAKES: 14 February 1975; ‘Canberra, 14 February 1975 SECRET Portuguese Timor—Defence’s Letter The following comments are submitted in connexion with the letter from the Minister for Defence to Senator Willesee dated 11 February.1 With much of the letter we can have no disagreement. In particular, we must share the concern about the implications domestically...’
86. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 14 February 1975; ‘Lisbon, 14 February 1975 Portuguese Timor In the light of Jakarta’s advice (O.JA7640),1 I think there is a very real danger of Santos exaggerating the nature and extent of the aid we are contemplating for Timor when he speaks to the Indonesians. In order to make his case more persuasive...’
87. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 17 February 1975; ‘Canberra, 17 February 1975 O.CH175724 CONFIDENTIAL ROUTINE Portuguese Timor Ref O.JA76401 You will have seen Lisbon’s LB718.2 We agree that you should let the Indonesians know what we have said to the Portuguese on the question of aid. Indeed there is probably value now in informing the Indonesians of the...’
88. LETTER FROM WILLESEE TO BARNARD: 19 February 1975; ‘Canberra, 19 February 1975 SECRET Thank you for your letter dated 11 February on the subject of Portuguese Timor.1 I am very glad to have the comprehensive analysis you have provided of the defence implications of the problem of Portuguese Timor. The problem, I agree, is of utmost importance to...’
89. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 21 February 1975; ‘Canberra, 21 February 1975 O.CH177826 RESTRICTED PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Peter Hastings in an article in the Sydney Morning Herald of 21 February writes that ‘there are mounting and unwelcome indications … that the Indonesian Government is seriously considering taking out Portuguese Timor in a military operation in the not-too-distant future....’
90. LETTER FROM PRITCHETT TO FEAKES: 21 February 1975; ‘Canberra, 21 February 1975 SECRET Thank you for the talking points about Portuguese Timor that you passed to me yesterday evening. I set out some comment below; perhaps, after you have read this, we could meet later in the day. I take it that the points are intended to cover...’
91. MINUTE FROM PIPER TO FEAKES: 21 February 1975; ‘Canberra, 21 February 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor-UN Action An Indonesian invasion of Portuguese Timor would be contrary to Article 2(3) and (4) of the Charter which provides that international disputes shall be settled by peaceful means and obliges members to refrain from the threat or use of force, against the...’
92. CABLEGRAM TO LISBON AND JAKARTA: 21 February 1975; ‘Canberra, 21 February 1975 O.CH178170 RESTRICTED PRIORITY Portuguese Timor An AAP report of 20 February from Jakarta states that Fretilin and UDT have called for ‘an immediate proclamation’ of the territory’s independence. The report states that ‘the call was made through Timor Governor Lemos Pires’. This suggests that Pires might...’
93. SUBMISSION TO WHITLAM: 22 February 1975; ‘Canberra, 22 February 1975 SECRET Portuguese Timor In discussion on 21 February with Mr Renouf you decided that you should send a letter to President Soeharto about the danger of Indonesian military intervention in Portuguese Timor. You also decided that Mr Woolcott should leave for Jakarta on Wednesday, 26 February,...’
94. MINUTE TO TANGE, ROWLAND AND WOOLCOTT: 24 February 1975; ‘Canberra, 24 February 1975 SECRET Draft Letter to President Suharto This is a very strong letter. A main theme of the letter, if not the predominant one, is the prospect of Indonesian direct military action against Portuguese Timor. Page 4 and half of page 5 is devoted to this. It...’
95. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 24 February 1975; ‘Jakarta, 24 February 1975 O.JA7901 SECRET AUSTEO IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor I have just returned from a call on Harry Tjan of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. As soon as I arrived Tjan said that he knew what I wanted to talk about. He said that he would have...’
96. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 24 February 1975; ‘Lisbon, 24 February 1975 O.LB740 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor I saw Santos today and made the points in para 2 of your 38.1 Santos said the report was inaccurate and that there was in fact no call for immediate independence. On the contrary Fretilin/UDT had proposed an interim period of...’
97. FILE NOTE IN DEPARTMENT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET: 25 February 1975; ‘Canberra, 25 February 1975 Portuguese Timor Mr Anderson asked me to check with Mr Forrester about the draft letter on Portuguese Timor being drafted in Foreign Affairs, and asked if I would flag with Forrester the need for a Defence input and a sighting by ourselves of the draft which...’
98. LETTER FROM WHITLAM TO SOEHARTO: 28 February 1975; ‘Canberra, 28 February 1975 SECRET Your Excellency, The arrival of our new Ambassador in Jakarta offers me the opportunity to convey to you my warm personal greetings and good wishes. Following on our agreement last September to meet again, and on subsequent exchanges between our officials about the timing of...’
99. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 2 March 1975; ‘Jakarta, 2 March 1975 O.JA8007 CONFIDENTIAL ROUTINE Portuguese Timor Ref 0.CH180260, O.JA80081 Tjan (CSIS) made no comment on the UDT/Fretilin proposals. In a long conversation he made the following main points: It was his assessment based on intelligence reports from the Governor of East Nusatenggara ‘and his men’ that if...’
100. MEMORANDUM TO JAKARTA: 3 March 1975; ‘Canberra, 3 March 1975 SECRET Portuguese Timor Attached is a copy of ‘talking points with Indonesia’ prepared in consultation with the Department of Defence on the subject of Portuguese Timor. The talking points were foreshadowed in a submission (copy attached) sent to the Acting Minister on 22 February.1 They have...’
101. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN WHITLAM, SURONO AND HER TASNING: 4 March 1975; ‘Canberra, 4 March 1975 CONFIDENTIAL EXTRACT Portuguese Timor: Visit of President Soeharto to Australia The Prime Minister said that he could understand Indonesian anxieties about, and indeed impatience with, Portuguese Timor. Though few Australians might have visited the territory, he was sure that Portuguese Timor would exhibit a trait common...’
102. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN WILLESEE AND CALLAGHAN: 4 March 1975; ‘London, 4 March 1975 CONFIDENTIAL EXTRACT Portuguese Timor and Indonesia Senator Willesee1 informed Mr Callaghan of the Australian Government’s views on the future of Portuguese Timor, stressing the Government’s wish that the issues should not be hurried and there should be a ‘clean’2 act of self-determination recognised by the United...’
103. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN MATIAS AND TANGE: 5 March 1975; ‘Canberra, 5 March 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Timor Dr Matias opened on the theme that a nation’s foreign policy reflected the sum of various interests, defence an important one among them. He said he was grateful to Sir Arthur for an opportunity to make his acquaintance and to learn something of how...’
104. LETTER FROM FEAKES TO HILL: 5 March 1975; ‘Canberra, 5 March 1975 SECRET AUSTEO Forgive me for not having written to you sooner about Portuguese Timor. But we have been rather hard-pressed one way and another. As you will by now have seen from the record of their conversation on 20 February, Senator Willesee raised the question of...’
105. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA AND LISBON: 5 March 1975; ‘Canberra, 5 March 1975 O.CH183503 SECRET ROUTINE Portuguese Timor Our immediate[ly] following telegram contains the text of an AAP-Reuters report from Jakarta on APODETI’s rejection of Portugal’s invitation to visit Lisbon for discussions on Portuguese Timor. The report notes that the other two parties, UDT and FRETILIN, have accepted the...’
106. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 7 March 1975; ‘Jakarta, 7 March 1975 O.JA8135 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Your O.CH1835031 It is important before seeking to persuade the Indonesians to get Apodeti to adopt a more compromising position that we understand correctly the UDT/FRETILIN proposal. Leaders of both the coalition parties told Taylor in Dili that the first point...’
107. MEMORANDUM TO CANBERRA: 7 March 1975; ‘Jakarta, 7 March 1975 RESTRICTED Portuguese Timor—Preparing for Democracy During my visit to Portuguese Timor I saw one of the first democratic elections in the territory. It was at Iliomar in the district of Lauten on 2 March and was one of a series of similar elections in that district....’
108. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 8 March 1975; ‘Jakarta, 8 March 1975 O.JA8148 SECRET PRIORITY Discussion with President Soeharto I presented my credentials to President Soeharto this morning. Text of speeches exchanged by separate telegram. After presentation I had 25 minutes substantive private discussion with President about proposed visit to Australia and Timor. He said he would like...’
109. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN TJAN AND TAYLOR: 10 March 1975; ‘Jakarta, 10 March 1975 SECRET Portuguese Timor: Ali Murtopo Portuguese Timor [matter omitted] Harry [Tjan] asked how the Presentation of Credentials had gone and referred to the extensive press coverage of it. Did the Ambassador have a chance to talk with the President and did they discuss Portuguese Timor? I...’
110. MINUTE FROM TAYLOR TO WOOLCOTT: 14 March 1975; ‘Jakarta, 14 March 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Radio Kupang Richardson told me yesterday that in broadcasts from Radio Kupang at the end of last week the Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and you were quoted as having supported Indonesia’s position on Portuguese Timor. The broadcasts had been extreme and apparently talked...’
111. LETTER FROM RENOUF TO HEADS OF MISSION: 14 March 1975; ‘Canberra, 14 March 1975 SECRET AUSTEO You will know that we have been much concerned with Portuguese Timor over the last two or three weeks. The possibility of Indonesian military action in Timor has always been with us. And indeed it is clear that as long ago as last October...’
112. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 14 March 1975; ‘Lisbon, 14 March 1975 O.LB814 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor I had a useful talk with Pires today. Contrary to advice from Indonesian Counsellor here (Our 762) Santos saw Ali Murtopo secretly in London last weekend. According to Pires the meeting was ‘very helpful’. The main point that seems to have...’
113. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 18 March 1975; ‘Jakarta, 18 March 1975 O.JA8319 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor: Amnesty International: PNG Following are main points from one hour discussion with General Yoga Sugama yesterday. As well as Head of BAKIN Yoga, in effect, controls the Special Coordinating Committee on Portuguese Timor (General Panggabean is the nominal Chairman). [matter omitted]...’
114. MEMORANDUM TO CANBERRA: 21 March 1975; ‘Washington, 21 March 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor On 20 March, Kelly (Portuguese Desk, State) said that a middle level ‘Working Group’ of State Department officers whose directorates had an interest in Timor had met recently. It had come to the following broad conclusions: the Timor issue was peripheral to United...’
115. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 23 March 1975; ‘Jakarta, 23 March 1975 O.JA8418 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Ref O.JA83751 General Ali Murtopo returned to Jakarta on 21 January not 18 January as previously reported. After the London meeting he went to Saudi Arabia to prepare for the President’s visit there later this year. Lim Bian Kie (CSIS)...’
116. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 27 March 1975; ‘Jakarta, 27 March 1975 O.JA8533 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor:ASEAN Views I have now made my initial calls on the four ASEAN Heads of Mission here. In each case I have asked their Governments’ views on Timor. All four Ambassadors said their Governments had made no public comment on the issue,...’
117. MINUTE FROM TAYLOR TO WOOLCOTT: 27 March 1975; ‘Jakarta, 27 March 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor One point you might consider making in the Department (if you agree with it) concerns the Department’s view that UDT/FRETILIN ha[ve] compromised on their demands for immediate independence. As you know the program of the coalition calls for the immediate recognition of de...’
118. BRIEF FOR WHITLAM: 31 March 1975; ‘Canberra, 31 March 1975 SECRET Australian Policy: Background and Recent Developments We need to be wary of becoming too deeply enmeshed in the Timor problem. You are already on record as saying that henceforth social and political conflicts in Asia should be allowed to work themselves out without intervention by...’
119. BRIEF FOR WHITLAM: 31 March 1975; ‘Canberra, 31 March 1975 SECRET Portuguese Timor Public interest in the Soeharto visit to Australia will focus on your discussions with him about Portuguese Timor. After the Yogyakarta talks speculation arose that you had reached an understanding with President Soeharto that Timor was to be ‘handed over’ to Indonesia. This...’
120. SUBMISSION TO WHITLAM: 1 April 1975; ‘Canberra, 1 April 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor-Australian Representation The purpose of this submission is to invite your attention to proposals for re-establishing the Australian consulate in Timor and to recommend that, at least for the time being, we should not move to reopen the consulate. The consulate was closed in...’
121. LETTER FROM WOOLCOTT TO WHITLAM: 12 April 1975; ‘Canberra,12 April 1975 SECRET Meeting with President Soeharto -Townsville April 1975 You may find it helpful to have the following comments on the current atmosphere in Jakarta and on the present approach of the President and his close advisers to Australia, for your meeting with him in Townsville. Present Relations...’
122. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 3 April 1975; ‘Lisbon, 3 April 1975 O.LB855 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor and Angola I called on Almeida Santos yesterday to receive a briefing on his London talks with Ali Murtopo. In outlining Portuguese views, Santos painted the following scenario. Portugal would be prepared to accept the principle of de jure independence for...’
123. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN WHITLAM AND SOEHARTO: 4 April 1975; ‘Townsville, 4 April l975 SECRET AUSTEO EXTRACTS Record of the second discussion, at Brandon, 1.00 p.m. Friday 4 April 1975 Portuguese Timor The Prime Minister said that Viet-Nam was one of the issues exploited by the Opposition to criticise the Government’s foreign policy. Portuguese Timor was another such issue. He...’
124. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN MURTOPO, MOERDANI, FEAKES AND CURTIN: 4 April 1975; ‘Townsville, 4 April 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Indo-China & Portuguese Timor Indo-China In the light of President Soeharto’s comment to the Prime Minister on 3 April that resistance in Cambodia could continue even after the fall of Phnom Penh, Mr Feakes invited General Ali Murtopo to comment on Indonesia’s attitude towards events...’
125. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 7 April 1975; ‘Jakarta, 7 April 1975 O.JA8701 CONFIDENTIAL ROUTINE President Soeharto’s Visit I consider that President’s visit to Townsville went well. Following comments may supplement Feakes’ impressions. President was clearly very satisfied with visit and this was clear from comments he and senior members of his party made on return flight. I...’
126. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 15 April 1975; ‘Jakarta, 15 April 1975 O.JA8887 CONFIDENTIAL ROUTINE Indonesian/Portuguese Timor Border Summary begins Rodgers visited Kupang, Atambua and Kefamenanu in Indonesian Timor 8-11 April. Two calls were made on the Governor of Indonesian Timor, El Tari, and discussions were held with local civilian, military and police officials. No indications whatsoever of...’
127. LETTER FROM WOOLCOTT TO WILLESEE: 17 April 1975; ‘Jakarta, 17 April 1975 SECRET PERSONAL I am attaching for your information a paper which I prepared for the Prime Minister personally on the eve of his recent meeting in Townsville with President Soeharto.1 I had hoped to see you in Canberra to discuss the talks with you on my...’
128. MEMORANDUM TO CANBERRA: 22 April 1975; ‘Jakarta, 22 April 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor Attached is a copy of a Record of Conversation with Mr Akosah from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 15 April.1 It will be noted that Mr Akosah confirmed that Indonesia had adopted a new approach to the problem of Portuguese Timor but...’
129. MEMORANDUM TO JAKARTA: 23 April 1975; ‘Canberra, 23 April 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Economic Aid for Portuguese Timor As you know, we have been thinking for some time about the possibility of a modest Australian aid program for Portuguese Timor. Before we get down to serious drafting on the lines and size of the program we would like...’
130. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN FEAKES AND DA CRUZ: 24 April 1975; ‘Canberra, 24 April 1975 SECRET Indonesia/Portuguese Timor; Australian Interests in Portuguese Timor; Re-opening of Australian Consulate; Constitutional Development; Chinese and Taiwanese Interest Mr Feakes welcomed Messrs da Cruz and Mousinho to the Department1 He noted that both had recently visited Jakarta and remarked that the Australian Government was happy to...’
131. LETTER FROM WOOLCOTT TO FEAKES: 12 May 1975; ‘Jakarta, 12 May 1975 PERSONAL CONFIDENTIAL EXTRACT One of the most encouraging aspects of Peacock’s visit1 was the extent to which he himself wanted to defuse Portuguese Timor and withdraw from the somewhat exposed, pro-Fretilin, pro-independence position he had adopted earlier in the year. I discussed Timor with him at...’
132. MEMORANDUM TO CANBERRA: 19 May 1975; ‘Jakarta, 19 May 1975 SECRET AUSTEO Portuguese Timor Harry Tjan, CSIS, has told us that the Indonesians were as surprised as we by the proposed visit to Australia by Soares and Araujo of APODETI (JA95021). They have been in Jakarta to prepare for the talks between Timor party representatives and...’
133. SUBMISSION TO WILLESEE: 21 May 1975; ‘Canberra, 21 May 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor: Call by APODETI Representatives You have agreed to see Messrs Domingos Pinto Soares and Casimiro de Araujo of APODETI at 4.30 pm on 21 May. Mr Soares is a member of the praesidium of the party, while Mr de Araujo is Chief Editor...’
134. MEMORANDUM TO NEW YORK: 26 May 1975; ‘Canberra, 26 May 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Committee of 24: Briefing for Lisbon Meeting: Portuguese Timor [matter omitted] Our preference would be for there to be no Australian reference to Portuguese Timor. Our understanding is that there has so far (since April 1974) been no Committee of Twenty Four discussion on it....’
135. MEMORANDUM TO CANBERRA: 26 May 1975; ‘Jakarta, 26 May 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Economic Aid for Portuguese Timor Please refer to your memorandum of 23 April.1 We have discussed the question of Australian aid for Portuguese Timor with the Foreign Ministry (Akosah, Asia and Pacific Directorate), BAKIN (Colonel Abbas) and the CSIS (Tjan), putting the points in your...’
136. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 28 May 1975; ‘Lisbon, 28 May 1975 O.LB976 UNCLASSIFIED RoUTINE Portuguese Timor Lisbon papers of 28 May report unilateral withdrawal of UDT from the coalition with FRETILIN. UDT communique detailing reasons for withdrawal, states that FRETILIN had systematically and scandalously disrespected the principles on which the coalition was based and had indulged in...’
137. DISPATCH TO WILLESEE: 2 June 1975; ‘Jakarta, 2 June 1975 1175 SECRET AUSTEO The Portuguese Timor Problem as seen from Jakarta The decolonisation of Portuguese Timor is likely to have important ramifications for Australia’s future relations with Indonesia. The nub of the issue is that the belief shared to a greater or lesser extent by Indonesia,...’
