Timeline
A partial chronology of events
| 1957 | CIA approves direct aid to rebel Indonesian army colonels. |
| Mar 14, 1957 | Partly in response to U.S.-subsidized regional dissension, Indonesian President Sukarno declares martial law. |
| May 18, 1957 | CIA pilot shot down and captured in Sumatra. |
| Aug 1, 1958 | U.S. begins upgraded program of military assistance to Indonesian Army as “encouragement” to carry out plan “for the control of Communism.” |
| Aug 1959 | RAND Conference on “The Role of the Military in Underdeveloped Countries.” Guy Pauker urges Indonesian Army to carry out “a control function.” |
| 1959-60 | Council on Foreign Relations Study Group on Southeast Asia, followed in 1963 by Prof. Fifield’s book. |
| Mar 22, 1961 | CIA memo expresses frustration with pro-Sukarno record of Indonesian Army General Nasution. |
| Dec 18, 1963 | Incoming President Johnson withholds economic aid to Indonesia. |
| 1962-65 | U.S. cuts back on military aid to Indonesia, except to selected anti-Sukarno elements of Army. |
| 1965 | 1958 cia rebel contact visits Washington, recommends Suharto as new leader for Indonesia. |
| May 1965 | Intelligence-controlled Lockheed payoffs to Indonesian influence-men redirected to Suharto’s financial backer, General Alamsjah. |
| July 1965 | Secret contract to deliver u.s. planes for “civic action” to Indonesian Army. |
| Sept 1965 | Indonesian generals warned of impending assassination plots. Planted stories abroad speak of arms-smuggling to Java from mainland China. |
| Sept 30, 1965 | Jani and his pro-Sukarno supporters on Army General Staff are rounded up and murdered. Nasution escapes. |
| Oct 1, 1965 | Massacre of Communists and ethnic Chinese begins. Suharto takes over, closes all papers except Communist and one other on left. |
| Oct 2, 1965 | Questioned issue of Communist paper supports alleged coup attempt of September 30; becomes pretext to continue massacre. |
| Oct-Dec, 1965 | RPKAD Commandos of Col. Sarwo Edhie spread massacre to other parts of Indonesia. More than 500,000 killed. |
| Mar 11, 1966 | Suharto arrests pro-Sukarno ministers in partial coup. |
| June 19, 1966 | James Reston in New York Times describes “Indonesian massacre” as “A Gleam of Light in Asia.” |
| Mar 11, 1967 | Suharto announces that Sukarno is no longer President. |
| 1967 | Richard Nixon reportedly tells U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia that “Indonesian experience” shows how “we should handle our relationships on a wider basis… in the world.” |
| 1973 | CIA agents in Chile help draft bogus documents alleging that Allende plans to behead military commanders. Small cards distributed with words Djakarta se acerca (“Jakarta is approaching”). |
| 1981 | Former cia agent Ralph McGehee reveals cia deception operation for Indonesia in 1965, designed to set the stage for a massacre. |
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