confession" could be used to justify killing Aidit but later noticed inconsistencies in the statement that would have exposed it as a crude frame-up.
--NJONO REPUDIATES "CONFESSION" AS FALSE
“o.€he show trial being staged by Indonesia's generals in an attempt to pin the blame for the attempted September 30: coup d'etat on the Indonesian Communist party got- off to a spectacular but bad- — snelling start February 1l4 when Njono, the first defendant, repudiated a "confession" forced from him by the authorities during the preparation of the: case. The confession,” said Njono, was "false."
If D. N. Aidit, the head of ‘the Indonesian Communist party, was murdered by the army in November, as is widely rumored, Njono may be the most important defendant now in the hands of the generals. He is a member of the central committee of the Indonesian Communist party and president of the SOBSI (All- Indonesian Central Organization of Trade Unions) which has: some 20,000,000 members.
It was not clear from a report appearing in the Paris press whether the "confession" was forced:from Njono by torture... He was quoted as. saying only. that "The Jatmosphere: during the preparation of the case was poisoned by hate against the Communists. The: Commun-: ist: party was considered to be the organizer. of the September - 30, 1965, coup d'etat, and now an anti-Communist campaign is developing."
Njono said thatin 1965 the Communist party leadership’ discussed the situation at several meetings. Aidit confined himself to. asking Njono to:sinform Sukarno about: the existence of a "council. of:» generals" which was -suspected of preparing a coup d'etat. ALdit, told Njono to do:-nothing until Sukarno made a decision.
That a "council of generals" had been organized was admitted | by General Nasution ‘in a speech December 15, 1965.: He had denied its existence’ up until then. (See Le Monde December 16, 1965.) Phe abortive September 30 coup d'etat; led by Colonel Untung , was directed against. this: "council of generals" on the grounds that the generals: were - conspiring to overthrow Sukarno.
Njono reportedly said, after repudiating the false confession » extorted from him, that he had disobeyed Aidit. In fact he had gone further. Against the express orders of the Communist party leadership, ‘he participated in the Untung insurrectional movement. "I rebelled against the party's authority; not against the state."
As part of the show, the Indonesian government recalled its
a oe
ambassador :to.China, making the-announsement February ‘13, the day befome. the militant court - opened its hearings.
‘In, a “radio broadcast announcing that ‘Njono would be the first defendant the next day, General Suharto said that the military tribunals.would meet throughout. the Indonesian archipelago. He denounced the Communist party and claimed that :it had had the clear intention of. teking power, removing Sukarno, dissolving the Indonesian cabinet and committing. political murders, particularly against the army chiefs.
With the. exception of -the final allegation, this is a description. ‘of the main. course followed .by the generals. themselves.
‘The réal, fault: of the. Communist party under Aidit! s leadership was precisely its failure to strive for power in face of the clear threat presented by tthe plotting of the generals and their organization. of..a: secret. council of generals." Lo 2
INDONESIAN CP MADE