Zairin Zain

Zairin Zain, born in 1913, studied law at Leiden and developed a particular interest in economic affairs. His early career included work in the Indonesian Information Ministry, a goodwill mission to India, and the 1949 Round Table Conference in The Hague. In 1950 he headed Indonesia’s representation in Singapore and then the Foreign Ministry’s economic department. He led the Indonesian delegation to the London rubber conference in 1951 and advised its delegation at the Japanese peace conference in San Francisco. ¹

Before becoming ambassador in Washington in 1961, Zain served in West Germany, the United States, and Britain. The dispute with the Netherlands over West New Guinea became a central subject of his Washington work. When the initial American sponsored negotiations recessed in March 1962, he told Attorney General Robert Kennedy that Indonesia was disappointed with their progress. American officials sought clarification because they believed the talks had opened constructively. The disagreement concerned whether the negotiations were moving far enough toward ending Dutch rule and transferring the territory. ^{2, 3}

Zain also supported educational contact with the United States. In September 1962, USIA director Edward R. Murrow reported that the ambassador had backed proposals for American studies chairs at Indonesian universities and promised assistance with getting more books on American politics and economics into students’ hands. ⁴

After Washington, Zain became ambassador in Bern. A presidential decree appointing his successor in April 1967 recorded his transfer from Switzerland to Jakarta. His later work included advising the Indonesian ambassador in The Hague. Historian Suryadi’s biographical account records that he died there on 24 May 1974 and was buried in Kalibata Heroes Cemetery in Jakarta. ^{5, 2}