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Washington, December 21, 1960.
In making a determination on December 9, 1960 permitting FY 1961 military assistance to Indonesia of up to $21 million without regard to the requirements of certain provisions of the Mutual Security Act of 1954, as amended,2 you expressed the desire that at an appropriate time President Sukarno be informed of your interest in the commutation of the death sentence imposed on Allen Lawrence Pope, the American flyer who was shot down and captured in May 1958 while allegedly aiding a rebel movement in Indonesia. You indicated that such an approach to President Sukarno be in addition to instructions then contemplated and thereafter issued to the American Ambassador. Such instructions, in effect, were for the Ambassador to tell President Sukarno that there has been brought to your attention a telegram from Mrs. Pope, the flyer’s wife, asking for your assistance, and to inform Sukarno that you have expressed an interest in the case.
I have considered this matter very carefully and have concluded that, for the following reasons, such an approach at this time may not be in the best interests either of Mr. Pope or United States policy in Indonesia:
On the basis of your Determination with respect to the Military Assistance Program for Indonesia for Fiscal Year 1961, the Department has now conveyed the substance of this program to our Ambassador in Djakarta with an authorization enabling him, in turn, to pass this information to the Indonesian authorities. Because certain factors made it important from the point of view of our policy objectives to pass this information without delay to the Indonesian Government, the Department took this action on the basis of the authorization provided by your Determination rather than hold such action in abeyance.3
In view of the considerations outlined in the foregoing paragraphs, I strongly concur with your opinion that the Military Assistance Program for Indonesia should not be made in any sense a quid pro quo with respect to the Pope case. Furthermore, I recommend that under present circumstances, and for the foreseeable future, such further action as we may take with respect to Mr. Pope not be related in any manner to the operation of the Military Assistance Program in Indonesia.
Christian A. Herter
2 On December 7 Herter sent Eisenhower a memorandum, requesting a Presidential determination permitting the use of up to $21 million in funds for military equipment and materials to Indonesia for fiscal year 1961. (Ibid., 798.5–MSP/12–760) See Supplement. President Eisenhower approved the request on December 9, and the Department informed the Embassy in Indonesia in telegram 920, December 14. The Department instructed the Embassy to inform appropriate Indonesian officials that the United States was prepared to furnish additional military equipment and training to the Indonesian Army, Navy, and Air Force in fiscal year 1961 under the terms of the military sales agreement of August 13, 1958. (Department of State, Central Files, 798.5–MSP/12–1460) See Supplement.
On December 22, Ambassador Jones met with Air Marshal Suryadarma and informed him that the requested T–34 aircraft, approved in the Presidential Determination of December 9, would soon be delivered. Suryadarma expressed his appreciation. (Telegram 1821 from Djakarta, December 22; Department of State, Central Files, 798.5–MSP/12–2260) See Supplement.