 The National Broadcasting Company and its affiliated stations present the Pacific story. This is the story of the Pacific, the drama of the millions of people who live around this greatest sea where the United States is now committed to a long-term policy of keeping the peace. This is the story of the situation in the Pacific of the men and events which are today influencing the shape of the world for generations to come. The Celebes, conflict in Indonesia. The port on the island of Celebes in the Dutch East Indies. The native Macassaris are unloading their frowns. How nearest you comes rice, maize, cobra. Out of those nearby come ratan, rubber, coffee, tobacco, even horses and goats. Macassaris unloading the boats are wearing sarongs of brilliant colors around their waist. Dark-figured handkerchiefs around their heads. You know this one particularly, strong, well-built, muscular, with dark brown skin, brown face, a somewhat flat nose, big mouth, black intelligent eyes. His long black hair hangs down over his shoulders. His name is Gilo. Make back that line there steady. With the agility of the camp, he leaps from his prowl upon the walk. Remarkable people, the Macassaris. A Dutchman in white looks on. They are excellent seamen. They built these vessels. They sail them everywhere from New Guinea to Sumatra. From the Tulu Sea to the Sea of Timor. You want Gilo. These Macassaris are afraid of nothing. He is ambitious. They go after what they want. You get the feeling that Gilo is deeply emotional. They are Mohammedan. Also, they are superstitious. Many of them worship animals. You notice that Gilo pays little attention to the Dutchmen. Nor do the others on the walk. The Bouguesnes, the Chinese, the Arabs, the Japanese. All the years of their life and for centuries before, the Dutch have been around them. When the war came, the Japanese took their place. Now the Dutch are back. You talk to Gilo. We did not want the Dutch here before the war. We did not want the Japanese here during the war. We do not want the Dutch here now. The Dutch had been in the Indies more than 300 years when the Japanese took over in the spring of 1942. From your centuries under the Dutch, the Dutch did not even permit you to prepare to defend yourself. You have not even permitted military training, nor the possession of arms for fear that you would turn against the white. Now we have driven the white out. And here we will process the policy of Egypt, all the Asianics. But although the Japanese talked of bringing the Indies into the orbit of their greater East Asia co-prosperity sphere, soon it was claimed to the Indonesians that the Japanese were merely another landlord. No matter what the Japanese say, I can tell you what they are doing. They are taking all we have to help them win the war. They are looting our islands. That is what they are doing. Yes. And all the time they are asking us for more support. I will do nothing for them. They have said they will give us independence. Then let them give it to us. We should demand that now. We cannot, but I will not help them build ships, no matter what they do to me. They say that all of us must help with the shipbuilding or road building or awaken the war industry. I will go out to sea and never come back before I will do this. The hardships under the Japanese increased as the American forces pushed from island to island toward the Indies. Yet though the brutalities of the Japanese were great, the appeal of their slogan, Asia for the Asiatics was strong. Over the radio, the Japanese told the world of the collaboration of the Indonesians. Our Central Administrative Council has now been set up and the Indonesians are cooperating with Japan in both political and economic measures. We have broken the bonds of the Indonesians and the grateful people are infinitely joyous because of their freedom. The Indonesians are, therefore, giving their help in every possible way, and are working toward the eventual independence. But the Indonesians were not deceived. Why do not the Japanese pay off their promise on independence? The Japanese have no thought of giving us Merdeka. The Indonesians demanded Merdeka, freedom, and the Japanese countered with demands for greater cooperation until victory is won. Listen, listen, word has just come. The Americans have landed at Halmahara. Halmahara. That was only 700 miles from the Salabies. Yes, they have landed with many ships and many men and they are fighting the Japanese there now. Will the Japanese drive them back? The Americans have taken every island they have cried to take. What will happen to us if the Americans come here? If the Japanese are to be driven out of here, then it is time to set up our own government. As the Americans drove toward the Philippines, the Indonesians in the Salabies and in the rest of the East Indies formulated their plan. The Dutch, who had been their landlords for 300 years, were gone. Soon the Japanese would be gone. Suddenly the war was over. Immediately, there was a nationalistic outbreak in the Indies. An independent Indonesian Republic has been proclaimed in the Netherlands East Indies. The Dutch civil authorities have been unable to cope with the Indonesian uprising. British and Indian troops are landing at Batavia under command of Lieutenant General Sir Philip Christensen, who says that he will occupy only Batavia and the naval base of Surabaya and will not become involved in internal politics. Open warfare broke out. Dutch Governor-General Stakar resigned, and weeks later the first negotiations took place between the Dutch and the representatives of the Indonesian Republic. The negotiations went on. Back in Holland, the ministers of Her Majesty, the Queen of the Netherlands, did not clearly understand the implications