INDONESIA -- GREAT WHITE FLEET COMMEMORATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 003097 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MLS. EAP/PD (MCLOUGHLIN),ISN SECDEF FOR AP/ISA (TOOLAN, IPSEN) JOINT STAFF FOR CLEMMONS NSC FOR E.PHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/08/2017 TAGS: PREL MARR KPEO MASS MPOS ID SUBJECT: INDONESIA -- GREAT WHITE FLEET COMMEMORATION REF: STATE 152754 Classified By: Ambassador Cameron R. Hume, reasons 1.4(b,d). ¶1. (C) While understanding fully the historic importance of its mission and President Theodore Roosevelt's visionary role, Post recommends against a commemorative visit of the Great White Fleet to Indonesia for several reasons. First, Indonesia's colonial past and its policy of non-alignment since independence create a political environment which would not generate the level of positive resonance appropriate for a commemorative mission. To be sure, our bilateral relationship with Indonesia is excellent and cooperation is growing, including in defense and other areas, but it is not sufficiently robust at this point for a celebratory event of this nature. ¶2. (C) We also note that the Great White Fleet, from what we understand, did not visit the then Dutch East Indies. Thus, there is no historical resonance in Indonesia regarding the Fleet and its important mission which may be present in other locales. ¶3. (C) Finally, the Indonesian military (TNI) recently has discouraged humanitarian-relief and community-outreach events on the margins of U.S. ship visits. They have made clear, for example, that they do not want the U.S. hospital ship Mercy to visit. It is not yet clear whether this attitude will persist, particularly in light of the appointment of a new Indonesian Navy Chief on November 8, but it does appear to reflect TNI sensitivity over its own limited ability to provide assistance to its own population, particularly when TNI capabilities compare unfavorably with those of visiting forces. A visit by the Great White Fleet would be unwelcome we believe and possibly misunderstood in light of these sensitivities. ¶4. (C) In short, Post hopes that the commemorative tour is highly successful, but cannot recommend a stop or stops in Indonesia at this time. HUME