Surrendering to Symbols

In 1957-58, the CIA,instructed by Eisenhower and JF Dulles performed the till-then largest covert military action in US history, in support of a regional rebellion against the neutralist Indonesian government. The rebellion failed. In the following years Indonesia turned more authoritarian. In US eyes, the country’s drift seemed to be towards becoming the world’s third major communist country, threatening to become the "greatest loss since the fall of China." However, in 1965 an allegedly communist coup attempt led to a military counter-coup led by Suharto. After a massacre of roughly half a million claimed communists, Suharto took power. Indonesia re-aligned itself with the US and recreated its links with the west. Regional power shifted in US favor, and the vital maritime passageways were secured for both military and commercial purposes. Likewise, Indonesian natural and military resources were safely out of communist hands. This dissertation traces US policy in the vital years 1961-1965