Ali Sastroamidjojo

Ali Sastroamidjojo was born in Central Java in 1903 and studied law at Leiden. He became active in Perhimpunan Indonesia, the nationalist student organization in the Netherlands. Arrested in 1927 on charges connected with its political activity, he was acquitted the following year and returned to Indonesia. He practiced law and joined the Indonesian National Party. During the independence struggle he served as education minister and participated in negotiations with the Netherlands. ^{1, 2}

In 1950 Ali became Indonesia’s first ambassador to the United States, with additional accreditation to Canada and Mexico. His Washington work included explaining an independent foreign policy to officials who wanted Indonesia aligned with Western economic restrictions. In May 1951 he discussed with Dean Rusk the controversy over possible Indonesian rubber sales to China. Washington opposed changing Indonesia's trade pattern during the Korean War, and Ali was preparing to return to Jakarta for consultations. ^{1, 3}

He also sought practical support for education. In 1951 he approached the Ford Foundation about improving English instruction in Indonesian schools. During his ambassadorship the Republic acquired the Walsh–McLean mansion on Massachusetts Avenue as its chancery. The deed dated 19 December 1951 records a purchase price of $335,000. ^{4, 5}

Recalled to form a government in 1953, Ali served two terms as prime minister, in 1953–1955 and 1956–1957. He played a direct role in creating the 1955 Asian–African Conference. At Colombo in 1954 he proposed a broader meeting of Asian and African states, then visited India to secure Nehru’s support. He hosted the five sponsoring governments at Bogor in December to settle the conference’s agenda, purposes, and invitations. ^{2, 6}

At Bandung in April 1955, the delegates chose Ali as conference president, and he also chaired the political committee. The 29 participating countries differed sharply over alliances, colonialism, and the Cold War. The conference worked toward consensus and adopted a final communiqué covering economic and cultural cooperation, self-determination, and principles for international peace. ⁶

After his premiership, he represented Indonesia at the UN from 1957 to 1960 and subsequently led the National Party and served as a deputy chairman of the provisional People’s Consultative Assembly. His public career contracted after the upheaval of 1965. An August 1967 AFP report recorded his arrest alongside two other nationalist leaders, amid allegations that they sought Sukarno’s restoration. His memoir, published in English as Milestones on My Journey, recounted his premiership, political struggles, and diplomacy. ^{2, 7, 8}