Indonesia's Third Vice President Accused of Being a CIA Agent

Jakarta - Indonesia’s third Vice President, Adam Malik, was once accused of being an agent for the United States intelligence agency, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The man, who was born exactly 99 years ago today, was linked to the CIA in a book by American investigative journalist Tim Weiner, which reviews the history of the intelligence agency’s covert operations in various countries. The book is ‘Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA’, which was later translated into Indonesian under the title ‘Membongkar Kegagalan CIA’ (2008). In the book, Weiner recounts a meeting between Adam Malik and senior CIA agent Clyde McAvoy at a secret location in Jakarta. ‘Malik met CIA officer Clyde McAvoy at a secret and safe location in Jakarta. McAvoy was a covert operator who, over the previous decade, had helped recruit a future prime minister for Japan, and he came to Indonesia with the task of infiltrating the PKI and Sukarno’s government,’ Weiner revealed. In an interview with Weiner, McAvoy claimed to have directly recruited the diplomat. ‘I recruited and controlled Adam Malik. […] He was the highest-ranking Indonesian official we ever recruited,’ McAvoy told Tim Weiner in a 2005 interview. According to Weiner’s account, the CIA sought to consolidate political power in Indonesia by forming a ‘shadow government’. At the time, the CIA felt it necessary to build closeness with Indonesia to prevent the country from falling into the hands of the Soviet Union and its communism. Weiner also wrote that a few days after the meeting between Adam Malik and McAvoy, a follow-up meeting occurred. This time, it was between Adam Malik and the political attaché at the US Embassy in Jakarta, Bob Martens. In that meeting, Martens is said to have handed over a list containing the names of 67 PKI figures to Adam Malik’s envoy. Furthermore, Weiner claims the CIA provided support for anti-communist operations, including financial aid channelled through covert operations with military elements. Adam Malik was even said to have received US$10,000 to finance these activities. Shortly after the news of the third Vice President being accused of being a CIA agent surfaced, denials immediately emerged. Former Vice President Jusuf Kalla was one of the figures who rejected the claim. According to him, it is highly implausible that Adam Malik worked for the American intelligence agency. ‘I regret that writing. I cannot believe it, and it is impossible that Mr. Adam Malik was a CIA agent,’ said Jusuf Kalla. Jusuf Kalla assessed that Adam Malik’s political background was in fact the opposite of the accusation. Adam Malik was known as a socialist and a founder of the Murba Party, making it impossible for him to be part of an American intelligence operation. A similar denial also came from the family. Adam Malik’s daughter, Antarini Malik, asserted that the contents of Tim Weiner’s book are untrue. According to her, her father’s nationalism could not possibly be gambled for the interests of another country or for monetary reward. The family also expressed their anger. Historian Taufik Abdullah also refuted the accusation. According to him, it is implausible. ‘That is intelligence, and what intelligence does is, of course, seek information and provide the best information. Based on Mr. Adam Malik’s life history, it is difficult for me to accept that,’ he said.