138. LETTER FROM FEAKES TO WOOLCOTT: 4 June 1975; ‘Canberra, 4 June 1975 SECRET EXTRACT You may have noticed that there has so far been no reaction from the Minister to your letter of 17 April, in which you mentioned the differences in the approaches to Timor of Senator Willesee and the Prime Minister.1 I spoke on the same...’
139. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 5 June 1975; ‘New York, 5 June 1975 O.UN3103 CONFIDENTIAL RouTINE Committee of Twenty-Four: Portuguese Timor The draft decision by the Committee of Twenty-Four on ‘Territories under Portuguese Administration’ for adoption in Lisbon just circulated by Chairman Salim contains the following surprise paragraph No 6. Begins With regard to Timor and dependencies, the...’
140. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA, LISBON AND NEW YORK: 6 June 1975; ‘Canberra, 6 June 1975 O.CH226998 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Committee of Twenty-Four: Portuguese Timor The draft decision by the Committee of Twenty-Four on ‘Territories under Portuguese Administration’ for adoption in Lisbon just circulated by Chairman Salim contains the following surprise paragraph No 6. Ref O.UN31031 Please discuss this matter with the Indonesians...’
141. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 6 June 1975; ‘NewYork, 6 June 1975 O.UN3109 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Committee of Twenty-Four: Portuguese Timor Ref O.UN3103, O.CH2269981 Sani has not yet had any reaction from Jakarta. We have told him that our Embassy will be taking up the matter there. Sani sees a virtue in the deletion of ‘soon’ but has doubts...’
142. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 6 June 1975; ‘NewYork, 6 June 1975 O.UN3113 CONFIDENTIAL RouTINE Committee of Twenty-Four: Portuguese Timor Ref O.UN3103 1 Campbell arranged 6 June with the Chairman of the Committee of Twenty-Four and the Secretariat to amend paragraph 6 on their own initiative to delete the word ‘soon’ and add the words ‘as appropriate’. The...’
143. CABLEGRAM TO LISBON, NEW YORK AND JAKARTA: 7 June 1975; ‘Canberra, 7 June 1975 O.CH227116 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Committee of Twenty-Four: Portuguese Timor RefO.UN31091 We would not of course anticipate Australia acting independently of the Indonesians. If they go along with ‘and independence’ and Sani’s interpretation of it, so should we. We note, moreover, that Salim’s draft speaks only of the...’
144. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 9 June 1975; ‘Lisbon, 9 June 1975 O.LB027 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Portuguese Timor I saw Alves today. He apologised for having to cancel my appointment last Friday owing to the Angolan crisis (see our immediately following telegram). Alves said that, so far as Portugal was concerned, the London agreement with the Indonesians still stood...’
145. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 13 June 1975; ‘Lisbon, 13 June 1975 O.LB039 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Lisbon Meeting of Committee of 24: Portuguese Timor There were successful consultations between Sani, Salim and Campbell on the Timor question when the Committee of 24 meeting opened on 12 June. Sani had discussed the matter with the Portuguese Foreign Ministry at senior...’
146. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 13 June 1975; ‘Lisbon, 13 June 1975 O.LB040 UNCLASSIFIED ROUTINE Lisbon Meeting of Committee of 24: Portuguese Timor Following are extracts from (a) Indonesian Statement and (b) Australian Statement on 12 June dealing with Portuguese Timor. A ‘My delegation has taken particular note of that part of the Statement of the Minister for...’
147. STATEMENT BY WILLESEE: 17 June 1975; ‘Tokyo, 17 June 1975 EXTRACT Transcript of Question and Answer Session at the Australian Chamber of Commerce Luncheon1 Q: What is Australia’s present stance concerning the future of Timor and how is this affecting our foreign relations with Indonesia? A: First, it isn’t our business. We have always said that...’
148. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN CURTIN, TAYLOR AND TJAN: 18 June 1975; ‘Jakarta, 18 June 1975 SECRET Portuguese Timor Tjan said that the Portuguese proposal for consideration at the Macao meeting was essentially a variation of the FRETILIN/UDT Coalition program. It was unacceptable to APODETI and to Indonesia. He discussed APODETI’s possible tactics at the meeting (which he thought would be held...’
149. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 25 June 1975; ‘Jakarta, 25 June 1975 O.JA0259 CONFIDENTIAL RouTINE Portuguese Timor Colonel Sigit, former Indonesian Attache in Canberra and presently Assistant for Operations at Defence Area Command No. 2 which covers Timor told the Naval Attache recently that the Indonesians were concerned that if Portugal retained sovereignty over Portuguese Timor there was...’
150. MEMORANDUM TO CANBERRA: 27 June 1975; ‘New York, 27 June 1975 CONFIDENTIAL EXTRACT Committee of 24: Meetings in Lisbon, June 1975 24. We should offer one point of explanation concerning the Australian statement. Our instructions were to the effect that, with several modifications requested by the Department, we could if necessary substantially repeat the Australian statement...’
151. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 3 July 1975; ‘Lisbon, 3 July 1975 O.LB081 CONFIDENTIAL ROUTINE Portuguese Timor Following comments may be helpful in context of next week’s ASEAN Heads of Mission meeting. A major area of potential disagreement between Indonesia and Portugal is the London ‘understanding’ on Indonesian assistance to APODETI. Lisbon’s agreement to ‘discreet’ measures by Indonesia...’
152. LETTER FROM WILLESEE TO WOOLCOTT: 7 July 1975; ‘Canberra, 7 July 1975 SECRET AUSTEO Thank you for your despatch No. 1/75 on the subject of Portuguese Timor.1 I was glad also to have your personal letter to me of 17 April.2 The description in your despatch of Indonesian policy accords with the Department’s own assessments. Despite the private...’
153. REPORT BY TAYLOR AND CURTIN: July 1975; ‘July, 1975 1 SECRET EXTRACT Prospects and Conclusions Our conclusions flow from impressions and observations formed very close to a very unusual and uncertain political situation. We are aware that there may be some differences between the views of the Administration in Dili and the Government in Lisbon, but we...’
154. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 10 July 1975; ‘Jakarta, 10 July 1975 O.JA0533 SECRET AUSTEO IMMEDIATE Indonesian Policy on Portuguese Timor Please pass to Woolcott 1 In an extremely frank account Harry Tjan, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, has given us the following. As you will be aware, most of it is not new but it brings...’
155. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 15 July 1975; ‘Canberra, 15 July 1975 O.CH242446 SECRET AUSTEO ROUTINE Indonesian Policy on Portuguese Timor Ref O.JA0533 1 As you have noted, there was little new in what Tjan had to say. It is worrying nevertheless. How far Tjan is speaking for the Indonesian Government or for all sections of it is,...’
156. LETTER FROM FEAKES TO WOOLCOTT: 16 July 1975; ‘Canberra, 16 July 1975 SECRET AUSTEO In the event, it was not until Tuesday 15 July that we sent out a reply 1 to the telegram about Harry Tjan’s account of Indonesian intentions towards Portuguese Timor.2 The Secretary took the view that our outwards telegram should be approved by the...’
157. LETTER FROM DAN TO JOSEPH: 21 July 1975; ‘Jakarta, 21 July 1975 SECRET [matter omitted] You wish to be sure that what Tjan says to us is Indonesian Government policy. So do we. You know that one of the toughest tasks of an Australian diplomat is to discover the sources and content of Indonesian Government policy (on any...’
158. LETTER FROM JOSEPH TO DAN: 23 July 1975; ‘Canberra, 23 July 1975 SECRET AUSTEO Thanks for your letter of 21 July on Portuguese Timor.1 I had hoped that Dick [Woolcott] would have talked to you about our outwards telegram.2 The telegram was very much for the Minister’s own benefit. Earlier in the week, at the South East Asian...’
159. MINUTE FROM FEAKES TO ROWLAND AND PARKINSON: 31 July 1975; ‘Canberra, 31 July 1975 SECRET AUSTEO Portuguese Timor On several occasions lately, the Minister for Defence has expressed his displeasure about the terms of our telegram CH242446 to Jakarta.1 In discussion of the telegram, I suggest that it is important to bear the following considerations in mind:- If we had...’
160. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN TJAN AND TAYLOR: 1 August 1975; ‘Jakarta, 1 August 1975 SECRET AUSTEO EXTRACT Portuguese Timor: China: Sabah Portuguese Timor I commented that, as Tjan would be aware, the Australian Government might be forced to react quite sharply if Indonesian intervention in Portuguese Timor became too blatant. I recalled what the Prime Minister had told the President,...’
161. MEMORANDUM TO JAKARTA: 6 August 1975; ‘Canberra, 6 August 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor I am attaching a copy of a recent Memorandum No. 2157,1 received from our Mission in New York which inter alia discusses the prospects of a debate on Portuguese Timor in the Fourth Committee this year. The Department cannot quarrel with the logic...’
162. CABLEGRAM TO LISBON AND JAKARTA: 6 August 1975; ‘Canberra, 6 August 1975 O.CH251452 SECRET ROUTINE Portugal: Political Considerations We understand the obscurities of the present constantly-shifting political situation and your problems in identifying developments and personnel changes upon which you can hazard even the most qualified and partial forecasts of future trends. This said, however, it would be...’
163. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA AND LISBON: 11 August 1975; ‘Canberra, 11 August 1975,9.38 a.m. O.CH252701 UNCLASSIFIED IMMEDIATE/PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Air Traffic Operations in Bacau radioed the control tower in Darwin 0500 EST today (11 August) to the effect that there had been a coup in Portuguese Timor and that Bacau airport was being closed. No further details were communicated....’
164. SUBMISSION TO WILLESEE: 12 August 1975; ‘Canberra, 12 August 1975 SECRET Portuguese Timor The Portuguese Timor situation is still obscure. It appears that the Portuguese Administration in Dili is still functioning but that UDT is in control of most of Timor’s communication links with the outside world. [matter omitted]1 The Portuguese Ambassador has also speculated that...’
165. SUBMISSION TO WILLESEE: 13 August 1975; ‘Canberra, 13 August 1975 SECRET Portuguese Timor Although the situation remains very fluid, the trend of events in Portuguese Timor is a little clearer. The administration, the military and UDT in Dili seem to have established something of a stand-off situation while negotiations proceed. The possibility of a reaction by...’
166. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 14 August 1975; ‘Jakarta, 14 August 1975 O.JA1201 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor I spent an hour with Head of BAKIN, General Yoga Sugama, today 14 August. Yoga began by saying he wanted to speak frankly about Timor. He wanted to make it plain that the UDT action had come as ‘a complete...’
167. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 15 August 1975; ‘Jakarta, 15 August 1975 O.JA1233 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor I had a very frank and interesting discussion lasting over an hour with Malik this morning, 15 August. Malik told me that he had spent several hours yesterday afternoon discussing Timor with the Minister for Defence, General Panggabean, and the Head...’
168. CABLEGRAM TO LISBON: 16 August 1975; ‘Canberra, 16 August 1975 O.CH255533 SECRET ROUTINE Portuguese Timor RefO.JA1201, O.JA1233 1 For Ambassador You will appreciate the importance of the information reported in the reference telegrams from Jakarta. The Minister is currently considering the desirability of the Prime Minister sending a message to President Suharto which would underscore the...’
169. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 17 August 1975; ‘Jakarta, 17 August 1975 O.JA1240 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor For Secretary from Woolcott [matter omitted]1 It is of course a decision for the Minister and the Prime Minister but I am somewhat concerned about the proposal that the Prime Minister might send a message to the President. As I stressed...’
170. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 18 August 1975; ‘Lisbon, 18 August 1975 O.LB211 SECRET PRIORITY Call on President Our 10851 I was received by President Costa Gomes at 3.15 this afternoon. The interview lasted for 45 minutes. Timor I said that I wished to convey to the President the Australian Government’s latest thinking on Timor. We were concerned...’
171. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 19 August 1975; ‘Canberra, 19 August 1975 O.CH256607 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor For Dan Would you please advise Woolcott that the Prime Minister and Minister last night, 18 August, discussed the question of a message to President Soeharto. They had before them O.JA1240.1 The Prime Minister wishes Woolcott to be advised that...’
172. SUBMISSION TO WILLESEE: 20 August 1975; ‘Canberra, 20 August 1975 1 SECRET EXTRACT Portuguese Timor: Report of Mr Fisher Mr Denis Fisher of the Department’s Indonesia Section returned to Darwin last night 18 August after spending two days in Portuguese Timor helping with evacuation plans and looking into the political situation.2 Fisher sent a brief telegram...’
173. NOTE FROM WILLESEE TO WHITLAM: 20 August 1975; ‘Canberra, 20 August 1975 Joint Statement I note that Woolcott has reported that President Suharto has decided Indonesia should not intervene militarily in Portuguese Timor. Woolcott stated that one of the reasons Suharto has made this decision is concern about Australia’s reaction to such a move (I attach the telegram...’
174. MINUTE FROM MILLER TO FEAKES AND PIPER: 20 August 1975; ‘Canberra, 20 August 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor and the United Nations I am not sure there could not be a role for the UN in Timor, if the Portuguese and Indonesians could agree first, as the Dutch and Indonesians did re UNTEA. 1 (UNTEA involved the SG but not the...’
175. SUBMISSION TO WILLESEE: 21 August 1975; ‘Canberra, 21 August 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor: ‘Internationalisation’ Attached is a Departmental paper which examines the range of possible actions in the United Nations over Portuguese Timor. Our overall impression is that international interest in the territory is only marginal and that it is unlikely that there would be firm...’
176. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 21 August 1975; ‘Lisbon, 21 August 1975 O.LB217 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor I saw the Foreign Minister, Dr Mario Ruivo, at 1900 hours this evening. The Minister said he and the President had just been briefed by Majors Mota and Jonatas who had returned to Lisbon this afternoon. (Soares returned yesterday without reaching...’
177. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 22 August 1975; ‘Jakarta, 22 August 1975 O.JA1389 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Ref O.CH2566071 [matter omitted] In these circumstances I do not think that a failure to respond quickly to Yoga would be misinterpreted. What Yoga was looking for on 14 August was a particular response-namely and as he put it clearly to...’
178. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 22 August 1975; ‘New York, 22 August 1975 O.UN3620 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Ref O.CH258274 1 At first sight, difficulties in the way of the possible intemationalisation of the Timor situation tend to present themselves rather than possible courses of action. Accepting this, an operation on humanitarian grounds appears at least theoretically to...’
179. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 23 August 1975; ‘Lisbon, 23 August 1975 O.LB235 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Thanks your O.CH258350. I have conveyed paras 4 and 5 thereof, together with information in O.CH258355 to Director General of Political Affairs (Cruz) who was grateful for an up to date report on evacuation arrangements.1 I had previously spoken to Indonesian...’
180. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 23 August 1975; ‘New York, 23 August 1975 O.UN3624 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Ref 0.UN3620 1 Almeida Santos saw Salim late last night 22 August. Santos reviewed the situation in Timor his main emphasis being on the plight of the thousand or more expatriates to be evacuated. He referred to the appeals for...’
181. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 24 August 1975; ‘Canberra, 24 August 1975 O.CH258375 SECRET IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor: Humanitarian Concerns Following represents Departmental views only. With evacuation of Portuguese and others possibly to be completed today 24 August we expect attention to shift to security and humanitarian situations on Portuguese Timor. Governor’s accounts of the deteriorating situation and appeals...’
182. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 24 August 1975; ‘Jakarta, 24 August 1975 O.JA1401 SECRET IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor Ref O.JA1399 1 It might be helpful if I attempt to summarize main aspects of Timor situation as of Sunday midday as seen from here. Indonesia, in particular President Soeharto, has behaved with restraint and prudence in the situation so far....’
183. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 24 August 1975; ‘Jakarta, 24 August 1975 O.JA1408 SECRET AUSTEO IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor RefO.JAJ401,1 O.JA14032 Tjan sought an urgent meeting with Ambassador and Dan this afternoon, 24 August. He apologised for the short notice but said that Benny Moerdani (and others) would be meeting with the President tonight. Moerdani had asked Tjan to...’
184. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 24 August 1975; ‘Lisbon, 24 August 1975 O.LB238 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor In paragraph 7 of O.JA14011 Jakarta comments that ‘much will depend on what happens in Portugal’. The demise of the present Portuguese Government is expected any day, to be followed by a more moderate and less communist oriented regime with political...’
185. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 25 August 1975; ‘Canberra, 25 August 19751 O.CH258383 SECRET AUSTEO IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor Ref O.JA140J,2 O.JA14033 Prime Minister who is in Sydney and returns to Canberra on Tuesday has seen your telegrams up to O.JA1396 but we have been able to discuss with him by telephone the main points of your O.JA1401 and...’
186. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 25 August 1975; ‘Canberra, 25 August 1975 O.CH258904 SECRET AUSTEO IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor RefO.JA140J,1 O.JA14052 You may find following Departmental comments useful: Discussion[s] with the Prime Minister indicate that in his view we should not repeat not be in a position where we could be held to be approving in advance Indonesian intervention...’
187. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 25 August 1975; ‘Canberra, 25 August 1975 O.CH258914 SECRET AUSTEO IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor Ref O.JAI4081 For Woolcott (Jakarta), Cooper (Lisbon) and the Minister (Lima) We have discussed your telegram O.JA1408 with the Acting Minister. He has confirmed the advice in our O.CH2583832 that he does not think that any direct or indirect message...’
188. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 25 August 1975; ‘Lisbon, 25 August 1975 O.LB246 SECRET IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor Director of Political Affairs (Cruz) called me to the Ministry at 7.30 p.m. to hand me a third person note. Speaking to the note, Cruz said that the situation had further deteriorated, that the Macdili had been unable to embark refugees,...’
189. CABLEGRAM TO LISBON: 26 August 1975; ‘Canberra, 26 August 1975 O.CH259518 SECRET IMMEDIATE/PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Ref O.LB246 1 For Cooper, Lisbon; for Woolcott, Jakarta; for Campbell, New York UN; for Minister, Lima The Prime Minister has considered very carefully the Portuguese request for further help with evacuation. We should be glad if you would inform the...’
190. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 26 August 1975; ‘Canberra, 26 August 1975 O.CH259519 SECRET AUSTEO IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor For Woolcott only/Jakarta; For Minister only/Lima Following is record of conversation between Prime Minister and Indonesian Ambassador on 26August:- Begins [matter omitted]1 The Prime Minister then referred to the two Portuguese officers who had recently arrived in Darwin in connection...’
191. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA, LISBON AND NEW YORK: 27 August 1975; ‘Canberra, 27 August 1975 O.CH259235 UNCLASSIFIED IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor The Prime Minister and Acting Foreign Minister, Mr Whitlam, made the following statement in the House of Representatives today 26th August:- Begins [matter omitted] I return, therefore, to the conclusion that the first priority is to put an end to the...’
192. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 27 August 1975; ‘Canberra, 27 August 1975 O.CH260002 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor For Woolcott; Minister; Cooper; Harry Our O.CH2589041 raised the question of United Nations involvement in Portuguese Timor and Indonesian attitudes towards that involvement. Our reading of the situation is that the chances of Indonesian intervention are growing hour by hour...’
193. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 27 August 1975; ‘Lisbon, 27 August 1975 O.LB256 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Ref O.JA14761 It seems clear that, for the present at least, the Portuguese have decided against asking Indonesia to intervene. Their reasons are complex but they include: pride, a distrust of Indonesian intentions towards Portuguese Timor, a belief that integration (which...’
194. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 28 August 1975; ‘Jakarta, 28 August 1975 O.JA1480 SECRET IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor: Proposed Use of RAAF Aircraft Ref O.CH2600651 I spoke to Moerdani 0030 28 August (AEST). He took a surprisingly hard line on proposal to use RAAF aircraft. He said that because of the obvious incapacity of the Portuguese to act he...’
195. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA, LISBON, LIMA AND NEW YORK: 28 August 1975; ‘Canberra, 28 August 1975 O.CH260571 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Personal for Minister, Woolcott, Cooper, Harry In deciding to provide an RAAF aircraft to carry the Portuguese officers to Atauro (our O.CH2600651 ) timing and dangers to the aircraft and its passengers between Darwin and the island had to be...’
196. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 28 August 1975; ‘Jakarta, 28 August 1975 O.JA1499 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Portuguese Timor: Press Reports Ref O.JA1401, 1 O.JA143J2 Your press roundups are useful to us here in explaining to those Indonesian officials who are showing a tendency to impatience that the Australian Government is under considerable domestic pressure on this issue and is...’
197. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 28 August 1975; ‘Lisbon, 28 August 1975 O.LB261 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Ref O.CH260571 1 I spent nearly an hour with Cruz this afternoon. I said I wanted to clarify certain aspects of Portuguese policy particularly as it concerned Indonesia. I understood that the Indonesians had again suggested that Portugal should reiterate publicly...’
198. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 28 August 1975; ‘New York, 28 August 1975 O.UN3663 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Ref 0.UN3650 1 We have noted Portugal’s reluctance to allow Indonesian intervention in Timor to restore order (ref O.LB256).2 It was this Portuguese reluctance that led us to explore the possibility of providing some UN cover for a Portuguese request...’
199. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 28 August 1975; ‘Washington, 28 August 1975 O.WH22356 SECRET ROUTINE Portuguese Timor The Indonesian Embassy at Washington has sounded out the State Department at country desk level as to the likely United States reaction to Indonesian intervention in Timor. The Embassy was told that no problem was foreseen, provided that Indonesia intervened at...’
200. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 29 August 1975; ‘Jakarta, 29 August 1975 O.JA1528 SECRET IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor Following are main points from discussion with Acting Foreign Minister Mochtar at 1300 hours AEST 29 August. Mochtar said that he was seeing me in advance of seeing Santos. He was very pleased with the way in which the Australian Government...’
201. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 29 August 1975; ‘Lisbon, 29 August 1975 O.LB264 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Ref O.CH26[0]710 1 I expressed your disappointment and concern to Cruz this morning about the Portuguese request for the withdrawal of the Monginsidi, and rehearsed the arguments in your telegram under reference. To my surprise, Cruz replied that the Portuguese Government...’
202. SUBMISSION TO WHITLAM: 30 August 1975; ‘Canberra, 30 August 1975 SECRET AUSTEO Portuguese Timor [matter omitted] 1 Australian Attitudes Despite these uncertainties it would be impossible, in my view, for Australia not to agree to participate, at Portuguese and Indonesian invitation, in the joint authority, mentioned in the joint memorandum. There are a number of considerations...’
203. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA AND JAKARTA: 31 August 1975; ‘Jakarta, 31 August 1975 Joint Statement O.JA1547 SECRET AUSTEO IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor I have just seen your O.CH261139 and O.CH261140. 1 I think you should keep in mind that barring some dramatic new development Indonesia will not repeat not intervene without a Portuguese request to do so. I suspect Santos...’
204. CABLEGRAM TO LISBON AND JAKARTA: 31 August 1975; ‘Canberra, 31 August 1975 O.CH261153 CONFIDENTIAL IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor-Humanitarian Concerns Ref O.GE13766 1 Acting Minister today 31 August expressed wish that RAAF meet requests from Red Cross stemming from what Pasquier describes as urgent need in Dili for medical supplies and personnel. Red Cross is flying supplies and personnel to...’
205. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 1 September 1975; ‘Canberra, 1 September 1975 O.CH261649 SECRET IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor The Acting Minister and the Minister for Defence saw Santos and accompanying Portuguese officials for 1° hours this morning, Monday 1 September. Discussions were continued between Portuguese and Australian officials over lunch and the Acting Minister and the Minister for Defence...’
206. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 2 September 1975; ‘Kuala Lumpur, 2 September 1975 O.KL06162 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Portuguese Timor I called on Zaiton (Secretary-General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs) today to explore Malaysian attitudes towards latest developments in Portuguese Timor. Zaiton began by saying that the Malaysian Government believed that in the long-term interests of the area ‘the...’
207. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN TJAN, LIM AND TAYLOR: 2 September 1975; ‘Jakarta, 2 September 1975 SECRET AUSTEO Portuguese Timor Tjan and Lim Bian Kie obviously set out to impress upon me that statements by the Acting Foreign Minister, Mochtar, were not at variance with the Portuguese Timor policy of the President and Ali Murtopo, and to show that the policy of...’
208. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 3 September 1975; ‘Canberra, 3 September 1975 O.CH262652 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Ministers have not at this point engaged themselves on the details of the Joint Authority. Indeed they have taken the view that in the absence of Portuguese-Indonesian agreement there is no firm proposal at this stage for Australia to consider. We...’
209. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN FEAKES AND MATIAS: 3 September 1975; ‘Canberra, 3 September 1975 SECRET AUSTEO Portuguese Timor Mr Feakes thanked the Ambassador for coming into the Department at short notice. He wanted to tell the Ambassador that the Australian authorities [were] unhappy with current Portuguese policies on Portuguese Timor, as we understood them following on Dr Santos’ visit to...’
210. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 3 September 1975; ‘Jakarta, 3 September 1975 O.JA1615 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor For the Secretary and the Acting Minister from Woolcott President Soeharto[’s] apparent caution and patience and Acting Foreign Minister Mochtar’s extremely dove-like comments over the last two weeks, had led a number of diplomatic observers here to the conclusion that...’
211. SUBMISSION TO WHITLAM: 4 September 1975; ‘Canberra, 4 September 1975 SECRET Portuguese Timor The discussions with Dr Santos on 1 September deadlocked on two fundamental questions. First, the Portuguese were concerned to shed some of the responsibility for inviting Indonesian intervention in Timor on to Australia. They thus pressed for the proposed Joint Authority to be...’
212. LETTER FROM WOOLCOTT TO MOCHTAR: 4 September 1975; ‘Jakarta, 4 September 1975 I wish to confirm that Australia has not yet taken a decision on whether or not to accept membership of the joint authority. In this context you might be interested in what the Prime Minister and Acting Foreign Minister, Mr Whitlam, said in Parliament on 2...’
213. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 4 September 1975; ‘Lisbon, 4 September 1975 O.LB281 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor The following is the outcome of Cousins’ discussion today with Major Mota, now the Head of the Timor Office within the Presidency of the Republic. Arms and Munitions Mota’s account of stocks of arms and munitions in Timor followed closely reports...’
214. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 5 September 1975; ‘Canberra, 5 September 1975 O.CH263759 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor For Woolcott (Kuala Lumpur: for Parsons only; New York UN: for Sen Willesee and Harry only; Lisbon: for Cooper only) from Renouf Thank you for your O.JA16151 which I have discussed with the Acting Minister. He agrees with your comments...’
215. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 5 September 1975; ‘Canberra, 5 September 1975 O.CH263843 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor New York UN for the Minister Our immediately following telegram contains the text of a message received from Dalrymple in Darwin covering a discussion last night (4 September) with Dr Santos. Dr Santos had some hours earlier returned from Atauro. Dalrymple...’
216. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 5 September 1975; ‘New York, 5 September 1975 O.UN3723 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor For Renouf; Jakarta for Woolcott; Lisbon for Cooper; Kuala Lumpur for Parsons Ref O.CH2637591 As a basis for contingency planning we have examined the various possible courses which reference of the Portuguese Timor question to the United Nations could...’
217. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 6 September 1975; ‘Jakarta, 6 September 1975 O.JA1677 TOP SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor For the Secretary Your telegram O.CH2638431 suggests that the Santos mission has been not only fruitless, but misguided. While I agree with the point in paragraph 11 of the Secretary’s telegram O.CH2637592 about the desirability of keeping the atmosphere...’
218. TELEGRAPH MESSAGE TO CANBERRA: 7 September 1975; ‘Darwin, 7 September 1975 O.CE679 CONFIDENTIAL IMMEDIATE Timor From Dalrymple, Darwin Ramos Horta returned last night from Dili with the Fretilin reply to Santos re proposal. They are unwilling to meet him on the Macdili and have proposed instead a meeting either in Mozambique or Lisbon on 20 September. Santos...’
219. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 7 September 1975; ‘Jakarta, 7 September 1975 O.JA1681 SECRET IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor Acting Foreign Minister Mochtar summon[ed] me today, Sunday 7 September He said that Indonesia had heard on Radio Australia that Fretilin had proposed talks with Portuguese officials in Canberra on 20 September. Indonesia also believed that Santos was now planning to...’
220. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 10 September 1975; ‘Canberra, 10 September 1975 O.CH265548 SECRET IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor Jakarta for Woolcott; Lisbon for Cooper; New York UN for the Minister; Kuala Lumpur for Parsons It seems to us that Santos’s forthcoming discussions in Jakarta could be crucial.1 If they break down without agreement between the Indonesians and the Portuguese...’
221. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 10 September 1975; ‘Jakarta, 10 September 1975 O.JA1758 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor For Acting Secretary; for Minister and Harry; for Cooper Thank you for your O.CH2643751 and O.CH264372.2 I consider we are now entering a more complex and potentially more difficult phase on Timor, which is going to call for careful handling...’
222. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 10 September 1975; ‘New York, 10 September 1975 O.UN3758 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Ref. O.CH2655481 We appreciate that the intention in your reference telegram is to seek regional or international and not United Nations endorsement of an acceptable conclusion reached in Macao or elsewhere, we note the minimum candidates you suggest as...’
223. REPORT BY DALRYMPLE: 11 September 1975; ‘Darwin, 11 September 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Timor-Portuguese Mission On 9 and 10 September I did not report by telegram on my several conversations with Dr. Santos because the details were being conveyed to the Department by telephone. Dr. Santos finally got away to Djakarta yesterday evening at about 4.45 p.m. on...’
224. MINUTE FROM MCINTYRE TO ROWLAND: 11 September 1975; ‘Canberra, 11 September 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor: Likely UN Attitudes Towards Indonesian and/or Portuguese Actions I have thought up to now that it would be reasonably safe to assume that feeling in the UN as a whole would be inclined to be fairly tolerant of any Indonesian action to intervene...’
225. LETTER FROM FEAKES TO WOOLCOTT: 11 September 1975; ‘Canberra, 11 September 1975 SECRET AUSTEO The Portuguese Timor situation could be approaching a point of denouement. On the ground Fretilin is near to a complete take-over. This position has been achieved by force of arms: before the recent troubles, UDT, we believe, had much the greater support. At one...’
226. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 12 September 1975; ‘Jakarta, 12 September 1975 0.JA1793 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor I am sorry I have not responded to the initiative outlined in your O.CH2655481 until now. This has partly been due to other pressures and, as you know, it crossed with our attempt to redefine Indonesia’s present approach to Timor (JA17582)....’
227. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN WHITLAM AND TANG: 12 September 1975; ‘Canberra, 12 September 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Decolonisation Subjects [matter omitted]1 Mr Tang then asked the Acting Minister in the context of decolonisation what were the latest developments in Portuguese Timor. Mr Whit/am replied that it was not easy to be sure of the situation there-but one thing that was clear was...’
228. MINUTE FROM MCINTYRE TO ROWLAND: 12 September 1975; ‘Canberra, 12 September 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor: Possible Action in United Nations The following are some very provisional and speculative thoughts about possible situations Australia might be faced with if the Portuguese Timor question should be referred to the UN. Given the present very fluid and uncertain situation in the...’
229. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 13 September 1975; ‘Jakarta, 13 September 1975 O.JA1815 SECRET IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor [matter omitted]1 Mochtar maintained that Indonesia and Australia were in fact the victims of a Portuguese plan to gain time to enable Fretilin to consolidate its position in East Timor. In this respect Australia had ‘assisted’ Portugal-he hoped ‘inadvertently’-in its ‘duplicity’....’
230. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 15 September 1975; ‘Canberra, 15 September 1975 O.CH267336 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Jakarta for Woolcott; Port Moresby for Acting Minister; New York UN for Minister and Harry; Kuala Lumpur for Parsons; Lisbon for Cooper Ref O.JA1815 1 As this is the second time Mochtar has complained to you about aspects of Australian actions...’
231. FILE NOTE BY TAYLOR: 15 September 1975; ‘Jakarta, [15] September 1975 SECRET President Soeharto & FRETILIN Mr Dan and I in the course of our recent discussions with Tjan have twice asked about the President’s attitude towards a declaration of independence by a FRETILIN-controlled East Timor. On the first occasion Tjan said that the President would not...’
232. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 16 September 1975; ‘Lisbon, 16 September 1975 O.LB322 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Canberra (for Secretary and Acting Minister); UN New York (for Minister and Harry); Jakarta (for Woolcott); Kuala Lumpur (for Parsons) Santos came to see me this afternoon. He said he wanted to give me a resume of his trip because...’
233. MINUTE FROM MILLER TO RENOUF: 17 September 1975; ‘Canberra, 17 September 1975 SECRET AUSTEO Portuguese Timor At the press meeting this morning you foreshadowed that at your press briefing next week you would try to get your audience to appreciate the Government’s dilemma in having to steer a course between its attachment to self-determination and the fact that...’
234. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 17 September 1975; ‘Jakarta, 17 September 1975 O.JA1900 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Ref O.CH2673361 Port Moresby for Acting Minister; UN New York for Ministers and Harry; Lisbon for Cooper; Kuala Lumpur for Parsons While Mochtar’s concern about some of Australia’s actions over Portuguese Timor is genuine and also reflects some doubts in...’
235. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 17 September 1975; ‘Lisbon, 17 September 1975 O.LB324 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Ref O.CH268387 1 Jakarta (for Woolcott); UN New York (for Minister and Harry) I shall endeavour to answer your questions seriatim: Your paragraph 3. I don’t think Santos has had a change of heart. His distrust of the Indonesians is as...’
236. SUBMISSION TO WHITLAM: 19 September 1975; ‘Canberra, 19 September 1975 Humanitarian Assistance to Portuguese Timor On 8 September you agreed to a submission from ADAA and the Department that the Government should provide a cash contribution of $100,000 to the ICRC Appeal for its relief work in Portuguese Timor. Following exchanges of correspondence between yourself and...’
237. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 19 September 1975; ‘Canberra, 19 September 1975 O.CH269162 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Ref. O.JA1900 1 Jakarta: for Woolcott; Lisbon: for Cooper; New York UN: for Minister and Harry; Kuala Lumpur: for Parsons We have carefully considered the arguments in paragraphs 1 to 6 of your reference telegram, but feel that it would...’
238. SUBMISSION TO WHITLAM: 19 September 1975; ‘Canberra, 19 September 1975 SECRET AUSTEO Portuguese Timor Your attention is invited to the attached article by Mr Bruce Juddery in the Canberra Times of 17 September. At the end of his article Juddery refers to the danger that Indonesian military intervention in Portuguese Timor could lead to a bitter...’
239. LETTER FROM MOTT TO WOOLCOTT: 23 September 1975; ‘Canberra, 23 September 1975 CONFIDENTIAL The Secretary and Graham Feakes have asked me to reply to your comments about the role of Radio Australia and our handling of the media in relation to the Timor problem. We have conveyed to Radio Australia the feeling that seems to be developing in...’
240. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 23 September 1975; ‘Jakarta, 23 September 1975 O.JA2018 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Ref. 0.CH2699401 We note from your reference telegram that charter flights from Australia to Portuguese Timor would be suspended inter alia if the security situation in Timor were to deteriorate to a point which made such flights hazardous. Today’s local press...’
241. LETTER FROM WOOLCOTT TO JUDDERY: 24 September 1975; ‘Jakarta, 24 September 1975 PERSONAL [matter omitted] Bruce, I have just read your article in the Canberra Times of 17 September and I would like to offer a few comments, even from this distance and although it is no longer my task to attempt to assist the media in Australia.1...’
242. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 25 September 1975; ‘Lisbon, 25 September 1975 O.LB349 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Jakarta (for Woolcott); UN New York (for Minister and Harry) Prompted by para 6 of Jakarta’s O.JA20731 I sought an urgent interview with the Director of Political Affairs in the Foreign Ministry, Dr Malaghaes Cruz. I referred to my long talk...’
243. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 27 September 1975; ‘Jakarta, 27 September 1975 O.JA2102 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor I discussed Timor situation with General Moerdani for over an hour last evening, 26 September. Possible Talks with Portugal [matter omitted]1 I added that one of the problems bedevilling the present situation was the intense suspicion of Portugal in Indonesia and...’
244. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 29 September 1975; ‘Jakarta, 29 September 1975 O.JA2113 CONFIDENTIAL ROUTINE Portuguese Timor Dr Testuz, ICRC Representative, has asked us to send you the following message: ‘During meeting 22/9 Batugade with leaders Movimento Anti Communista Grouping UDT KOTA etc. Australia was under sharp criticism and accused of helping openly FRETILIN. The[y] said (A) Australia...’