of the events in Indonesia. Five months after the Japanese had surrendered, the Queen's Minister listened to a report, a solemn report of the situation in the Indies. The nationalist movement in the Indies is not transitory. It has come to stay. It is not possible to deal with armed force alone. It must be dealt with on another level. Some measures of self-government must be granted. Everyone knew what was happening in the island of Java, but few knew what was happening on the sprawling Celebes. There were rumblings throughout the Celebes. In the south, the Macassaris and the Bouganese, who are Mohammedan, and who comprise two-thirds of the people of the Celebes, were restives. In the north, in the Christian Minahasa district, which for years has been more pro-Dutch than other parts of Indonesia, there were uneasy stirrings. The sprawling Celebes, largest island between New Guinea and Borneo, bubbled with unrest. The Japanese go, the Dutch come. They say they have come here to establish order. I thought the Australians were to be here. The Dutch have been given the authority of the Allied forces by the Australian command here in the Celebes. Oh, how will the Dutch treat us now? I do not know. Will they still try to keep us in our place? I do not know. One of those who looked on when the Dutch troops came to Macassar was Dr. Ratu Lange, who had been set up as Governor of the Celebes by the Indonesian Republic, which was formed on August 17th, a few days after the surrender of Japan. Our people must be educated. Too many of us are illiterate. Also, we must learn to speak Dutch instead of depending on the Dutch to speak our language. The Netherlands Indies Civil Authority, known as the NICA, put up placards. What do they say? They say that we must obey NICAs. Are we to obey the Dutch the same as if they were Australian? Yes, those who do not will be subject to military punishment. The Macassaris, the Bouganese, and the Arabs stood by and watched the NICA take over Macassar. The 80,000 people of Macassar were passage. The 27,000 Chinese of the city went about their business in the commercial districts of the Tempelstrasse and the Pontestrasse. The Chinese worshipped in their temples. The Mohammedans worshipped in their mosques. The Protestants in their two churches and the Catholics in their cathedral. But under it all, the tension grew. The NICA asked for a conference with Dr. Ratul Lange. The interest of maintaining order, Dr. Lange, what do you suggest? The NICA is here in Macassar, the capital of the Celebes. Yes? In the interest of maintaining order, it is my suggestion that the NICA stay here in Macassar. What are the rest of the islands? The rest of the Celebes should be under the government of the Indonesian Republic. The NICA is the official representative of the alliance. If the NICA now moves from Macassar into the interior, there will be trouble. There will be. Will accept your suggestion, Dr. Lange, subject to working out details of such a plan. In the country north of Macassar, the people of the interior, the Taraja tribes, kept the vigil. During the day, they worked in their rice fields in the highlands and they kept watch. At night, they came back to their houses which have the characteristics of boats and they watched. They sat beneath the preserved heads of bulls with great horn outside their houses and they talked to the freedom they wanted and they watched. Dutchmen come. Dutchmen come with folges. Dutchmen come with folges. The interior had been penetrated even before conversations could be held to work out arrangements for the NICA to remain in Macassar. Trouble came. The meeting is broken out in the Regency of Polenbanking. The region has withdrawn into the hills and is harrying the Dutch with guerrilla warfare. It is actually the Dutch group that ambushed and killed the day near Enricong. The NICA forces broke into Enricong and found only the Rajah and his family. The meeting is broken out at Polenbank near the northern end of the Gulf of Polenbank. The Rajah has rallied his people and has withdrawn into the mountains to continue resistance. In the Salabies, seven months after the surrender of the Japanese, the truth of what the Dutch minister had reported to the Minister of Her Majesty, the Queen of the Netherlands, was now becoming apparent. The Indonesian nationalist movement had come to stay. We will work with the Dutch. We will not work for them. This was Dr. Ratul Lange. There is more trouble in the Salabies than in Java. And so it was for the Salabies that 26 delegates, representing 15 areas of the Indies, came to confer at Malino. Spokesmen of 60 different races, among whom 250 languages are in daily use, came from every part of the Indonesian archipelago, excepting Java, Sumatra, and Madura. And with these, Lieutenant Governor General Dr. Hubertus J. Van Mook met to lay the groundwork for the future. I wish to extend a very cordial welcome to you all on this first meeting of delegates. We have come together here in the very midst of this vast region, in such attractive surroundings, that it should be easy to forget the misery and confusion of these last years and to concentrate on the present and the future. The present and the future. Perhaps we may see a propitious omen in this meeting place and its name, Malino. The meaning of this word is peaceful or quiet in the Mele language. Malino, prospect of peace. Whatever the new organization of Indonesia, her past will always need to hold a large measure of local and regional autonomy. Autonomy. But one will furthermore have to choose on the one hand between a system in which unity and central authority are absolutely predominating and where the autonomous part derives their powers exclusively from that central authority and