Conflict and Confrontation in South East Asia, 1961–1965 : Britain, the United States, Indonesia and the Creation of Malaysia

In the early 1960s, Britain and the United States were still trying to come to terms with the powerful forces of indigenous nationalism unleashed by the Second World War. The Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation - a crisis which was, as Macmillan remarked to Kennedy, 'as dangerous a situation in Southeast Asia as we have seen since the war' - was a complex test of Anglo-American relations. As American commitment to Vietnam accelerated under the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, Britain was involving herself in an 'end-of-empire' exercise in state-building which had important military and political implications for both nations. In this 2001 book Matthew Jones provides a detailed insight into the origins, outbreak and development of this important episode in international history; using a large range of previously unavailable archival sources, he illuminates the formation of the Malaysian federation, Indonesia's violent opposition to the state and the Western Powers' attempts to deal with the resulting conflict Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Dedication......Page 7 Contents......Page 9 Maps......Page 11 Preface and acknowledgements......Page 13 ABBREVIATIONS......Page 18 Introduction: Britain, the United States and the South East Asian setting......Page 25 Part I Build-up......Page 53 1 The Kennedy Administration, Indonesia and the resolution of the West Irian crisis, 1961–1962......Page 55 2 The Greater Malaysia scheme I: the move towards merger......Page 85 3 The Greater Malaysia scheme II: the Cobbold Commission and the Borneo territories......Page 103 4 Britain, Indonesia and Malaya: from West Irian to the Brunei revolt......Page 122 Part II Outbreak......Page 147 5 The emergence of confrontation: January–May 1963......Page 149 6 The path to the Manila summit, May–July 1963......Page 174 7 From the Manila summit to the creation of Malaysia: August–September 1963......Page 196 8 Avoiding escalation, September–December 1963......Page 229 Part III Denouement......Page 257 9 The diplomacy of confrontation, Anglo-American relations and the Vietnam War, January–June 1964......Page 259 10 Escalation, upheaval and reappraisal, July 1964–October 1965......Page 292 Conclusion: The Western presence in South East Asia by the 1960s......Page 319 UNPUBLISHED DOCUMENTS......Page 329 PUBLISHED DOCUMENTS......Page 330 BOOKS......Page 332 ARTICLES......Page 336 OTHER WORK......Page 337 Index......Page 338 Cover 1 Half-title 3 Title 5 Copyright 6 Dedication 7 Contents 9 Maps 11 Preface and acknowledgements 13 ABBREVIATIONS 18 Introduction: Britain, the United States and the South East Asian setting 25 Part I Build-up 53 1 The Kennedy Administration, Indonesia and the resolution of the West Irian crisis, 1961–1962 55 2 The Greater Malaysia scheme I: the move towards merger 85 3 The Greater Malaysia scheme II: the Cobbold Commission and the Borneo territories 103 4 Britain, Indonesia and Malaya: from West Irian to the Brunei revolt 122 Part II Outbreak 147 5 The emergence of confrontation: January–May 1963 149 6 The path to the Manila summit, May–July 1963 174 7 From the Manila summit to the creation of Malaysia: August–September 1963 196 8 Avoiding escalation, September–December 1963 229 Part III Denouement 257 9 The diplomacy of confrontation, Anglo-American relations and the Vietnam War, January–June 1964 259 10 Escalation, upheaval and reappraisal, July 1964–October 1965 292 Conclusion: The Western presence in South East Asia by the 1960s 319 Bibliography 329 UNPUBLISHED DOCUMENTS 329 PUBLISHED DOCUMENTS 330 BOOKS 332 ARTICLES 336 OTHER WORK 337 Index 338 "In the early 1960s, Britain and the United States were still trying to come to terms with the powerful forces of indigenous nationalism unleashed by the Second World War. The Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation--a crisis which was, as Macmillan remarked to Kennedy, 'as dangerous a situation in South East Asia as we have seen since the war'--was a complex test of Anglo-American relations. As American commitment to Vietnam accelerated under the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations, Britain was involving herself in an 'end-of-empire' exercise in statebuilding which had important military and political implications for both nations. Matthew Jones provides a detailed insight into the origins, outbreak and development of this important episode in international history; using a large range of previously unavailable archival sources, he illuminates the formation of the Malaysian federation, Indonesia's violent opposition to the new state and the Western powers' attempts to deal with the resulting conflict."--Publisher's description In the early 1960s, Britain and the United States were still trying to come to terms with the powerful forces of indigenous nationalism unleashed by the Second World War. The Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation - a crisis which was, as Macmillan remarked to Kennedy, 'as dangerous a situation in Southeast Asia as we have seen since the war' - was a complex test of Anglo-American relations. As American commitment to Vietnam accelerated under the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, Britain was involving herself in an 'end-of-empire' exercise in state-building which had important military and political implications for both nations. Matthew Jones provides a detailed insight into the origins, outbreak and development of this important episode in international history; using a large range of previously unavailable archival sources, he illuminates the formation of the Malaysian federation, Indonesia's violent opposition to the new state and the Western Powers' attempts to deal with the resulting conflict. Introduction: Britain, The United States And The South East Asian Setting -- Pt. 1. Build-up. 1. The Kennedy Administration, Indonesia And The Resolution Of The West Irian Crisis, 1961-1962. 2. The Greater Malaysia Scheme I: The Move Towards Merger. 3. The Greater Malaysia Scheme Ii: The Cobbold Commission And The Borneo Territories. 4. Britain, Indonesia And Malaya: From West Irian To The Brunei Revolt -- Pt. 2. Outbreak. 5. The Emergence Of Confrontation: January-may 1963. 6. The Path To The Manila Summit, May-july 1963. 7. From The Manila Summit To The Creation Of Malaysia: August-september 1963. 8. Avoiding Escalation, September-december 1963 -- Pt. 3. Denouement. Matthew Jones. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 305-313) And Index.

This fascinating study looks at the origins, outbreak and course of the Indonesian-Malaysian confrontation of 1963-1966, within the context of British and American policies in South East Asia during the 1960s as a whole. Matthew Jones uses new archival sources to throw fresh light on such subjects as British Colonial policy and the creation of Malaysia, Anglo-American tensions over the confrontation itself, and the diplomacy of that important, but often neglected, international dispute.

Matthew Jones provides a detailed insight into the origins, outbreak and development of the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation within the context of Britain and American diplomacy. Using new archival sources, he illuminates the creation of Malaysia, Indonesia's opposition to the new state and the Western Powers' reactions to the resulting conflict Improving the state of relations with Jakarta occupied an important place in the foreign policy agenda of the Kennedy Administration.