The twelfth province

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