on the other hand a system in which Indonesia is constituted of independent parts which together build up the central authority. A choice between a unitarian state and a federated system. The Netherlands government have expressly taken the point of view that they do not consider the republican form of government unacceptable. Van Mook outlined the objectives of the conference. To seek a basis for the political structure of the territory. Second. To set up machinery to carry out preparations between this conference and the meeting of the constituent assembly. Third. To map out a basis for future prosperity. But while the 26 delegates listened at Malino, other Indonesians not present at the conference expressed other views. Van Mook is pursuing the same old policy of divide and continue to rule. That was Sutan Jareer Prime Minister of the Indonesian Republic. We do not depend on the Dutch for the building up of our nation. The Dutch depend on us. That was Dr. Ratul Lange. And militarys looking on made observations. What the Indonesians want above all is to feel that they are the social equals of the Dutch. For that reason, social issues cut deeper than political ones. Sitting down to talk things over with the Dutch at Malino gave them that feeling of equality. The eyes of the Maccassarees and the Boubenese and the Chinese and the Arabs of Maccassar were all on the conference at Malino. The eyes of the Taraja tribes were on Malino. The eyes of the Minahasa people of the North. The people in the mountains, in the gorges, and in the chasms where the precipices stand five and six hundred feet high. The people in the forest bringing in sandalwood, ebony, and seeds. The people in the orchards raising lemons, oranges, and plums. The people in the fields raising sugarcane, melons, cotton, tobacco, rice. The people bringing in coconut, breadfruit, sago, and tamarind. The four million people of the Salabies and the many other millions in the other islands of the Indies kept their eyes on Malino. At Malino, the 26 delegates talked and listened. Important agreements were reached. Most important, the resolution was adopted recommending establishment of a federated United States of Indonesia. This Indonesia's surrogate is planned in the form of a federation of four states of Indonesia Java, Sumatra, Borneo, and the Great East. The Great East will comprise the islands east of Borneo and north of Java. This will include the Great Island of Salabies, the Malakas, Saram, and the many other islands of the east. Thus, a foundation has been laid for a self-governing state composed of some 3,000 islands. The first time these 3,000 islands have been linked together in a single, self-made political organism with this significance. Indonesians in Makassar and in the many other parts of the Indies listened to the radio reports. No representatives of the Indonesian Republic were invited to the conference at Malino. Why was this? It was sponsored by the Dutch. Ah. The conference went on. Resolutions were adopted. Resolved that a new conference would be possible for the purpose of organizing the constitutional state of the areas represented in this conference. Namely, Borneo and the Great East. Down at Makassar, Jilo and in many other Makassaris and Boukenis on the waterfront paid little attention to the Dutch among them. It will take a little time, Jilo, but in time we will have to trade back that we had before the war. Yes. Yes. That is one of the things being worked out at the conference at Malino. Why is that being worked out now after all the years you have been here in the Indies? It is to our mutual advantage, Jilo. Could it be that you are willing to pay a higher price now for staying here in our island? In the interest of trade, five more resolutions were adopted at the conference. First? That inter-island trade and shipping must do private enterprise with preference to Indonesians. Second? That appointments be asked for Indonesians to staff of industrial companies to provide Indonesians with business experience. Third? That the recommendation be made to nationalize the Bank of Java. Four? That no shipping company be permitted to monopolize inter-island tract. And fifth? That the Australian government and trade unions be urged from Dutch ships to enable medicine, school supplies, peace goods and other articles necessary for the rebuilding of Indonesia to be imported. The conclusion of the Malino conference posed new questions. How would the Indonesian Republic still active in Java and Sumatra react to the plans for the Federation? I just seen the number of the Indonesian delegates off. I've asked the question and they have answered that the Indonesian Republic is now compelled to make a choice. Either the leaders of the Republic must participate in the proposed Federation, which would mean a difficult compromise, or if they decide not to participate the implication is that they do not recognize the Federation. This would in effect be an attack on the unity of Indonesia, which is their own declared aim. Around Makassar and throughout the southern region of the celibate, the Indonesian national party continued its activity. The Makassaris and the Bouganese worked in their camp farms close to the European district and around the edge of the city and talked about Merdeka. On the waterfront they watched the KPM ships come and go. They watched the great ships from Australia, the ships of the Java-China Japan line, the freighters of the Rotterdam Lloyd, the Royal Dutch Mail, and in their own plows they continued to load and load copal, maize, ratan, and nutmeg. And all the while they talked of what would happen to their island of Celebes and to the rest of the East Indies. The British had been in Java about 400 miles distant from