Washington, 25 November 1964
3265. Confidential
Harriman said today that Jones was much impressed by the development of the Chaerul Saleh–Adam Malik1 group as an anti-P.K.I. force.2 He believed they should be encouraged as a force which might check the P.K.I., which people such as Nasution might support and which was also more interested in the economic condition of Indonesia than were Sukarno and Subandrio. Jones felt and Harriman agreed that some move towards negotiation might strengthen the position of this group and that we should look for ways of doing this.
2. I said that until Indonesian attacks, particularly on the Malaysian mainland had not only stopped but had been seen to be stopped for a substantial period, perhaps two months, I believed there was no role for negotiations between Malaysia and Indonesia. To negotiate while Indonesia was attacking would be interpreted by Djakarta as a sign of weakness and so far from helping, would only encourage Indonesian intransigence.
3. Harriman clearly was not satisfied with this reply. He said that a shorter period than two months would be adequate and although any decision was clearly one for Australia, Malaysia and the United Kingdom he hoped we would consider the problem. We must therefore expect further American pressure on this point.
1 Former Indonesian Minister of Trade.
2 See Document 224.