2003.01.01: January 1, 2003: Headlines: COS - Indonesia: Indonesian Destinies By Theodore Friend: The Short Sweet Life of the Peace Corps in Indonesia in the 1960's

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The Short Sweet Life of the Peace Corps in Indonesia in the 1960's

The Short Sweet Life of the Peace Corps in Indonesia in the 1960's

Indonesia did not want the Peace Corps. But Sukarno felt he owed President Kennedy something for his help in squeezing the Dutch out of Irian Jaya in 1962. Sargent Shriver, first director of the Peace Corps, flew over to negotiate it and was bombarded by Sukarno's staff with questions about Hollywood and Marilyn Monroe. They had mistaken him for another Kennedy in-law, Peter Lawford. Shriver was fobbed onto Soebandrio, the strongly China-leaning foreign minister, who shunted him to an aide, who got the thing done in an Indonesian way.

The Peace Corps was not an instrument of foreign policy and was not corrupted by foreign policy. But as private citizens the volunteers were effective informally. Why hasn't the Peace corps ever returned to Indonesia? Many American ambassadors have encouraged the Republic to ask for that. But the Indonesian government thinks they have enough of their own underemployed college grads. They have their own volunteers for a rural development program and do not want to give the impression of using Americans to do things they could do themselves.


The Short Sweet Life of the Peace Corps in Indonesia in the 1960's

Indonesia did not want the Peace Corps. But Sukarno felt he owed President Kennedy something for his help in squeezing the Dutch out of Irian Jaya in 1962. Sargent Shriver, first director of the Peace Corps, flew over to negotiate it and was bombarded by Sukarno's staff with questions about Hollywood and Marilyn Monroe. They had mistaken him for another Kennedy in-law, Peter Lawford. Shriver was fobbed onto Soebandrio, the strongly China-leaning foreign minister, who shunted him to an aide, who got the thing done in an Indonesian way.

The Peace Corps was not an instrument of foreign policy and was not corrupted by foreign policy. But as private citizens the volunteers were effective informally. Why hasn't the Peace corps ever returned to Indonesia? Many American ambassadors have encouraged the Republic to ask for that. But the Indonesian government thinks they have enough of their own underemployed college grads. They have their own volunteers for a rural development program and do not want to give the impression of using Americans to do things they could do themselves.

Excerpted from

Indonesian Destinies
By Theodore Friend
Edition: illustrated
Published by Harvard University Press, 2003
ISBN 0674011376, 9780674011373
628 pages

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Story Source: Indonesian Destinies By Theodore Friend

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