The twelfth province

I am writing this letter, bearing in mind, in particular, those knowledgeable about Indonesia's political development between 1945 and 1949.

During this period, there were in general three political movements. The first was the Republic of Indonesia, which Sukarno and Hatta proclaimed on Aug. 17, 1945, a unitary state stretching from Sabang to Merauke and conforming to the spirit of the 1928 Youth Pledge.

Second, Bijzonder Federaal Overleg (special federal caucus), sponsored by van Mook and his underlings. This movement aimed to establish a federal Indonesian state modeled upon the United States. The head of Bijzonder Federaal Overleg was Sultan Hamid II of Pontianak. Later, in early 1950, he was involved in a coup d'etat to topple the Federal Republic of Indonesia.

Third, De Twaalfde Provincie (the twelfth province), which had its seat in Minahasa, North Sulawesi. This movement aspired to establish North Sulawesi as the twelfth province of the Netherlands, which at that time was made up of 11 provinces.

After the attempt to establish the Netherlands' twelfth province in Indonesia failed, nothing more was heard about it.

I need information about De Twaalfde Provincie movement from its beginning to its demise. Could anybody familiar with this movement send me photocopies, references and so on? I also hope that the Dutch Embassy, including Erasmus Huis, would be pleased to lend a hand as I'm convinced that there is a lot of information available about this movement.

JOHN ISKANDAR

Surabaya