the Celebes for a year. In early September 1946 British Lord Killerin reached Java from London. Why has he come here halfway around the world? I can guess. What is he going to talk to the Dutch about? I think the British are becoming concerned because some satisfactory solution has not been reached between us and the Dutch. Why would the British be concerned? Perhaps because they want to withdraw their troops. Do you think it might be that? It might. On September 7th the British made an announcement in behavior. A final decision has been reached to withdraw the 20,000 troops of the British occupation force from the Netherlands by November 30th. Does this mean regardless of whether the negotiations between the Dutch and the Indonesians are settled? That is what it means. Well, why has this decision been made at this time? Britain's two main objectives here under the Potsdam agreement will have been completed by then. One of those would be the disarming of the Japanese troops, wouldn't it? Yes. And the other is the evacuation of the Allied prisoners. In London, another announcement was made. British operations in the Netherlands East Indies have proceeded according to plan. His Majesty's Government are eager that an agreement be reached between the Dutch and the Indonesians. However, the future of the Netherlands East Indies is not the responsibility of His Majesty's Government. The Dutch and the Indonesians must work out the problem themselves. With November 30th a bare two months away observers saw in this possibility significant development. What will happen after the British pullout? Will the Dutch have sufficient strength to keep order? The interior of Java and Samatra are still in the hands of the leaders of the Indonesian Republic. How large a force do they have? It is hard to say. They claim 100,000. How about equipment? Well, that is a question. They have much Japanese equipment even artillery and some planes but with what they have they have been able to limit the return of the Dutch to small areas along the coast. But you know the Dutch are increasing their strength. Planned to have about 50,000 well-equipped men here in the Indies by the time the British pullout the last of November. Yes, we know. But there is another angle. Yes? A very important one. The Dutch need our help here. It is a matter of economic necessity. You think they might make some concessions because of this? Don't you? In the Salabies far from the center of where the main fighting had taken place, the activity for the Republic continued. On September 11th, acting Governor General Zanmok issued a decree. The Indonesian national party of South Salabies is outlawed by decree as a danger to public order. Why has our party been outlawed? Because it is used violence and intimidation for 80,000 people of South Salabies to join the movement and support the Republic. You are standing on the wall, St. MacArthur. You watch the native Macassarees unloading their prowls. Easy now, take it easy. You notice Gilo, particularly with his brilliantly colored sarong and the dark handkerchief around his head. His dark hair hanging below it down his shoulders. You notice his well-built muscular body, his brown skin, his broad face, somewhat flat nose, intelligent eyes. The Dutchman in Immaculate White looks on and talks to you. Remarkable people, these people of the Salabies, not only are they excellent seamen, they are also great hunters, riders, wrestlers and dancers. Also, they are jealous and vengeful. But they are not treacherous. Gilo and the other Macassarees and Puganese and Chinese and Arabs and Javanese on the waterfront pay little attention to the Dutchman. The Dutch have made these islands what they are. We have for three centuries put our ingenuity and our money into their development. Well, yes, that's right. Besides, these people are not ready to govern themselves. Do you think Gilo, right over there, could in time but they have a long, long way to go. Look at the city of Macassare. Look at these harbor, the ships coming in here, the tray. Macassare is really a modern city built and maintained by us at the very edge of the jungle. Do you think the Indonesians are ready to take over the government of such a city as this? Well, then could they handle a government of 3,000 islands with more than 72 million people, with more than 250 languages. You look from the harbor back over the city. Your eyes fall on the old Fort Rotterdam where Dutch Admiral Spielman centuries ago defeated the Macassarees named the fort in honor of his native city and established there an excellent authority in the celibies. You see the old Dutch church, the city hall with its wide flight of stairs, the old governor's house, the heavily nailed door of the land side gate. Once this comprised the entire Dutch settlement in the celibies. This was the Dutch beginning. You look back to the native crowds in the harbor, the product moving in ambitious intelligence. And you wonder presented by the national broadcasting company and its affiliated independent stations to clarify events in the Pacific and to make understandable the cost currents of life in the Pacific basin. For a reprint of this Pacific story program send 10 cents in stamps or coin to University of California Press, Berkeley, California. The Pacific story is written and produced by Arnold Marquess. The original musical score was composed and conducted by Henry Russell. Your narrator, Gaine Whitman. Programs in this series of particular interest to servicemen and women are broadcast overseas through the worldwide facilities of the armed forces in the Pacific. The Pacific story is written and produced by Arnold Marquess. This program came to you from Hollywood. This is NBC, the national broadcasting company.