245. CABLEGRAM TO LISBON AND JAKARTA: 30 September 1975; ‘Canberra, 30 September 1975 O.CH273153 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor: Talks Ref. O.CH2722321 It is difficult to know where we go from here-and to avoid the suspicion that the Indonesians, or at least Tjan, choose deliberately to ignore what now seems to be the established fact that the Portuguese did...’
246. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 30 September 1975; ‘Jakarta, 30 September 1975 O.JA2161 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Tjan told us today, 30 September, that on 26 and 29 September the President had agreed to increased Indonesian assistance to the anti-Fretilin forces in Portuguese Timor. He said that up to 3800 Indonesian soldiers from Java would be put...’
247. MINUTE FROM MILLER TO JOSEPH: 1 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 1 October 1975 SECRET AUSTEO Portuguese Timor This morning’s cables say that the Indonesians will put up to 3,800 soldiers into East Timor, starting this week, and make it clear that the Indonesians, in Jakarta, have chosen to ignore, and frustrate, the stated Portuguese policy of favouring the eventual...’
248. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 2 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 2 October 1975 O.CH274075 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor: Talks Our accompanying telegram contains the text as monitored by FBIS of a Jakarta domestic service radio bulletin to the effect that UDT and APODETI are now willing to attend talks with the Portuguese. UDT leader da Cruz was reported...’
249. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 2 October 1975; ‘London, 2 October 1975 O.LH40061 CONFIDENTIAL ROUTINE Portuguese Timor Male (Deputy Under Secretary, FCO)1 said today, that if Indonesia were to take over Timor by force, the British Government would wish to resist the pressures which would inevitably and quickly build up here not only for oral condemnation of Indonesia...’
250. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 3 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 3 October 1975 O.JA2248 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Ref, O.CH2731531 Our updated assessment of the situation in Portuguese Timor follows. We are already at the threshold of a testing period in our relations with Indonesia. A situation in Portuguese Timor which we most wanted to see avoided, namely...’
251. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 7 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 7 October 1975 O.CH275467 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor For Woolcott from Renouf Thank you for the assessment in your telegram JA2248. 1 We will give it due weight in our consideration of future policy. There are, however, a number of points I want to make to you immediately....’
252. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 7 October 1975; ‘New York, 7 October 1975 O.UN4002 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY United Nations: Portuguese Timor We have kept in mind in recent weeks the possibility that at some stage consideration of the Timor problem by the Committee of Twenty-Four might be of assistance to Portugal and Indonesia (despite Jakarta’s rejection of the idea)...’
253. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA AND NEW YORK: 8 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 8 October 1975 O.CH276025 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY/ROUTINE Portuguese Timor Ref O.UN40021 While in no way intending an initiative of our own in the UN at this stage, we had been giving some thought, on a contingency basis, to the possibility of encouraging a simple resolution in the Fourth Committee which...’
254. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN JOSEPH, HER TASNING AND KADRI: 9 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 9 October 1975 SECRET AUSTEO The Indonesian Ambassador , Her Tasning, accompanied by his Deputy, Mr Kadri, called on me on 9 October. The Ambassador said that he wished to have an off-the-record chat since ‘at the local Embassy level’ he sensed that relations between Australia and Indonesia were...’
255. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 9 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 9 October 1975 O.JA2309 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor For Renouf from Woolcott Thank you for your O.CH275467.1 Some comments on the points you made in response to our JA22482 follow. I agree that our policies must take account of principle and we have never suggested that they should...’
256. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 10 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 10 October 1975 O.JA2335 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor I have reviewed the situation with Head of BAKIN,Yoga Sugama for over an hour and separately last night with Ali Murtopo. (Benny Moerdani is in Indonesian Timor for a week and I shall see him on his return late next week.)...’
257. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 13 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 13 October 1975 O.CH277826 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor We have carefully considered the proposal in your JA2336.1 While there are some attractions in the proposal, there are also, as you say, some obvious difficulties. For a start, the first of the premises in your paragraph 3 is not...’
258. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 13 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 13 October 1975 O.JA2376 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor We have received from Tjan today, 13 October, more details of the Indonesian assistance to anti-Fretilin forces in Portuguese Timor reported in JA.2161 of 30 September.1 One of the unanswered questions relating to the Indonesian operation in Portuguese Timor has...’
259. SUBMISSION TO WILLESEE: 14 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 14 October 1975 SECRET AUSTEO Portuguese Timor Jakarta telegram O.JA2376 of 13 October1 reports that Harry Tjan has said that the Indonesian military effort in Portuguese Timor will be upgraded as from 15 October, the aim being ‘to take Dili by the middle of November’. If Tjan’s comments do...’
260. MINUTE FROM CURTIN TO FEAKES AND JOSEPH: 15 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 15 October 19751 CONFIDENTIAL EXTRACT Fretilin Fretilin’s claims have to be taken very seriously. Its credentials as the legitimate representative of the people of Portuguese Timor are potentially strong in an international debate; as indeed they are within Portuguese Timor. Fretilin, moreover, is the sort of party we would...’
261. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN WHITLAM AND TUN ABDULRAZAK: 15 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 15 October 1975 SECRET EXTRACT Portuguese Timor1 The Prime Minister introduced this subject. He explained that FRETILIN was working through Australian private institutions to try to bring pressure on the Australian Government to underpin FRETILIN’s position in Portuguese Timor. FRETILIN was trying to manoeuvre Australia into providing food, communications...’
262. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 15 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 15 October 1975 O.JA2432 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor We are surprised that you seem to accept the view that FRETILIN control is an established fact (paragraph four of O.CH277826).1 While for the present FRETILIN does hold most of East Timor, this assessment is2 inconsistent with what we have...’
263. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN RENOUF, MILLER, ZAITON ANDAZRAAI: 16 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 16 October 1975 CONFIDENTIAL EXTRACT Timor The Secretary said that Timor presented a more complicated problem for Australia than it really warranted because of the internal political pressures in Australia. The Secretary explained that the left wing of the ALP, and some of the ALP moderates, support Fretilin’s demand...’
264. SUBMISSION TO WILLESEE: 16 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 16 October 1975 SECRET AUSTEO Portuguese Timor A further point which we must now address is how the questions ‘Did the Indonesians advise us in advance?’ and ‘If so, what did we say to them?’ are to be answered. As the Government will not wish to deny that it...’
265. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 16 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 16 October 1975 O.JA2461 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Lisbon for Cooper; UN New York for Harry and Campbell I had a long and very frank discussion with General Benny Moerdani last evening, 15 October. General Moerdani had returned the previous day from a visit to Timor, including Batugade....’
266. SUBMISSION TO WILLESEE: 17 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 17 October 19751 SECRET AUSTEO Portuguese Timor Jakarta telegram JA.24322 received last night (15 October) contains more detailed information about the stepping up of plans for Indonesian military intervention referred to in the Department’s submission of 14 October.3 [matter omitted]4 no assessments are being studied to take into account...’
267. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 17 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 17 October 1975 2.30 p.m. O.CH279714 RESTRICTED IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor-Missing Journalists Following item was carried on this morning’s ABC News: Begins FRETILIN leaders in Dili have reported that Indonesian armed forces crossed the border into East Timor yesterday and took at least two towns and killed more than forty...’
268. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 17 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 17 October 1975,4.58 p.m. O.CH279966 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor For Woolcott Thank you for your O.JA2461.1 We believe that it is important that, while expressing to the Indonesians, our appreciation for being kept informed of their intentions, we now register again with the Indonesians our views on military...’
269. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 17 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 17 October 1975,2.35 p.m. O.JA2483 RESTRICTED IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor: Missing TV Crews Gerald Stone of Channel 9 in Sydney rang the Embassy this morning and spoke to Dan about the two TV crews apparently caught in the fighting yesterday 16 October at Balibo in Portuguese Timor between FRETILIN and...’
270. CABLEGRAM TO LISBON: 17 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 17 October 1975, 8.51 p.m. O.CH280023 CONFIDENTIAL ROUTINE Timor—Access to Darwin by Portuguese Ships Ref O.LB3981 The Portuguese Embassy has formally sought diplomatic clearance for a call at Darwin by the Joao Roby on 18 November. They have confirmed this date with Lisbon and say they now have the...’
271. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 17 October 1975; ‘Lisbon, 17 October 1975 4.20 p.m. O.LB405 SECRET AUSTEO PRioRITY Portuguese Timor I asked Cruz this morning if he had had any advice from Atauro about the press report that Australians were actively assisting FRETILIN forces. Cruz replied ‘no’ but that Macao had reported that the statement had been issued...’
272. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 18 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 18 October 1975,3.30 p.m. O.JA2495 SECRET PRIORITY Australian Journalists in East Timor As you will know1 it now seems likely that at least four and possibly all five of the Australian journalists were killed in the fighting around Balibo. The Ambassador sought information about them from Malik this morning...’
273. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 19 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 19 October 1975,9.15 a.m. O.CH280045 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Australian Journalists in Timor Ref O.JA24951 We need confirmation of this development.2 In other words we need the Indonesians to inform us of what has happened. Please therefore approach the Indonesians again and inform them that, according to reports by FRETILIN...’
274. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 19 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 19 October 1975. 10.15 p.m. O.JA2497 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor The instructions in your O.CH2799651 and O.CH2799662 pose difficulties for us and before I act on them further I want to be sure that the issue to which I refer below has been fully taken into account by...’
275. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 19 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 19 October 1975, 10.55 p.m. O.JA2498 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor I called on Malik today, Saturday 18 October. I regret to report that the outcome was pretty unhelpful. Normally he has received me alone and we have talked easily and frankly but on this occasion he was flanked...’
276. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 20 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 20 October 1975, 10.30 A.M. O.JA2505 SECRET IMMEDIATE Australian Journalists in Timor Ref 0.CH2800451 Naturally we understand the need to have confirmation of this development.2 As advised in our JA24953 the Ambassador raised the subject with Malik and Dan with Tjan after we had seen the reports.4 Since then...’
277. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 20 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 20 October 1975, 3.08 p.m. O.CH280286 SECRET AUSTEO IMMEDIATE Australian Journalists in Timor Ref. O.CH280045,1 O.JA24982 We understand from Joseph’s telephone conversation with Dan that you will have been following up urgently with the Indonesians the Kompas report about the discovery of four bodies in the Balibo area.3 Meanwhile,...’
278. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 20 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 20 October 1975, 3.27 p.m. O.CH280318 RESTRICTED ROUTINE Overtime For Woolcott You may not appreciate how serious the financial situation in Canberra is-further payment of overtime can only be at the expense of non-payment of salaries. In present circumstances time will have to be spent on essential work, such...’
279. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA AND LISBON: 20 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 20 October 1975, 5.37 p.m. O.CH280475 SECRET RouTINE Portuguese Timor Starey, the Department’s current Liaison Officer in Darwin, accompanied RAAF flight (ICRC supplies) to Dili on 17 October, returning the same day. He was authorised to carry out such consular functions as might have proved necessary in the light...’
280. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 20 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 20 October 1975, 3.00 p.m. O.JA2523 SECRET AUSTEO IMMEDIATE Australian Journalists in Timor Ref. O.JA25051 Dan called on General Adenan (Foreign Ministry) this morning. Akosah (Asia and Pacific Directorate) was also present, as was an official from HANKAM. Adenan said they had received no information about the five Australian...’
281. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 20 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 20 October 1975, 4.20 p.m. O.JA2532 CONFIDENTIAL AUSTEO IMMEDIATE Australian Journalists in Timor Ref. O.CH280286,1 O.JA25232 For the time being at least we think it would be best not to attribute to Indonesian authorities the comments about Fretilin uniforms. After all, Malik said only that he ‘hoped’ the Australian...’
282. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 21 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 21 October 1975, 8.00 a.m. O.JA2536 CONFIDENTIAL IMMEDIATE Australian Journalists in Timor Ref O.JA25231 General Adenan advised us last night that he regretted he still had no news of the missing journalists. He said he had raised the matter at a meeting of the Committee on Timor on 20...’
283. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 21 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 21 October 1975, 2.30 p.m. O.JA2558 CONFIDENTIAL IMMEDIATE Australian Journalists in Timor Ref O.JA25361 General Adenan has just rung to say he is confident he will be able to give us news of the five missing Australian journalists by this evening (Tjan has also indicated this to us.) He...’
284. TELEGRAPH MESSAGE TO CANBERRA: 22 October 1975; ‘Darwin, 22 October 1975, 11.28 a.m. O.CE747 SECRET ROUTINE Portuguese Timor-Political Situation For Feakes/Joseph; from Starey The following assessment is mainly derived from indirect sources and is made without the benefit of intelligence available in Canberra.It reflects, apart from my brief visit to Dili on 17 October, conversations over the...’
285. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 22 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 22 October 1975, 12.20 p.m. O.JA2580 CONFIDENTIAL IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor: Missing Journalists Ref. O.JA25581 General Adenan has just advised Dan that no further news had been received from Timor about the journalists. We asked Adenan why it was taking such a long time for them to convey a message...’
286. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN JOHNSON AND EL TARI: 22 October 1975; ‘Kupang, 22 October 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor: Missing Journalists [matter omitted] Johnson explained to El Tari, who said that he had not been informed that he was coming, that Johnson had been sent to Timor by the Australian Ambassador to Indonesia under instruction by the Australian Government, to attempt to...’
287. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 22 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 22 October 1975 5.19 p.m. O.CH281608 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Ref O.JA2498, O.JA24971 For Woolcott Although the interview with Malik was a difficult one-and we are interested to note from the first paragraph of your JA.2498 that Malik apparently intended it to be difficult-we are glad that you...’
288. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 23 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 23 October 1975, 8.20 a.m. O.JA2594 UNCLASSIFIED IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor: Missing Journalists Ref O.JA2498, O.JA24971 The following item datelined Atambua of 23 October appeared in Antara this morning: Francisco Lopez da Cruz, chairman of the UDT Party, said yesterday that he had accepted an Indonesian request for the search...’
289. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN TAYLOR AND AKOSAH: 23 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 23 October 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor I referred to Malik’s Press Conference on 22 October in which he was reported to have answered questions about the five missing Australian journalists by saying that he was not ‘a grave digger’. I said that if this were reported in Australia, it...’
290. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 23 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 23 October 1975, 1.50 p.m. O.JA2612 CONFIDENTIAL IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor: Missing Journalists As you will know, each day the Foreign Ministry has held out hopes that we will receive news of the fate of the five Australians. Each day we are disappointed. Dan spoke again to General Adenan this...’
291. CABLEGRAM TO NEW YORK: 23 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 23 October 1975,6.45 p.m. O.CH282275 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Ref. O.JA24621 We take it that Campbell already has enough briefing for his discussion with Moerdani. It seems to us here that the main points that we need to get over to the Indonesians about United Nations involvement in Portuguese...’
292. MINUTE FROM CURTIN TO FEAKES: 24 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 24 October 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor: Australian Television Teams Mr Starey yesterday spoke with Mr Gomes, leader of the Portuguese television team which came out of Timor several days ago after having been at Balibo: Gomes and his team left the Australians at Balibo a matter of hours before...’
293. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN TAYLOR, RODGERS AND SUNARSO: 24 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 24 October 1975 SECRET AUSTEO Portuguese Timor Mr Taylor opened the conversation by referring to the various reports concerning the fate of the five missing Australian journalists in Portuguese Timor. He told Sunarso that Johnson (Third Secretary), who is currently in Kupang, had received from the Governor’s office a...’
294. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN FERNANDEZ, HER TASNING AND MATIAS: 24 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 24 October 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor At the Minister’s United Nations’ Day reception, the Portuguese Ambassador spoke to me about the conversation we had had earlier in the day about support from Darwin for the Portuguese corvette Afonso Cerqueira, when we were joined by the Indonesian Ambassador. The Portuguese...’
295. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 24 October 1975; ‘New York, 24 October 1975 O.UN4145 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY United Nations: Portuguese Timor Sani met with other ASEAN delegations, Australia (myself and Campbell) New Zealand, Fiji and Japan at ambassadorial level on 24 October to brief them on the Indonesian position on Timor. He informed the meeting that he would be...’
296. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 25 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 25 October 1975, 4.20 p.m. O.JA2657 CONFIDENTIAL IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor-Australian Journalists I saw General Adenan this morning, 25 October. I said that I was surprised to fmd on my return from a two day visit to Bandung that we still had received no hard information on the fate of...’
297. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 25 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 25 October 1975, 5.40 p.m. O.JA2659 CONFIDENTIAL IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor: Missing Journalists Since I spoke to Adenan Taylor has spoken again to Colonel Sunarso, Liaison Officer in BAKIN. Sunarso has just confirmed to Taylor that the five missing journalists died in the house in Balibo. He said the house...’
298. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN JOHNSON AND LEDE: 25 October 1975; ‘Kupang, 25 October 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor: Missing Journalists Mr Johnson spoke with Mr Lede, the Governor’s assistant, on 25 October 1975. He opened the conversation with the words, ‘Didn’t you go home yesterday?’ Mr Lede then said that on Radio Australia’s Indonesian news broadcast the previous night, he had...’
299. SUBMISSION TO WILLESEE: 27 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 27 October 1975 SECRET AUSTEO Sensitive Information from the Indonesians In discussion with the Secretary and me you raised the question whether it was in Australia’s interests that the Embassy in Jakarta should continue to receive from the Indonesians (in particular Mr Harry Tjan and General Moerdani) the very...’
300. LETTER FROM DA CRUZ TO JOHNSON: 27 October 1975; ‘Batugade, 27 October 1975 Further to my previous letter and in response to your last letter dated also October 23, 1975 I do have the honour to add some more considerations to those already stated as far [as] the searching for Australian citizens is concerned. On the wall of one...’
301. SUBMISSION TO WILLESEE: 28 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 28 October 1975 SECRET Portuguese Timor In a discussion with Mr Feakes on 23 October you expressed the view that the time was approaching when you might feel obliged to express in the Senate the Government’s ‘extreme disappointment’ about Indonesian military action in Portuguese Timor. In the face of...’
302. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 28 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 28 October 1975, 5.25 p.m. O.JA2727 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Portuguese Timor—Australian Journalists After considerable pressure I was able to see General Yoga, Head of BAKIN, late this morning 28 October. Rodgers accompanied me. I was with him for a little over an hour. He was evasive and the meeting was...’
303. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN FEAKES, JOSEPH, CURTIN AND HORTA: 28 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 28 October 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor Mr Horta said that he was aware that Portuguese Timor would find it difficult to attract attention during the Australian ‘political crisis’. However ‘Australia’ knew that Indonesia had intervened in Portuguese Timor. He thanked the Department of Foreign Affairs for its ‘diplomatic efforts’...’
304. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 28 October 1975; ‘Dar es Salaam, 28 October 1975 O.DS1444 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Timor In a half-hour conversation this morning, President Nyerere informed me that a Fretilin delegation yesterday had talked to him along the lines on which Vieira had spoken to me earlier (O.DS14371): that Machel2 had told him Tanzania accepted Fretilin’s position:...’
305. LETTER FROM KERIN TO WILLESEE: 29 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 29 October 1975 The Committee,1 having considered recent events in East Timor submits the following resolution to you and the Caucus. That the Caucus is of the view that Even if no Indonesian troops were involved in the fighting in East Timor, the use of Indonesian territory as a...’
306. SUBMISSION TO WILLESEE: 29 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 29 October 1975 SECRET Portuguese Timor: Aid To date the Government has provided the following humanitarian assistance to Timor: $100,000 to the ICRC appeal, half of which was set aside for relief of the 40,000 Timorese refugees in Indonesian Timor. An army medical team-all costs borne by the Government....’
307. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA AND LISBON: 29 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 29 October 1975 O.CH283870 CONFIDENTIAL IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor For Woolcott and Cooper In our O.CH2799661 we asked you to advise the Indonesians of our extreme disappointment that they have found it necessary to resort to large-scale military intervention in Portuguese Timor. You were also asked to advise the Indonesians...’
308. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA AND LISBON: 29 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 29 October 1975 O.CH283871 CONFIDENTIAL IMMEDIATE Following is text of Statement. Begins The Government has seen these reports. They suggest a degree of Indonesian military intervention in the affairs of Portuguese Timor. The Australian Government regrets this development. It has expressed its extreme disappointment in Jakarta. It has urged...’
309. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN TAYLOR AND TJAN: 29 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 29 October 1975 SECRET Portuguese Timor I told Tjan that the Ambassador’s meeting with General Yoga yesterday had been unsatisfactory and went through the main problems as we saw them. I gave him a typed up copy of the message from Gerald Stone, Channel 7 and the Victorian Branch...’
310. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 29 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 29 October 1975 O.JA2754 SECRET IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor I have not yet been able to convey the advice that the Minister intends to make a statement on Timor to Malik or to Djajadiningrat. Given the present four hour time difference and Malik’s departure for Rome tomorrow we have been...’
311. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 29 October 1975; ‘Lisbon, 29 October 1975 O.LB427 SECRET IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor: Ministerial Statement I have the following comments on the draft Statement (O.CH2838711). Para 13 second sentence. It is not fair to accuse Portugal of being more concerned with their prisoners than with arranging talks. Their prisoners are obviously an emotive local...’
312. SUBMISSION TO WILLESEE: 31 October 1975; ‘Canberra, 31 October 1975 SECRET Defence Co-operation with Indonesia—Sabre Project This submission seeks your concurrence with the approval of the Minister for Defence to our meeting an Indonesian request for the RAAF to provide two advisors to help the Indonesian Air Force to use and maintain the guns fitted to...’
313. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 31 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 31 October 1975, 3.20 p.m. O.JA2807 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Portuguese Timor—Minister’s Statement I was able to see Malik shortly before his departure as well as Adenan and Alatas, both of whom were accompanying him to Rome and Djajadiningrat who is remaining in Jakarta. I gave each of them a copy...’
314. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 31 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 31 October 1975, 4.20 p.m. O.JA2808 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor: Journalists Regrettably, despite constant pressure, we have got no further on the journalists. There still remains it seems a split within the Indonesian Government about how it should handle the matter. A Foreign Ministry contact told us today that...’
315. LETTER FROM TAYLOR TO CURTIN: 31 October 1975; ‘Jakarta, 31 October 1975 SECRET AUSTEO Just a short note on the Centre. The last few months have illustrated both the great value of our links with the Centre, particularly with Harry Tjan, and the limitations of Harry’s influence. On the first, I don’t think it can be denied that...’
316. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 1 November 1975; ‘Jakarta, 1 November 1975, 2.00 p.m. O.JA2814 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Timor-Journalists Ref O.JA28101 I talked to General Yoga this morning. I asked whether he had any progress to report on his enquiries since our last meeting. I also said that we were anxious to take up Foreign Minister Malik’s offer of...’
317. LETTER FROM JOHNSON TO EL TARI: 1 November 1975; ‘Kupang, 1 November 1975 I have been instructed by the Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, His Excellency Mr R. A. Woolcott, to convey the following to you. I have been sent to Timor by the Australian Government to attempt to ascertain the fate of five missing Australian journalists. Since it is...’
318. RECORD OF TELEPHONE CONVERSATION BETWEEN SELLARS AND KADRI: 3 November 1975; ‘Canberra, 3 November 1975 RESTRICTED Slogans on Indonesian Residences Mr Kadri rang to advise that, during the night of 2-3 November, anti-Indonesian and pro-Fretilin slogans had been painted on six Indonesian residences, including the Ambassador’s residence. Kadri said that the slogan ‘fascist butcher’ had been painted on the driveway leading...’
319. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 3 November 1975; ‘Jakarta, 3 November 1975 O.JA2835 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Timor: Journalists Apart from the predicted unsatisfactory response from Lopes da Cruz (our JA28281) we have had no more information on the missing journalists. While we should continue the pressure I am inclined to think it would be only window dressing to send...’
320. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 4 November 1975; ‘Canberra, 4 November 1975 O.CH285719 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Timor: Journalists Ref. OJA28351 While taking the point in your paragraph 2, we feel it important to leave no stone unturned in our efforts to establish beyond all reasonable doubt the fate of the missing newsmen. We therefore feel, and the Minister agrees,...’
321. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 4 November 1975; ‘Canberra, 4 November 1975 O.CH285927 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor: Rome Talks Ref O.JA2832, O.JA28341 We should be glad to be kept informed, as Tjan has promised, of the outcome of the Rome talks as further information becomes available. However, Tjan’s account and press reports of the communique issued by the...’
322. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 4 November 1975; ‘Rome, 4 November 1975 O.R06070 CONFIDENTIAL ROUTINE Portuguese Timor—Rome Talks Sosrowardojo1 told me today that Malik and Melo Antunes met on 1 and 2 November and signed Memorandum of Understanding on 3 November. On instructions, he was unable to show me a copy of the Memorandum until Malik had reported...’
323. MINUTE FROM MILLER TO FEAKES: 5 November 1975; ‘Canberra, 5 November 1975 SECRET Timor Policy I wonder whether what has been done in Rome makes this an opportune moment for us to try and clear our minds about what we would like to see happen next, and what we think will happen next. In other words, would we...’
324. LETTER FROM FEAKES TO WOOLCOTT: 5 November 1975; ‘Canberra, 5 November 1975 SECRET In our telegram O.CH2859271 we mentioned in paragraphs 6 and 7 the possibility of some sort of regional approval for the Rome agreement between the Indonesians and the Portuguese. Looking further down the road, we still wonder whether there would be some mileage in regional...’
325. BRIEFING NOTE FOR WHITLAM: 6 November 1975; ‘Canberra, 6 November 1975 SECRET AUSTEO You have agreed to receive the Indonesian Ambassador at five o’clock this afternoon. He is about to return to Jakarta for consultations in preparation for the annual Australian-Indonesian officials talks, which are to take place in Canberra on 27 and 28 November. He has...’
326. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 6 November 1975; ‘Jakarta, 6 November 1975 4.00 p.m. O.JA2902 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Timor: Missing Journalists Notwithstanding continuing pressure I am afraid we are still not getting far on the journalists. We are fully aware of the difficulties this is causing you in Canberra and of the likelihood that the Minister may need to...’
327. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 6 November 1975; ‘Jakarta, 6 November 1975,4.15 p.m. O.JA2903 SECRET PRIORITY Missing Journalists The Age correspondent from Singapore, Michael Richardson, who has returned to Jakarta has told us that he has ascertained from ‘a very reliable Indonesian source’ that ‘200 Indonesian troops had been involved in the attack on Balibo with UDT and...’
328. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 6 November 1975; ‘Jakarta, 6 November 1975, 5.35 p.m. O.JA2904 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor: Missing Journalists In view of what is reported in paragraph 4 of JA29031 we asked Tjan whether he thought there was any possibility that any of the five journalists had survived. He said it was evident that there had...’
329. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 6 November 1975; ‘Lisbon, 6 November 1975,5.00 p.m. O.LB444 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor: Call on Foreign Minister I called on Melo Antunes this morning. I said that I had read the Rome communique carefully and my initial reaction was that it seemed almost too good to be true. Did it represent a real...’
330. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 7 November 1975; ‘Canberra, 7 November 1975 O.CH287380 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Ref O.CH2871981 For Woolcott The Prime Minister has approved the text of the letter to President Soeharto on the subject of the missing newsmen. The signed original will be handed to the Indonesian Ambassador, hopefully over the weekend but if not...’
331. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 7 November 1975; ‘Jakarta, 7 November 1975 O.JA2938 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor: Rome Talks I called on Adam Malik this afternoon. Djajadiningrat, Alatas and Adenan were with him. Dan accompanied me. On this occasion Malik was relaxed and friendly. I said that when I had last seen him he had offered to brief...’
332. CABLEGRAM TO NEW YORK: 10 November 1975; ‘Canberra, 10 November 1975 O.CH287823 CONFIDENTIAL ROUTINE Portuguese Timor/United Nations You will note from Jakarta’s telegram JA29381 that Adam Malik and the Indonesians generally continue to be reticent about the possibility of United Nations involvement in the Portuguese Timor issue. Notwithstanding this reaction, however, and whatever agreement the Portuguese and...’
333. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 10 November 1975; ‘New York, 10 November 1975 O.UN4307 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Portuguese Timor: United Nations Ref. OCH287823, O.CH2878241 The Department’s steady pressure has obviously been helpful in bringing home to the Indonesians that they need to mount some sort of campaign at the General Assembly this year, and it is very helpful at...’
334. CABLEGRAM TO GENEVA: 11 November 1975; ‘Canberra, 11 November 1975 O.CH288067 CONFIDENTIAL ROUTINE Portuguese Timor: Missing Journalists In reports appearing in the Australian press on 10 November, three FRETILIN militiamen who ha[ve] ‘just returned to Dili’ and had witnessed the fighting in Balibo on 15116 October when the newsmen disappeared, were reported as saying that the...’
335. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 12 November 1975; ‘Jakarta, 12 November 1975 O.JA3025 CONFIDENTIAL IMMEDIATE Timor: Deceased Australian Journalists After daily pressure since the weekend I saw General Yoga this afternoon 12 November.1 Yoga said he regretted to inform me that all the evidence BAKIN had acquired now indicated that the five journalists (2 Australians, 2 British and...’
336. SUBMISSION TO PEACOCK: 13 November 1975; ‘Canberra, [13] November 1975 SECRET AUSTEO Relations with Indonesia: Portuguese Timor Attached is a copy of my submission to you of 13 November about relations with Indonesia and the question of Portuguese Timor. The submission rehearses the difficulties which have arisen with the Indonesians over Timor and refers to the...’
337. SUBMISSION TO PEACOCK: 13 November 1975; ‘Canberra, 13 November 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor: Missing Newsmen You will have seen the telegrams1 from Jakarta providing final Indonesian confirmation of the deaths of the five newsmen missing at Balibo in Portuguese Timor since the fighting there on 16 October. Although all five were working for Australian television channels,...’
338. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 13 November 1975; ‘Jakarta, 13 November 1975 O.JA3043 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Portuguese Timor When I saw General Yoga on 12 November about the deceased Australian journalists1 I also raised briefly some other matters related to Timor, given the key role Yoga plays in all aspects of this issue. (I) Indonesian Involvement I asked Yoga...’
339. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA AND WASHINGTON: 13 November 1975; ‘Jakarta, 13 November 1975 O.JA3058 SECRET AUSTEO ROUTINE Portuguese Timor Ref 0.CH2863351 Should the Indonesian campaign in Portuguese Timor run into serious difficulties or even fail completely we do not believe the Armed Forces would blame President Soeharto and turn against him. While there was initial disappointment among some senior...’
340. SUBMISSION TO PEACOCK: 18 November 1975; ‘Canberra, [18 November 1975]1 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor: Talks On the Summary of Cables for 13 November you queried why Mr Malik should be awaiting news from Australia about FRETILIN’s attitude to proposed talks with the Portuguese. . The proposal for round-table talks between the Portuguese and the three major Timorese...’
341. SUBMISSION TO PEACOCK: 19 November 1975; ‘Canberra, 19 November 1975 SECRET AUSTEO Relations with Indonesia: Portuguese Timor Attached is a copy of my submission to you of 13 November about relations with Indonesia and the question of Portuguese Timor.1 The submission rehearses the difficulties which have arisen with the Indonesians over Timor and refers to the...’
342. DISPATCH TO PEACOCK: 19 November 1975; ‘Jakarta, 19 November 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Indonesia: The Internal Situation The Uneasy Calm [matter omitted] The Leadership President Soeharto has maintained and strengthened his own position during the last twelve months and remains firmly in control. He appears certain to secure re-election in early 1978 for a further term as President,...’
343. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 20 November 1975; ‘Canberra, 20 November 1975 O.CH291591 SECRET PRIORITY Australian Relations with Indonesia For Woolcott The Prime Minister would be glad if you would convey a message to President Soeharto indicating the great importance which Mr Fraser attaches to Australia’s relations with Indonesia and that the Prime Minister, should he be returned...’
344. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 25 November 1975; ‘Jakarta, 25 November 1975 O.JA3280 SECRET PRIORITY For the Secretary I saw President Soeharto this morning to deliver the Prime Minister’s message.1 (He had been out of Jakarta over the weekend and unavailable on Monday.) In order to assist in preservation of secrecy (paragraph five of your O.CH2915912) I arranged...’
345. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 27 November 1975; ‘Jakarta, 27 November 1975 O.JA3326 SECRET IMMEDIATE For Secretary and Minister Since speaking on the telephone to Feakes I have had a chance to consider the proposed statement by the Minister which Feakes read to me over the telephone.1 I fully appreciate the situation created by the Richardson articles2 and...’
346. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 27 November 1975; ‘Jakarta, 27 November 1975 O.JA3327 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor I spent an hour privately with General Moerdani on 25 November. I found Moerdani somewhat tense and nervous on this occasion and he appeared to be under some strain. Indonesian Policy He said he was worried about the way in which...’
347. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 28 November 1975; ‘Jakarta, 28 November 1975 O.JA3350 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor We discussed with Tjan and Lim Bian Kie possibility that FRETILIN might declare independence soon. They were not surprised to hear this. In fact they gave the distinct impression they expected FRETILIN to make such a move and would not...’
348. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 28 November 1975; ‘Jakarta, 28 November 1975 O.JA3352 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Portuguese Timor [matter omitteed] Indonesian Involvement I said that the eye-witness reports in the Australian media on 26 November1 created considerable difficulties for Australian Ministers. I noticed that he, Malik, had denied these eye witness reports of Indonesian air and naval involvement.2 Malik...’
349. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 29 November 1975; ‘Jakarta, 29 November 1975 O.JA3359 SECRET AUSTEO IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor Dan discussed with Tjan and Lim Bian Kie (Ali Murtopo’s Private Secretary) this morning, 29 November, FRETILIN’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence for Portuguese Timor.1 They said that as soon as advice of the UDI was received yesterday an urgent message...’
350. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 29 November 1975; ‘Jakarta, 29 November 1975 O.JA3360 SECRET IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor Ref O.JA33591 Tjan and Lim Bian Kie mentioned to Dan this morning one additional matter not reported in our reference telegram. At the Indonesian Government’s high level meeting on Timor this morning the participants reacted angrily at the news of Portugal’s...’
351. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 29 November 1975; ‘Lisbon, 29 November 1975 O.LB509 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Portuguese Timor I spoke to the Foreign Ministry (Cruz) this morning about the latest developments in Timor, in particular the position of the Portuguese Government in relation to FRETILIN’s UDI. It is at this stage not correct to speak of a ‘Portuguese Government’...’
352. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 30 November 1975; ‘Jakarta, 30 November 1975 O.JA3371 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Minister’s Statement o[n] East Timor Tjan told us today 30 November that the Minister’s Statement1 had been extremely well received by the Indonesian Government. He had sent copies of the text last night to President Soeharto, General Ali Murtopo, Foreign Minister Adam Malik,...’
353. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 1 December 1975; ‘Jakarta, 1 December 1975 O.JA3374 SECRET IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor Our immediately following telegram contains text of relevant extracts from a story filed 29 November by the Washington Post correspondent visiting Jakarta (Saar). The story is based on an interview with General Ali Murtopo.1 As you will see, Ali Murtopo’s remarks...’
354. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 2 December 1975; ‘Canberra, 2 December 1975 O.CH295719 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor We were glad to see from paragraph 5 of your JA33941 that you emphasized to Sunarso and Tjan the importance Australia attached to the need to determine the future of Portuguese Timor through an expression of the wishes of the...’
355. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 2 December 1975; ‘New York, 2 December 1975 0.UN4605 UNCLASSIFIED IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor: United Nations Reference telecon Feakes/A. D. Campbell.1 Following is text of Statement by latter in Fourth Committee on 2 December: Begins We are grateful to the Delegation of Portugal for the detailed and informative statement just made to the Committee....’
356. MEMORANDUM TO CANBERRA: 3 December 1975; ‘Tokyo, 3 December 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Portuguese Timor Our telegram O.TK7015 of 2 December 1975 reported comments by Hasegawa (Director, Second Southeast Asia Division, Foreign Ministry) on developments in Portuguese Timor and the request for Japan to recognise the Democratic Republic of East Timor proclaimed by Fretilin on 28 November. A...’
