Office of the Historian

313. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to the Deputy Secretary of Defense (Packard)1

Washington, November 2, 1970.

SUBJECT

  • Military or Related Assistance to Indonesia in Exchange for AK–47 Ammunition

Your memorandum to me of October 27, 1970 on the above subject2 AK–47s and ammunition which they sent to Cambodia is acceptable, i.e. providing them with $262,000 in cash and with 2,640 M–16s, each with 1000 rounds of ammunition.

I would also appreciate, however, a somewhat fuller study by Defense and State on the pros and cons of the M–16 factory which the Indonesians have requested. In this respect, I believe that it would be useful to weigh into the balance any political factors which might affect our judgment one way or the other. I would in addition like more details on the aid which we might offer in connection with the Bandung ammunition factory or the Husien Air Base Depot, specifically whether our assistance would be of an order of magnitude which would make these projects acceptable alternatives to an M–16 factory.

Pending completion of this further study, I recommend that the draft State/Defense message to Djakarta which you attached to your memorandum to me be sent without the final paragraph.3

Henry A. Kissinger
  1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 531, Country Files, Far East, Indonesia, Vol. II. Top Secret; Sensitive. A copy was sent to Green.↩
  2. Attached but not printed.↩
  3. The attached draft was sent as telegram 180287 to Djakarta, November 2; attached but not printed.↩