357. LETTER FROM WOOLCOTT TO FEAKES: 3 December 1975; ‘[Jakarta], 3 December 1975 CONFIDENTIAL PERSONAL [matter omitted] The situation has moved into a decisive phase. It will as usual present us with serious difficulties. While some of the ideas in cables to our mission in New York may be largely for the historical record we need to grasp the...’
358. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 4 December 1975; ‘Jakarta, 4 December 1975 O.JA3479 UNCLASSIFIED IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor Following is our translation of the text of the ‘Statement of the Government of the Republic of Indonesia regarding the latest developments in Portuguese Timor’ issued on 4 December 1975. Begins In facing the latest developments in Portuguese Timor the Government...’
359. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 6 December 1975; ‘Jakarta, 6 December 1975 O.JA3517 SECRET AUSTEO IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor The Timor situation has entered a decisive phase. Begins Sinaga, the influential and well-informed personal assistant to Defence Minister Panggabean, confirmed to me last night that action against Dili was likely to start tonight, 6 December or not later than...’
360. DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS NEWS RELEASE: 7 December 1975; ‘Canberra, 7 December 1975 No. M85 Portuguese Timor-Statement by the Foreign Minister, Mr Andrew Peacock The Australian Government deeply regrets the course which events in East Timor have taken. It is tragic for the Timorese and a matter for serious concern to the countries of the region that the decolonisation...’
361. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 7 December 1975; ‘New York, 7 December 1975 O.UN4677 CONFIDENTIAL IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor: United Nations Ref 0.UN46751 As you indicated in our last telecon,2 we shall no doubt have to play the next round of developments here by ear guided by any new Ministerial statements and by instructions which you may be preparing...’
362. SUBMISSION TO FRASER: 8 December 1975; ‘Canberra, [8 December 1975]1 SECRET Portuguese Timor: Proposal for a Peace-Keeping Force You have asked for a draft press release incorporating proposals for the setting up of a peace keeping force in Portuguese Timor. Two alternative texts are attached. Both drafts would cover the possibility of a peace-keeping force being...’
363. DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS NEWS RELEASE: 8 December 1975; ‘Canberra, 8 December 1975 No. M86 Portuguese Timor The Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon. Andrew Peacock, said today that the Government was continually watching the development of events in Portuguese Timor. Mr Peacock recalled that the tragedy of Portuguese Timor had really begun with the intense political difficulties which...’
364. SUBMISSION TO PEACOCK: 9 December 1975; ‘Canberra, [9 December, 1975]1 SECRET Extract ASSISTANCE TO THE PORTUGUESE ON ATAURO2 On the whole, it has been our view that Australian interests would be served in present circumstances for the Portuguese to withdraw completely from Timor. But we think that Australia ought not, by refusing support for the few...’
365. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 9 December 1975; ‘Jakarta, 9 December 1975 O.JA3568 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor In response to your O.CH2982361 I have requested an appointment with Malik as soon as possible. He is naturally under pressure at present but I hope to see him this evening or early tomorrow. In the meantime the following comments additional...’
366. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 9 December 1975; ‘Jakarta, 9 December 1975 O.JA3569 SECRET AUSTEO IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor Sunarso (BAKIN) phoned us this afternoon saying that he had been instructed to request that if any Portuguese warships passed through Darwin for refuelling or revictualling, that they be delayed from leaving Darwin until at least 15 December. When asked...’
367. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN SUNARSO, TAYLOR AND RODGERS: 9 December 1975; ‘Jakarta, 9 December 1975 SECRET EXTRACT Portuguese Timor; Laos; Cambodia; Detainees Timor [matter omitted] We asked Sunarso how he saw the situation in the immediate future working out in Portuguese Timor. What arrangements would be made to administer the territory? What form would the act of self-determination, the Indonesian Government...’
368. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 9 December 1975; ‘Lisbon, 9 December 1975 O.LB615 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Portuguese Timor In view of Ambassador’s present indisposition (our O.LB614) Foreign Minister Antunes asked Cousins to call on him this morning. Antunes said he had asked a representative of the Australian Government to call so he could brief him on recent developments in...’
369. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 9 December 1975; ‘New York, 9 December, 1975 O.UN4697 CONFIDENTIAL IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor Consultations with Portugal and Indonesia by the President of the Security Council began today, 9 December. Informal consultations of the Council are to be held 10 December. Several Members (Richard, as Chairman, U.S., Japan, Italy, Sweden, France) are looking to...’
370. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 10 December 1975; ‘Jakarta, 10 December 1975 O.JA3601 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Portuguese Timor I saw Malik this morning 10 December. I handed him a copy of the Minister’s Statement of the 8 December,1 copies of which had already been given to the Foreign Ministry and which he read without comment in my presence. I...’
371. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 10 December 1975; ‘Lisbon, 10 December 1975 O.LB617 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Ref O.JA35681 I would not define the Portuguese position in precisely the terms used by Jakarta in para 10 of their reftel. The Portuguese certainly blame Indonesia for breaching the Rome Agreement (by their resort to force) and they also...’
372. LETTER FROM MILLER TO WOOLCOTT: 11 December 1975; ‘Canberra, 11 December 1975 SECRET AUSTEO A note to sympathise with your present difficulties over Timor, provoked to a considerable extent it seems by the caretaker Government’s sensitivity to Monday’s editorials in an election week. I have not always agreed with your line on Timor, thinking that we might have...’
373. STATEMENT BY CAMPBELL IN FOURTH COMMITTEE OF UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY: 11 December 1975; ‘New York, 11 December 1975 The draft resolution before the Committee in Document L.1131 co-sponsored by Algeria, Guyana, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Trinidad and Tobago, and others has the particular merit of incorporating all the points of importance from an earlier draft and a subsequent revision which Australia had co-sponsored. Those...’
374. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 12 December 1975; ‘Jakarta, 12 December 1975 O.JA3669 SECRET IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor Australia’s positive vote on the Portuguese Timor resolution in Fourth Committee was described to us today by Tjan as ‘disastrous’. He said Indonesia had hoped that Australia would have been helpful in the United Nations. Australia’s vote and approach in the...’
375. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 13 December 1975; ‘Jakarta, 13 December 1975 O.JA3673 CONFIDENTIAL AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor: United Nations We sawTjan again today 13 December (beforereceiptofUN47351). He said that an Indonesian Government statement on the United Nations vote was being prepared. It would be fairly tough. Certain quarters in the Indonesian Government had urged that Australia be...’
376. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 15 December 1975; ‘Canberra, 15 December 1975 O.CH300638 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Portuguese Timor: United Nations Ref O.JA3669, O.JA36731 Tjan’s reaction to Australia’s voting at the United Nations shows an inadequate understanding of the help given to Indonesia by our delegation in New York and the strength of public feeling in Australia against Indonesia’s action...’
377. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 15 December 1975; ‘Jakarta, 15 December 1975 O.JA3698 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Since my return from brief visit to Singapore I have seen the weekend cables from Jakarta and New York’s O.UN4735.1 As foreshadowed in our JA36692 we intend to test the reaction of several key Ministers and officials, including Malik, and...’
378. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 15 December 1975; ‘Lisbon, 15 December 1975 O.LB640 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Ref. 0.CH2992531 In the absence of Antunes (who is still preoccupied with internal matters) I saw the Director General of Political Affairs (Cruz) and his Deputy (Villas Boas) today. However before reporting on this interview I want to offer some observations...’
379. CABLEGRAM TO NEW YORK: 16 December 1975; ‘Canberra, 16 December 1975 O.CH301145 CONFIDENTIAL IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor: Security Council1 Ref. 0.UN4754, 0.UN47612 We should be glad if you would speak early in the Security Council proceedings and before a draft resolution firms up. Tuesday 16 December New York time would seem to be suitable. In addressing the Security...’
380. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 16 December 1975; ‘Jakarta, 16 December 1975 O.JA3706 SECRET AUSTEO RouTINE Portuguese Timor Ref O.LB617 1 We do not consider that Australia might have headed off events which led to FRETILIN’s UDI and Indonesia’s intervention as suggested in paragraph 3 of the telegram under reference. As we have reported before, Indonesian policy has...’
381. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 16 December 1975; ‘Lisbon, 16 December 1975 O.LB643 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Ref O.LB6401 I am afraid that my call on Foreign Minister Antunes was not very encouraging. Antunes is still obviously very bitter about Indonesian ‘aggression’ and now feels that he was taken for a ride by Malik in Rome. (Contrary to...’
382. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 16 December 1975; ‘New York, 16 December 1975 O.UN4768 UNCLASSIFIED IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor: Security Council Following is text of statement to be made in Security Council today 16 December by Ambassador. [matter omitted] The immediate requirement, as we see it, is for a ceasefire, to spare the people of Timor further bloodshed and...’
383. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN RENOUF AND YOSHIDA: 17 December 1975; ‘Canberra, 17 December 1975 CONFIDENTIAL EXTRACT Courtesy Call by the Japanese Ambassador1 Mr Renouf said that Foreign Affairs had found itself in an awkward position over the Timor problem. Initially the Department had counselled in favour of self-determination for the East Timorese people. Senator Willesee had agreed with this approach...’
384. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN PEACOCK AND THAYIB: 17 December 1975; ‘Canberra, 17 December 1975 CONFIDENTIAL Australia/Indonesia Relations: Portuguese Timor MrThayib1 referred to his program over the past eight days, during which he had been observing the progress of the Australian election campaign. He then turned to Australia-Indonesia relations and Timor. He suggested that the Liberal Party might be more sympathetic...’
385. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 18 December 1975; ‘Jakarta, 18 December 1975 O.JA3774 SECRET PRIORITY Portuguese Timor: United Nations Involvement Alex Alatas, Malik’s personal assistant, told the Ambassador when he was arranging to see Malik tomorrow about some of his recent statements, that the Indonesians here are pleased with Harry’s statement to the Security Council.1 We appear to...’
386. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 18 December 1975; ‘Jakarta, 18 December 1975 O.JA3783 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Portuguese Timor Tjan told us today, 18 December, that APODETI/UDT issued a proclamation on 17 December announcing the formation of a temporary adrninist[er]ing body (the Indonesian word is pemerintah which also means government) to restore law and order, maintain security and normalise the...’
387. LETTER FROM ARRIENS TO FISHER: 18 December 1975; ‘Bonn, 18 December 1975 CONFIDENTIAL All of this will probably be very familiar to you, but I thought that it might be as well to record the main points of interest from what Bian Kie told me when he was in Bonn earlier this month. Although he was here just...’
388. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 19 December 1975; ‘Jakarta, 19 December 1975 O.JA3808 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY EXTRACT Portuguese Timor I asked Malik about the announcement about the ‘provisional government’ in Dili.1 I said that some might see this as a means of pre-empting United Nations involvement in the territory and of controlling any act of self-determination. Malik stressed that...’
389. SUBMISSION TO PEACOCK: 22 December 1975; ‘Canberra, 22 December 1975 SECRET AUSTEO Portuguese Timor With the formation of the new government, and in the light of recent developments in Portuguese Timor itself and of the United Nations proceedings, it is timely to review Australian policy towards Portuguese Timor. There are two main questions: 1. Do we...’
390. UNITED NATIONS PRESS RELEASE: 22 December 1975; ‘New York, 22 December 1975 SC/3683 - EXTRACT Security Council Unanimously Adopts Resolution on East Timor The Security Council1 this afternoon unanimously adopted a resolution calling on Indonesia to withdraw without delay all its forces from East Timor, while calling upon Portugal to co-operate fully with the United Nations so...’
391. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN TJAN AND TAYLOR: 23 December 1975; ‘Jakarta, 23 December 1975 SECRET AUSTEO Portuguese Timor We discussed the latest draft working paper1 before the Security Council. Tjan speculated that if the draft were accepted by the Council, Indonesia would agree to withdraw its troops and so on, but in fact would not do so. It would be...’
392. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 31 December 1975; ‘Jak:arta, 31 December 1975 O.JA3951 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Portuguese Timor I saw Malik at his house this afternoon, 31 December, and handed over Minister’s message.1 Malik recalled our previous discussion on the 19th December and said that he had in fact since given instructions to the Indonesian Red Cross that it...’
393. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 5 January 1976; ‘Jakarta, 5 January 1976 O.JA3981 SECRET AUSTEO ROUTINE Australia, Indonesia and East Timor Early in 1976 and not later than at the time of the Minister’s proposed visit to Jakarta, the Indonesian Government will be looking to the recently elected Australian Government to redefine present and future policy towards Indonesia,...’
394. LETTER FROM FEAKES TO DAN: 6 January 1976; ‘Canberra, 6 January 1976 SECRET AUSTEO In Dick Woolcott’s absence from Jakarta you may like to see the attached copy of a submission on Portuguese Timor that we prepared in some haste just before Christmas.1 The Minister, who asked for the submission, has not yet pronounced on it and will,...’
395. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 6 January 1976; ‘New York, 6 January 1976 O.UN4851 CONFIDENTIAL IMMEDIATE Portuguese Timor: Special Representative of Secretary-General Ref 0.CH305078, 0.UN4844, 0.UN48471 Sani told me this morning 6 January, that his discussion with Winspeare on 5 January was more technical than political and concentrated on Winspeare’s schedule and arrangements. Sani had asked whether Winspeare...’
396. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 7 January 1976; ‘Peking, 7 January 1976 O.PK3875 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY EXTRACT Portuguese Timor-China I endeavoured to draw from Cheng1 any indication whether Fretilin had sought or been granted assistance, particularly military assistance. Cheng stated that China’s policy of support for popular independence movements was grounded in principle and was well-known but added that...’
397. CABLEGRAM TO NEW YORK: 8 January 1976; ‘Canberra, 8 January 1976 O.CH306802 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Timor: Special Representative of the Secretary-General Ref 0.UN4851 and O.UN48531 Thank you for these helpful telegrams. We agree that Winspeare appears to be approaching his mission in a realistic and helpful manner. He nevertheless places us in some difficulties with his two...’
398. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 12 January 1976; ‘Jakarta, 12 January 1976 O.JA4116 CONFIDENTIAL ROUTINE Timor: Special Representative of the Secretary General Akosah (Foreign Ministry) told us today that the tentative program for Wmspeare’s visit included calls on the President, Malik and round table talks with officials. Winspeare has apparently agreed to use the Pelita aircraft.1 He will...’
399. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 15 January 1976; ‘Jakarta, 15 January 1976 O.JA4209 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Timor: Military Situation Tjan told Dan in strict confidence today, 15 January, that he had visited Dili and Bacau yesterday with General Benny Moerdani, Sani (Indonesian Ambassador to the United Nations) and General Adenan (Asia and Pacific Directorate of Foreign Affairs). The...’
400. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 16 January 1976; ‘Jakarta, 16 January 1976 O.JA4226 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Timor: Statement by Malik We consider it would be wrong to conclude from the ABC news item that Indonesia is moving away from self-determination in Timor.1 We understand that the legal procedure for incorporating East Timor into Indonesia which Malik is reported to...’
401. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 17 January 1976; ‘Kuala Lumpur, 17 January 1976 O.KL07586 SECRET PRIORITY Timor For Parkinson from Renouf1 Ministers want included in the paper Feakes is preparing for Cabinet a set of guidelines for use in public presentation of our policy.2 The Prime Minister wants studied in this connexion what may be called ‘a lay...’
402. MINUTE FROM PARKINSON TO FEAKES: 19 January 1976; ‘Canberra, 19 January 1976 SECRET Indonesia and Timor At a meeting with the Prime Minister today at which Tange, Menadue, Griffith and myself were present, various policy options were discussed in regard to Indonesia and Timor. The Prime Minister is particularly concerned that Indonesia may be in the process of...’
403. LETTER FROM WOOLCOTT TO RENOUF: 21 January 1976; ‘Jakarta, 21 January 1976 CONFIDENTIAL PERSONAL At the time of your somewhat rushed departure we were unable to confirm that you or the Minister had copies of the record of conversation with General Panggabean. In case neither of you have it I am enclosing a copy in today’s safe hand...’
404. CABLEGRAM TO SINGAPORE: 23 January 1976; ‘Canberra, 23 January 1976 O.CH312625 SECRET PRIORITY Discussions in Jakarta: East Timor For Birch/Singapore; For Woolcott/Jakarta: From the Minister You will have seen the reference in O.CH3116041 (to Singapore only) of my discussions in Jakarta and to our reporting to Lee Kuan Yew on them. I should be glad if...’
405. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 23 January 1976; ‘New York, 23 January 1976 O.UN4918 CONFIDENTIAL ROUTINE East Timor and the United Nations Although there has been a temporary lull in the United Nations consideration of East Timor, it can be expected to come under active discussion again in the coming weeks. The Territory still remains on the agenda...’
406. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 24 January 1976; ‘Jakarta, 24 January 1976 O.JA4408 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY East Timor Winspeare called on me this morning 24 January on his return from Bali and East Timor. General Impressions Winspeare said that he had not seen a single Indonesian soldier nor indeed a ‘volunteer’. Moreover, he had seen no Indonesian supply ships...’
407. LETTER FROM WOOLCOTT TO FRASER: 28 January 1976; ‘Jakarta, 28 January 1976 CONFIDENTIAL PERSONAL East Timor I very much regret that our cable O.JA3981 was leaked to the Canberra Times by some disloyal and misguided official.1 Equally, I regret that other newspapers indulged in their own interpretations of those paragraphs of the cable published in the Canberra Times....’
408. NOTE ON TIMOR: January 1976; ‘[January 1976] CONFIDENTIAL Timor is now a major preoccupation. In a sense, however, it represents a distortion in our Foreign policy perspectives. Australia has no vital interests at stake in Timor. Whether it is independent or part of Indonesia is irrelevant to Australia. Indeed, what interests we have there, deriving...’
409. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN RENOUF AND WOOLCOTT: 30 January 1976; ‘Canberra, 30 January 1976 East Timor In accordance with the Minister’s instructions, I telephoned Mr Woolcott at 10.45 a.m. on 30 January. I impressed upon Woolcott the need for him to do everything possible to persuade Indonesia to allow Mr Winspeare to visit Fretilin-held areas in East Timor.1 I told...’
410. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 30 January 1976; ‘Jakarta, 30 January 1976 O.JA4520 SECRET AUSTEO ROUTINE East Timor—Minister’s Visit For Minister and Secretary; For Birch (Singapore) During his visit to Jakarta the Minister asked me to let him have some considered advice on Indonesian reactions to the idea he put forward here in an exploratory way of Australian...’
411. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 30 January 1976; ‘Jakarta, 30 January 1976 O.JA4537 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY The ASEAN Summit and Australia For Birch (Singapore); Parsons (Kuala Lumpur); Nutter (Manila); Johnson (Bangkok); Shann (Tokyo) Since the Minister’s visit to Jakarta during which he raised with the President and Malik the proposal that the Prime Minister might visit Bali at...’
412. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 2 February 1976; ‘Jakarta, 2 February 1976 O.JA4562 SECRET PRIORITY EXTRACT1 East Timor: Winspeare Mission It is for the government to determine Australia’s attitude to Indonesia in Timor and we shall explain and execute that policy as decided as forcefully as we can here. But I consider it my duty to repeat the...’
413. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 2 February 1976; ‘Jakarta, 2 February 1976 O.JA4573 SECRET AUSTEO IMMEDIATE EXTRACT1 East Timor: Winspeare Mission Winspeare’s senior aide, Jensen, told Dan late yesterday that the United Nations Mission had up until then not received from the Indonesian Government any official comment concerning the Portuguese Corvette exercise.1 The only comment was by Adam...’
414. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN SUNARSO AND RODGERS: 2 February 1976; ‘Jakarta, 2 February 1976 SECRET AUSTEO EXTRACT Portuguese Timor On 2 February we asked Sunarso how the Indonesians viewed the projected visit to a Fretilin controlled area in Portuguese Timor by the Special United Nations Envoy, Mr Winspeare Guicciardi. Sunarso replied that a visit by Winspeare to a Fretilin controlled...’
415. TELEGRAPH MESSAGE TO CANBERRA: 4 February 1976; ‘Darwin, 4 February 1976 O.CE862 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Please pass to Jakarta, UN New York and Lisbon: From Miller Following summarises situation as at 5 PM Darwin time Tuesday 3 February, and telephone conversations with Joseph of last two days. Winspeare arrived here in early hours of 2 February irritated...’
416. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 4 February 1976; ‘Lisbon, 4 February 1976 O.LB708 SECRET ROUTINE Portuguese Timor We have noted from O.JA44531 that Guicciardi is hoping the Timor issue will be defused by the passage of time and from O.CH3163282 that he has been irritated with Portugal’s latest protest to the Security Council concerning renewed Indonesian aggression. In...’
417. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE PAPER: 4 February 1976; ‘Canberra, [4 February 1976]1 CONFIDENTIAL Attachment Australian Relations with Indonesia and the Issue of East Timor Introduction Australia’s relations with Indonesia are strongly influenced by political and strategic factors, as in the past arose regarding Dutch New Guinea and Indonesia’s confrontation of Malaysia. This paper discusses such factors, with particular...’
418. COMMENTS BY SOUTH-EAST ASIA BRANCH: 4 February 1976; ‘[Canberra, 4 February 1976]1 SECRET AUSTEO Defence Committee: Timor Essentially, and although there are some differences tending to suggestions for policy, Defence’s paper need not be incompatible with our own.2 In particular, to the extent that it fits the Timor problem into a strategic environment, it serves a valuable purpose....’
419. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN TJAN AND TAYLOR: 5 February 1976; ‘Jakarta, 5 February 1976 SECRET AUSTEO EXTRACT Timor I noted that the Antara report of 3 February on the PGET’s attitude to the Winspeare mission’s proposed visit to FRETILIN-held areas and the note from the Indonesian Embassy to Winspeare on 4 February, were confusing in their contradiction.1 Apparently Winspeare too...’
420. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN SUNARSO AND TAYLOR: 6 February 1976; ‘Jakarta, 6 February 1976 SECRET AUSTEO EXTRACT Timor Sunarso showed me a map where FRETILIN forces were now. Roughly the area he indicated was between Suai, Emera, Aileu and Ainaro. He said progress by the pro-Indonesian forces had been slower than hoped for (there had been ‘many problems’), but he...’
421. MEMORANDUM TO CANBERRA: 10 February 1976; ‘Jakarta, 10 February 1976 SECRET AUSTEO Timor Attached for your information is a record of conversation with Colonel Sunarso, Foreign Liaison Officer for BAKIN.1 You will note that Sunarso still claims that an act of self-determination is planned to take place in March 1976. This timing is more specific and...’
422. REPORT BY MILLER: 10 February 1976; ‘Canberra, 10 February 1976 SECRET AUSTEO The Winspeare Mission on Timor The following are some impressions of the situation in Timor obtained from members of the United Nations mission in the course of conversations over the last week at Darwin.1 Schlitter-Silva, a Brazilian who works for Tang in the U.N....’
423. LETTER FROM WOOLCOTT TO MILLER: 10 February 1976; ‘Canberra, 10 February 1976 SECRET AUSTEO Thank you for your letter of 11 December 1975.1 I must apologise for not replying sooner. Much has happened since then but I would like to comment on several of the points in your letter and the papers attached to it. My cable O.JA3981,2...’
424. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN TJAN AND TAYLOR: 11 February 1976; ‘Canberra, 11 February 1976 SECRET AUSTEO Visit to Indonesia by Mr Fraser [matter omitted] Tjan repeated what he had said recently, that he thought Mr Fraser would be very welcome in Indonesia at a convenient time for him and the President. There had been rumours that Mr Fraser planned to...’
425. LETTER FROM RENOUF TO HARRY: 12 February 1976; ‘Canberra, 12 February 1976 SECRET AUSTEO I thought I should elaborate on my telegram O.CH320004.1 We would not wish to minimise the difficulties facing Winspeare and the Secretary-General in Timor. The harsh reality is that Indonesia seems firmly committed to the incorporation of the territory and that it is unlikely...’
426. CABLEGRAM TO LISBON: 13 February 1976; ‘Canberra, 13 February 1976 O.CH320504 SECRET ROUTINE Timor Ref O.LB7231 We can understand that Timor has been a very difficult problem for the Portuguese with their procession of governments and foreign ministers throughout most of 1975. But what we find hard to understand is why, when the Portuguese think of...’
427. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 16 February 1976; ‘Lisbon, 16 February 1976 O.LB725 SECRET AUSTEO ROUTINE Portuguese Timor Ref 0.CH3205041 Crespo’s proposal for a conference under UN auspices may seem unrealistic at this stage, but it reflects the Portuguese view that the PGET is essentially a group of Indonesian stooges and that, if the Indonesian presence were withdrawn,...’
428. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 20 February 1976; ‘Jakarta, 20 February 1976 O.JA4973 SECRET AUSTEO ROUTINE East Timor A reliable contact has told us that a permanent Indonesian military organisation is being set up in East Timor. It will be along parallel lines to the military establishments in every province of Indonesia. Comment: While the Indonesian combat units...’
429. SUBMISSION TO PEACOCK: 24 February 1976; ‘Canberra, 24 February 1976 CONFIDENTIAL Timor Among the items listed for consideration in the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee on 26 February is a statement of the Government’s policy on Timor. The agenda for that meeting is very heavy indeed and we suggest that you might seek to have the...’
430. SUBMISSION TO PEACOCK: 5 March 1976; ‘Canberra, 5 March 1976 SECRET Timor: Death of Journalists: Australian Journalists Association It was reported in the press on 3 March that the Australian Journalists Association is writing to you (and to the Prime Minister and Mr Whitlam) calling for an ‘immediate public probe into all aspects of the alleged...’
431. LETTER FROM WOOLCOTT TO RENOUF: 10 March 1976; ‘[Jakarta], 10 March 1976 SECRET PERSONAL Thank you for your quarterly letter of the 9 February which I received on my return from some much-needed leave in Bali although it was punctuated by the ASEAN Summit. I thought it was an excellent letter; frank, helpful and informative for all Heads...’
432. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 16 March 1976; ‘Jakarta, 16 March 1976 O.JA5415 SECRET AUSTEO ROUTINE East Timor-Self-Determination and Integration When I saw General Moerdani about the journalists over the weekend (our JA54141) he used the phrase ‘after integration’ on several occasions. I asked him whether, in using this phrase, he envisaged the early integration of East Timor...’
433. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN KADRI AND JOSEPH: 17 March 1976; ‘Canberra, 17 March 1976 SECRET East Timor Mr Kadri said that he was calling, under instructions, to discuss the forthcoming Security Council debate on East Timor. Indonesia expected that in the debate attention would focus on the following issues: self-determination withdrawal of Indonesian volunteers report of the special representative the...’
434. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 19 March 1976; ‘Jakarta, 19 March 1976 O.JA5499 SECRET AUSTEO ROUTINE East Timor: Self-Determination and Integration Ref O.JA54151 In explaining the proposed act of self-determination outlined to us by Moerdani and himself, Tjan said that, to enable East Timor to be adequately governed, it was necessary to provide a proper authority as soon...’
435. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 22 March 1976; ‘Jakarta, 22 March 1976 O.JA5571 RESTRICTED PRIORITY East Timor: Journalists I refer to paragraphs 3, 4 and 11 of JA5414.1 I have now had a fairly frosty answer from General Yoga to my letter2 seeking, on instructions, to reopen the Balibo affair although he does say he will do his...’
436. MEMORANDUM TO CANBERRA: 25 March 1976; ‘[Jakarta,] 25 March 1976 SECRET AUSTEO East Timor Attached is a record of some of the main points covered in a talk with Tjan on 16 March. Your attention is invited in particular to Tjan’s comments on the problems flowing from the command structure for the East Timor operation and...’
437. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 31 March 1976; ‘Lisbon, 31 March 1976 O.LB796 CONFIDENTIAL ROUTINE Timor Following from Minister for External Co-operation, Vitor Crespo, on 31 March. Crespo thought the Winspeare report1 was ‘realistic’, although it was regrettable that he did not have more to say about the actual situation on the ground. Portugal realised that with every...’
438. SUBMISSION TO PEACOCK: 2 April 1976; ‘Canberra, 2 April 1976 CONFIDENTIAL East Timor-Security Council Debate The timing of the Security Council’s resumed debate on Timor is still not clear, but it has been tentatively scheduled to begin on 14 April, that is at the time when you will be in Jakarta. Since Messrs Rowland and Joseph...’
439. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 8 April 1976; ‘Jakarta, 8 April 1976 O.JA5918 SECRET AUSTEO ROUTINE East Timor Tjan has told us that the PGET will invite members of the Security Council, the Committee of Twenty-Four, Winspeare and most probably Ambassadors in Jakarta from ‘ASEAN plus’ countries (at least) to observe the planned meeting in Dili (stage one...’
440. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 8 April 1976; ‘Jakarta, 8 April 1976 O.JA5920 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Minister’s Visit to Indonesia Ref O.JA39811 With the Minister’s visit only afew days away2 the following updated assessment of the present state of Australian/Indonesian relations and some comments on the visit itself may be helpful. We believe the Minister’s forthcoming visit could be...’
441. BRIEF FOR PEACOCK: April 1976; ‘Canberra, April 1976 CONFIDENTIAL EXTRACT Australian-Indonesian Relations and Possible Areas of Future Dissension In recent years, Australia has had very good relations with Indonesia. President Suharto personally attaches a great deal of importance to the relationship. He continues to want to treat Australia as an honorary member of a sort...’
442. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN PEACOCK AND PANGGABEAN: 14 April 1976; ‘Jakarta, 14 April 1976 SECRET AUSTEO Timor Following opening pleasantries the Minister referred to the importance Australia placed on its relations with Indonesia. He referred to the increase in Australia’s economic assistance to Indonesia in the next three year aid programme. He foreshadowed advice on the Second Defence Cooperation Programme...’
443. STATEMENT BY HARRY TO SECURITY COUNCIL: 14 April 1976; ‘NewYork, 14 April 1976 I appreciate this opportunity to address the Security Council once again on the subject of East Timor.1 We wish to assure you, Mr President, of my delegation’s desire to co-operate fully with you in the Council’s efforts to find a solution to the question which is...’
444. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 15 April 1976; ‘Jakarta, 15 April 1976 O.JA6059 SECRET Visit to Indonesia For Prime Minister from Peacock I believe my visit here has gone well. The President received me warmly and we had a discussion lasting just on an hour which I am reporting by separate cable. I handed your letter1 to him...’
445. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN ARAUJO AND TAYLOR: 2 May 1976; ‘Jakarta, 2 May 1976 CONFIDENTIAL Visit to Indonesia For Prime Minister from Peacock I thanked Mr Araujo for his assistance in our visit to Balibo on 29 April and my visit to Dili and Baucau. Journalists I explained that our visit to East Timor was to conduct a full enquiry...’
446. SUBMISSION TO PEACOCK: 13 May 1976; ‘Canberra, 13 May 1976 SECRET Timor: Self-Determination Process The submission1 sent to you ten days ago on this matter (attached) was returned without annotation on the recommendation that Woolcott should not accept an Indonesian invitation to attend a ceremony in Dili at which representatives from the thirteen districts of East...’
447. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 14 May 1976; ‘Jakarta, 14 May 1976 O.JA6631 CONFIDENTIAL AUSTEO PRIORITY East Timor: Self-Determination and Integration We have been able to put together the following scenario from several reliable sources here for the invitation of various representatives to visit East Timor. As of today, 14 May, the present intention is to have the...’
448. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 14 May 1976; ‘New York, 14 May 1976 O.UN5679 SECRET RouTINE East Timor We appreciate your inclination against acceptance of an invitation to Australia to observe the ‘process of self-determination’.1 However it might make it easier for Australia to decline if a possible UN observation were under consideration. We feel that we should...’
449. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 21 May 1976; ‘Jakarta, 21 May 1976 O.JA6766 SECRET AUSTEO IMMEDIATE East Timor For Minister and Secretary from Woolcott Repeated New York UN (for Harry), Geneva (for Davis), Lisbon (for Cooper) I had a long and frank discussion with General Moerdani last night, 20 May. [matter omitted]1 Dili Meeting Moerdani said that it...’
450. REPORT BY TAYLOR: 21 May 1976; ‘Jakarta, [21 May 1976] SECRET AUSTEO EXTRACT1 Visit to East Timor Indonesian Presence The Indonesian physical presence was unobtrusive, but clearly all pervasive. At Balibo we identified no Indonesians, at Baucau there were Indonesians in civilian dress-doctors and so on; similarly at Viqueque there were Indonesians in civilian dress, though...’
451. REPORT BY TAYLOR: 26 May 1976; ‘[Jakarta,] 26 May 1976 EXTRACTS Visits to Balibo April/May 1976 1. Background to Visits Following agreement by the Indonesian Government and the Provisional Government in Dili to a request by the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Department of Foreign Affairs instructed the Australian Ambassador in Jakarta to send the...’
452. SUBMISSION TO PEACOCK: 26 May 1976; ‘Canberra, 26 May 1976 CONFIDENTIAL Timor: Journalists The purpose of this submission is to seek your agreement to a course of action for the future handling of this matter both in Australia and vis-a-vis Indonesia. First, we have received the report of the Embassy team of their visit to East...’
453. SUBMISSION TO PEACOCK: 27 May 1976; ‘Canberra, 27 May 1976 SECRET Timor: Self Determination Process We are still to resolve our position on attendance at the planned meeting of the Peoples Representative Council in Dili on 31 May which is to pronounce on the future of East Timor. You decided to defer consideration of the Department’s...’
454. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 28 May 1976; ‘Canberra, 28 May 1976 O.CH360998 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Timor: Dili Meeting Ref O.JA68791 After long consideration the Minister has decided that we should not be represented at the meeting in Dili. Please advise the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the decision, letting them know that we have informed no other...’
455. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 30 May 1976; ‘Jakarta, 30 May 1976 O.JA6916 SECRET AUSTEO IMMEDIATE Timor: Dili Meeting United States Embassy has just told us that Washington has decided that if Australia and Japan send representatives to the Dili meeting the United States will do likewise.1 The United States Embassy said that if Japan attended and Australia...’
456. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 2 June 1976; ‘Wellington, 2 June 1976 O.WL5483 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Timor: Self-Determination and Integration Ref 0.WL54551 We are sending by today’s bag full text ofMs Stokes’ report. Paras 1-6 are largely background-factual. Paras 7-11 are by way of assessment. They read as follows: ‘7. My assessment is that the People’s Representative Council of...’
457. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN TAYLOR AND TJAN: 3 June 1976; ‘[Jakarta], 3 June 1976 SECRET AUSTEO Timor I gave Tjan copies of recent press items on Timor, parliamentary questions and so on. He commented that there were no real problems for Indonesia in the Minister’s comments on the Dili meeting.1 He was very interested in Mr Peacock’s statement2 on the...’
458. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 3 June 1976; ‘Canberra, 3 June 1976 O.CH363543 SECRET RoUTINE EXTRACT1 Timor: Balibo We leave it to you to assess the best timing for your next approach. The Indonesians are doubtless still smarting from our decision to turn down the PGET invitation to attend the Dili meeting.2 We also recognise that they will...’
459. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 5 June 1976; ‘Jakarta, 5 June 1976 O.JA7051 SECRET ROUTINE EXTRACT1 Discussion with Indonesian Leaders Personal for Secretary from Woolcott Lisbon (for Cooper), New York (for Harry), Peking (for Fitzgerald) Timor . I have reported separately General Panggabean’s firm views on Timor in our JA6883.2 Mashuri said that the best solution for the...’
460. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 7 June 1976; ‘Jakarta, 7 June 1976 O.JA7085 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY East Timor: The Dili Meeting and the Process of Incorporation Ref O.CH3610891 For the Secretary from Woolcott It is too soon to give a definitive account of Indonesia’s reaction to our decision not to attend the Dili meeting but we expect it...’
461. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 8 June 1976; ‘Lisbon, 8 June 1976 O.LB891 SECRET PRIORITY East Timor For Acting Secretary; For Woolcott We would agree with the first part of the Indonesian assessment in Paragraph 3 of O.JA7033.1 As we have stated before, Antunes and the Sixth Provisional Government are not disposed to making Indonesia’s legal problems over...’
462. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 9 June 1976; ‘Canberra, 9 June 1976 O.CH366035 SECRET AUSTEO ROUTINE Timor: Dili Meeting and Process of Incorporation Ref O.JA7085,1 O.JA71142 For Heads of Mission Thank you for your JA7085. The arguments for and against attendance at the Dili meeting were always finely balanced. The decision not to attend was taken only after...’
463. LETTER FROM TAYLOR TO CURTIN: 9 June 1976; ‘Jakarta, 9 June 1976 EXTRACT You will have our telegram on [Soeharto’s] talk with Moerdani on 5 June1 during which he apparently assumed full responsibility for the Timor business. I think this move demonstrates that Soeharto maintains his confidence. It also illustrates a decisiveness that some commentators have claimed has...’
464. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 10 June 1976; ‘Jakarta, 10 June 1976 O.JA7161 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY East Timor: Five Journalists Ref 0.CH3635431 Dan called today 10 June on Adenan (Foreign Ministry) in connection with the instruction in your reference telegram. Adenan was also given an aide memoire which set out the relevant information. He agreed to refer our...’
465. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 10 June 1976; ‘Jakarta, 10 June 1976 O.JA7165 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Timor: Dili Meeting and Process of Integration Ref 0.CH3660351 Dan raised on 10 June with General Adenan (Foreign Ministry) the matter of the Indonesian fact-finding mission to East Timor scheduled for 24 June (paragraphs 9-11 of reference telegram). Adenan said he was...’
466. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA, JAKARTA, GENEVA AND WASHINGTON: 10 June 1976; ‘New York, 10 June 1976 O.UN5830 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY Timor: Process of Integration—Representations to Secretary-General Ref 0.CH366035, O.JA7165 1 Unless we can inject some new element I would not expect Winspeare to respond positively to our representations that he make a further visit to Timor in the near future or...’
467. RECORD OF CONVERSATION BETWEEN TAYLOR AND TJAN: 10 June 1976; ‘Jakarta, 10 June 1976 SECRET AUSTEO EXTRACT1 Tjan then returned to the history of the Timor problem (a common theme for him nowadays). He said that while Indonesia had had to be less than honest on a public level, it had been honest with Australia privately. We had been kept...’
468. CABLEGRAM TO POSTS: 11 June 1976; ‘Canberra, 11 June 1976 O.CH367176 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY1 Dili Meeting and Process of Integration Thanks your O.JA7165.2 We are encouraged by Adenan’s reaction. You will also have seen O.GE18616.3 We agree than an approach should now be made directly to the Secretary-General and are instructing New York accordingly. It must...’
469. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 11 June 1976; ‘Jakarta, 11 June 1976 O.JA7180 SECRET AUSTEO IMMEDIATE East Timor: Five Journalists General Adenan (Foreign Ministry) spoke to me 11 June about our representations yesterday concerning the five journalists.1 He said that he had been instructed to say that our request to the Indonesian Government to follow up matters concerning...’
470. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 13 June 1976; ‘New York, 13 June 1976 O.UN5839 CONFIDENTIAL PRIORITY Timor—Visit by Special Representative of UN Secretary-General I saw Waldheim late on 11 June. He was already aware of Minister’s statements1 in the House and had spoken to Winspeare from Rome. He had just received Indonesian invitation to visit East Timor on...’
471. CABLEGRAM TO PEKING: 21 June 1976; ‘Canberra, 21 June 1976 O.CH370806 SECRET PRIORITY Timor: Indonesian Fact-Finding Mission For Minister and Secretary1 We need to answer Indonesia’s invitation2 to accompany the fact-finding mission to East Timor. The mission, comprising Indonesian Ministers and members of the DPR, is to leave Jakarta on the evening of 23 June. It...’
472. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 23 June 1976; ‘Lisbon, 23 June 1976 O.LB913 SECRET AUSTEO PRIORITY EXTRACT East Timor: Indonesia/Portugal Meeting Ref O.JA7342 1 In formulating a position on Timor, the new Socialist Government2 will need to have regard to the following considerations: 1. Portugal has maintained publicly for many months the illegality of Indonesia’s actions and has...’
473. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA AND HONG KONG: 25 June 1976; ‘New York, 25 June 1976 O.UN5928 SECRET PRIORITY Timor: Winspeare’s Mission RefO.CH373176,1 O.CH3731772 Hong Kong: For Minister and Secretary In considering possible further action in UN, in particular a further approach to Waldheim, I should like to be clear about our recent and current objectives. I had assumed that our...’
474. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 30 June 1976; ‘Canberra, 30 June 1976 0.CH375152 CONFIDENTIAL IMMEDIATE Message to the President from Prime Minister The following is the text of the message referred to in our immediately preceding telegram:1 Begins Your Excellency, I have asked my Ambassador, Mr Woolcott, to see you personally to give you background information about my...’
475. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 30 June 1976; ‘Canberra, 30 June 1976 O.JA 7484 UNCLASSIFIED PRIORITY East Timor The press this morning reported that President Soeharto approved the integration of East Timor with Indonesia at a Cabinet meeting yesterday. Soeharto reportedly concluded that: 1. The Government of Indonesia respond positively to and approve the East Timorese petition for...’
476. SUBMISSION TO PEACOCK: 30 June 1976; ‘Canberra, 30 June 1976 CONFIDENTIAL Timor: Round-up of Developments This submission summarises developments over the past two weeks on Timor. We should be grateful for a direction on the suggestion in paragraph 6. Winspeare’s Mission Winspeare’s second report1 has been circulated in New York. It has a strong note of...’
477. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 2 July 1976; ‘Canberra, 2 July 1976 O.CH376559 SECRET PRIORITY EXTRACT Timor We note (paragraph 6 of JA75421) that the Indonesians are still willing to facilitate a visit by Wmspeare and that he would be able to visit all provinces.The problem remains, however, that the Secretary-General is unlikely to authorise his Special Representative...’
478. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 3 July 1976; ‘Jakarta, 3 July 1976 O.JA7582 SECRET IMMEDIATE Meeting with President Soeharto For Renouf from Woolcott I called on the President this morning. I handed to him the Prime Minister’s message1 which he read immediately. I said I was sorry that I had not repeat not been able to see him...’
479. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 7 July 1976; ‘New York, 7 July 1976 O.UN5957 CONFIDENTIAL ROUTINE East Timor: Committee of Twenty-Four Ref 0.UN59431 We have spoken to the Indonesian Mission and to Minchin (Acting Secretary, Committee of Twenty-Four) about the Secretariat working paper on Timor. The Indonesians are unhappy with what they term the ‘anti-Indonesian bias’ of the...’
480. MINUTE FROM LAUTERPACHT TO WILLIAMS: 9 July 1976; ‘Canberra, 9 July 1976 CONFIDENTIAL East Timor: Journalists You have sent me a copy of a memorandum from our Minister1 in Jakarta (No. 851, file 860/119/1/5) in which he makes certain points.2 First, he suggests that if we contend that the Indonesian Government is the legal successor to the Portuguese...’
481. CABLEGRAM TO NEW YORK: 13 July 1976; ‘Canberra, 13 July 1976 O.CH381012 SECRET PRIORITY East Timor: United Nations Ref O.JA77481 Unless you see any problems in this course of action at this stage we should now like you to send a letter to the Secretary General along the following lines: Begins ‘I have read with interest Mr...’
482. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 13 July 1976; ‘New York, 13 July 1976 O.UN5998 SECRET PRIORITY East Timor and the United Nations If we are to send a letter to the Secretary-General it will have to be done at the latest on 14 July since the Indonesian deadline expires 17 July. One concern I have about the letter...’
483. CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 16 July 1976; ‘Canberra, 16 July 1976 O.CH383025 CONFIDENTIAL ROUTINE Timor Personal for Woolcott The following is the text of a working draft1 which you may find useful background. Begins The Government has been aware throughout the Timor conflict of the anguish and strong feelings within the Australian community. A wide variety of...’
484. CABINET MINUTE: 5 February 1963; ‘Canberra, 5 February 1963 DECISION No. 632 SECRET Without Memorandum1-Indonesia-Quadripartite Talks [matter omittedj2 4. In relation to Portuguese Timor, the Cabinet accepted the view that in the current state of world opinion, no practicable alternative to eventual Indonesian sovereignty over Portuguese Timor presented itself. It would not be acceptable to...’
484. CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 17 July 1976; ‘Jakarta, 17 July 1976 O.JA7855 CONFIDENTIAL IMMEDIATE East Timor Tjan (CSIS) and the State Secretariat have just told us that President Soeharto signed the bill integrating East Timor with Indonesia during a ceremony held this morning 17th July. In the Indonesian view the formal and legal integration of East Timor...’
CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA: 21 January 1963; ‘Washington, 21 January 1963 1.1895/207 SECRET For Barwick from Beale On Thursday night, January 17th, I saw Pedro Pereira, the Portuguese Ambassador, an old diplomatic hand and, according to reports, in the confidence of Salazar. We talked about Portuguese Timor, and he said that there was no doubt that Soekarno...’
CABLEGRAM TO WASHINGTON: 28 January 1963; ‘Canberra, 28 January 1963 0.1785/174 SECRET For Beale from Barwick I do not believe you should give the Portuguese Ambassador any reason to hope that we can support Portugal’s position in Timor. Prime Minister has already made clear to Salazar our belief that the principle of self-determination should be applied...’
CABLEGRAM TO WASHINGTON: 24 November 1964; ‘Canberra, 24 November 1964 0.30115/SAVING 292 SECRET Portuguese Timor [matter omitted]1 There is evidence to suggest that Indonesia may be intending to take some form of action against Portuguese Timor in the near future. 2. Three main courses of action are open to the Indonesian Govemment:- It may simply sever...’
DISPATCH FROM FURLONGER: 19 January 1973; ‘Jakarta, 19 January 1973 SECRET AUSTEO EXTRACT The Soeharto Regime and Australian-Indonesian Relations SUMMARY [matter omitted]1 Australian-Indonesian Relations Having identified the salient aspects of the Soeharto regime from Australia’s viewpoint in the first four despatches, the remaining despatches seek to draw implications for Australia’s relations with Indonesia and to make...’
DRAFT CABINET PAPER: 1965; ‘Canberra, [1965]1 SECRET EXTRACT Portuguese Timor Australian Initiatives At this stage there does not seem to be any scope for further initiatives by Australia either with a view to influencing the Portuguese or to inhibiting Indonesian action. Portuguese colonial policy is not likely to change so long as Dr. Salazar...’
LETTER FROM MENZIES TO SALAZAR: 8 February 1963; ‘Canberra, 8 February 1963 Joint Statement I wrote to you on the 18th October, 1961 in connection with the consideration at the United Nations of certain questions of special concern to the Portuguese Government, in particular that of the situation in Angola. On that occasion you did me the courtesy...’
LETTER FROM MENZIES TO SALAZAR: 15 October 1963; ‘Canberra, 15 October 1963 I have studied your letter of 1st March, 1963,1 and discussed it with my colleagues, and I thank you for furnishing me with your further views. We have naturally given your arguments close and careful attention. In spite of this, we have regretfully come to the...’
LETTER FROM SALAZAR TO MENZIES: 1 March 1963; ‘Lisbon, 1 March 1963 EXTRACTS [matter omitted]1 With regard to self-determination, I would like to observe that an excellent beginning for the Committee’s work would be to define the precise meaning of the terms it uses. In the motions voted in the recent sessions of the General Assembly against Portugal...’
LETTER FROM SALAZAR TO MENZIES: 5 March 1964; ‘Lisbon, 5 March 1964 I thank Your Excellency for your letter dated the 15th of October, 1963,1 and for the interest you have been taking in the Portuguese overseas policy, very especially in regard to Timor. I have given your letter the closest attention and I take the liberty to...’
MEMORANDUM TO WALLER: 25 February 1963; ‘Canberra, 25 February 1963 SECRET Working Group on Portuguese Timor Three things are clear: The Portuguese will do nothing for the Timorese. The United States will not support Portuguese colonialism. The Indonesians will move against the territory; if they achieve their end by force (and there is nothing to prevent...’
MINUTE FROM BLAKENEY TO TANGE: 21 July 1961; ‘Canberra, 21 July 1961 SECRET Australian Policy Towards Portuguese Timor The accompanying notes on current Indonesian attitudes towards Singapore and other neighbouring dependencies indicate, inter alia, the need for early re-examination of Australian policy in relation to Portuguese Timor. (Mr. Plimsoll also has referred to the need to define Australia’s...’
MINUTE FROM ROWLAND TO WALLER: 14 January 1963; ‘Canberra, 14 January 1963 CONFIDENTIAL I have some difficulty with this.1 I imagine that we would be wise to think carefully about what we say about Portuguese Timor (at this moment especially) to the Portuguese. You know more about this than I, but- 1. to preach self-determination in Timor at...’
MINUTE FROM WALLER TO SHAW, ROWLAND AND HUTTON: 11 January 1963; ‘Canberra, 11 January 1963 CONFIDENTIAL Timor The Minister feels that for the record we should again urge Portugal to do something about her colonies, particularly Timor. Then when the blow falls, we can say that on several occasions over the last few years, we have urged on Salazar the necessity...’
MINUTE OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND DEFENCE COMMITTEE OF CABINET: 23 May 1963; ‘Canberra, 23 May 1963 DECISION No. 823 (FAD) SECRET Without Memorandum-ANZUS Council Meeting-Wellington 5th-6th June, 1963 The Committee had for consideration a ‘Note for Cabinet’ circulated by the Minister for External Affairs.1 The Committee noted the agenda for the ANZUS Council meeting. In relation to the two subjects, Portuguese Timor...’
NOTE TO PORTUGUESE GOVERNMENT: 7 March 1950; ‘Canberra, 7 March 1950 Aide Memoire The Australian Government have for some time maintained a Consulate at Dili in Portuguese Timor. It was the Australian Government’s hope in establishing this Consulate, which it did at considerable expense, that greatly increased commercial relations might be developed between Australia and Timor. It...’
REPORT BY THE JOINT PLANNING COMMITTEE: 27 May 1965; ‘Canberra, 27 May 1965 SECRET EXTRACTS Strategic Significance of Portuguese Timor to Australia Introduction Indonesia with her aggressive anti-colonial policy is likely to tum her attentions towards Portuguese Timor some time in the future. This, allied with her abandonment of her non-alignment policy makes it necessary to review the strategic...’
REPORT BY THE WORKING GROUP OF DEPARTMENTAL OFFICERS: 4 April 1963; ‘Canberra, 4 April 1963 SECRET The Future of Portuguese Timor Summary Portugal’s colonial interests are of major internal importance within the Portuguese State. Some change should follow the retirement or death of Dr. Salazar whose purpose is to maintain the status quo. Portugal will not allow Portuguese Timor to be...’
SUBMISSION TO BARWICK: 16 January 1962; ‘Canberra, 16 January 1962 SECRET Portuguese Timor-Australian Attitude in Event of Indonesian Aggression From the attached record of conversation you will see that the Portuguese Charged’Affaires, under instructions, has requested a definition of the Australian attitude in the event of Indonesian aggression against Portuguese Timor. He has asked to call...’
SUBMISSION TO MCMAHON: 1 December 1970; ‘Canberra, 1 December 1970 CONFIDENTIAL Australian Consulate: Dili The Australian Consulate at Dili (Portuguese Timor) was opened in 1946. Since then it has operated with no more than two consular officers at any one time, and for long periods it has been staffed by only one Australia-based officer. Several appointments...’
SUBMISSION TO WHITLAM: 30 May 1973; ‘Canberra, [30 May] 1973 CONFIDENTIAL Indonesia and Portuguese Timor In view of recent press and parliamentary comment, you may be interested in the following notes on the Indonesian attitude to Portuguese Timor-particularly in view of the (erroneous) assertion in The Australian of 21 May that the Indonesian Embassy had asked...’
CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA, JAKARTA, WASHINGTON AND NEW YORK: 23 May 1977; ‘Lisbon, 23 May 1977 O.LB1474 SECRET AUSTEO Portuguese Policy on Timor For Parkinson from Cooper; Jakarta for Woolcott; Washington for Renouf; New York UN for Harry Some time ago I reported (O.LB12951 ) that the Portuguese MFA accepted the need for a fundamental reappraisal of their Timor policy and to...’
CABLEGRAM TO CANBERRA, LISBON, NEW YORK: 26 May 1977; ‘Jakarta, 26 May 1977 O.JA13174 SECRET AUSTEO Timor For Parkinson from Woolcott; Lisbon for Cooper; New York UN for Harry I would like to make several comments on Lisbon’s O.LB1474. 1Generally I think Cooper makes some good points in paragraphs 1 to 4 of his reference telegram. Given the situation...’
CABLEGRAM TO JAKARTA: 20 July 1976; ‘Canberra, 20 July 1976 O.CH383967 RESTRICTED IMMEDIATE Timor The following press statement is to be issued in Canberra later today. Begins The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrew Peacock, said today that the Government had long held the view that the process of decolonisation in East Timor should be based...’
COMMUNIQUE BY FRASER: 10 October 1976; ‘Canberra, 10 October 1976 Following is the communique issued on 10 October at the conclusion of the visit to Indonesia by the Australian Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Malcolm Fraser: At the invitation of His Excellency President Suharto, the Prime Minister of Australia the Right Honourable Malcolm Fraser, M.P., accompanied...’
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS NEWS RELEASE: 20 January 1978; ‘Canberra, 20 January 1978 No. MIO Relations with Indonesia The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrew Peacock, announced today that the Government had decided to accept East Timor as part of Indonesia. Mr Peacock said that, like most Australians, the Government deeply regretted that events in East Timor since August...’
SUBMISSION TO FRASER: 6 August 1976; ‘Canberra, 6 August 1976 SECRET Relations with Indonesia: Timor The resumption of Parliament on 17 August and your planned visit to Indonesia in early October suggest the need for a careful but speedy stock-taking of our position on Timor and the state of our relations with Indonesia. For a number...’
SUBMISSION TO PEACOCK: 17 March 1977; ‘Canberra, 17 March 1977 RESTRICTED Timor For the Minister These are the draft notes we were proposing should be passed to those Senators requesting them.1 The thought would be for each to make his own selection of individual points and use them as he thought best.2 2. Do you wish...’
SUBMISSION TO PEACOCK: 26 April 1978; ‘Canberra, 26 April 1978 SECRET EXTRACT Recognition by Australia of Indonesian Incorporation of East Timor Looking into the future, it is likely that negotiations with Indonesia on a seabed boundary between the south of East Timor and Australia will lead to inferences that Australia is according de jure recognition of...’

Documents on Australian Foreign Policy

Volume 20: Australia and the Indonesian Incorporation of Portuguese Timor, 1974–1976

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