John �Jack� Bresnan was an AICC member for many years.  He spoke at numerous events and provided wise counsel to our board of directors and AICC administrators.  His work with the Ford Foundation was critical to Indonesia�s economic and social development. His numerous publications as well as the conferences he organized at Columbia University and elsewhere form an important legacy.  We are all indebted to his strong commitment to the US-Indonesia relationship.

Wayne Forrest, President   Allan Harari, Chairman

The Professor Who Loved Indonesia  

(From Ford Foundation Website)  

When President Megawati Sukarnoputri presented John J. Bresnan with the Bintang Jasa Pratama Award in January 2003 (pictured above), many asked what had been this man's contribution to Indonesia . What had he done that justified an award that had been granted to only a handful of foreigners, including the American scholars George McTurnan Kahin and Clifford Geertz?

An answer came from senior diplomat Ali Alatas, quoted in the newspaper Kompas: "His criticisms were always constructive. He never discussed a problem without presenting a constructive solution to it." Professor Juwono Sudarsono of the University of Indonesia said: "Over a period of many years, Bresnan has worked to develop Indonesia 's human resources extremely effectively, despite the complex and pluralistic nature of Indonesian society."

Bresnan arrived in Indonesia in November 1961 to assist Frank Miller, the Foundation's Representative in Jakarta .

At the time, President Sukarno was demanding that the Netherlands surrender Papua to the new republic. The Soviet Union supported these demands and provided military assistance. US President John F. Kennedy intervened to prevent the use of force by both the Indonesians and the Dutch. Nonetheless, Indonesia deployed "volunteer" troops in Papua.

In September 1963, relations between Indonesia and Malaysia broke down. Indonesia accused the United Kingdom of interfering in Malaysia 's affairs. In Jakarta , a mob of 10,000 demonstrators burned the British embassy, and many houses occupied by British residents were attacked and looted. In March 1964, American Secretary of State Dean Rusk declared that his country would not provide financial aid to Indonesia . Sukarno famously responded, "Go to hell with your aid!"

At about the same time, Indonesia 's Foreign Minister Soebandrio issued regulations prohibiting Indonesians from studying in the US . This was a serious problem for the Foundation, which had already agreed to provide scholarships for 13 Indonesian lecturers.

Miller rushed to the Presidential Palace, where he often had breakfast with Sukarno. Sukarno was fond of Miller. He had even told Miller that if Miller allowed Sukarno to find a suitable marriage partner for him, Sukarno would dance at the wedding.

So, Sukarno was receptive, and told Miller that he might be prepared to make exceptions to the regulation. He then asked which of the 13 candidates Miller particularly wanted to go to America . Miller responded that he wanted all of them. Sukarno laughed, but in the end he agreed, saying, "Just tell Soebandrio that I said it was okay."

So, even in extremely difficult circumstances, Miller and Bresnan found opportunities to help Indonesia develop in a positive fashion.

The political situation worsened when Indonesia withdrew from the UN. In March 1965, demonstrators protested the presence of Ford-funded American lecturers at the Institute for Teaching and Education in Malang . An American student informed the American consulate in Surabaya . The consulate told the State Department in Washington, who told the Foundation in New York . F.F. Hill, the Foundation's Vice President, felt that the situation had gone too far. Hill sent Miller a letter demanding that Miller close the Jakarta office.

Miller and Bresnan opposed this order vehemently, but were forced to leave Jakarta . A few months later Bresnan learned of the killing of several Indonesian Army generals. Soon, hundreds of thousands of Sukarno's supporters had been murdered, and Suharto ascended to power.

The Foundation reopened its Jakarta office in 1967. Bresnan replaced Miller in 1969. Under Bresnan's leadership, the Foundation funded research into high-yield rice, education for social scientists, family planning, management training, and the preservation of marginalized cultures. Bresnan included Sumatra, Sulawesi, and Kalimantan in these programs.

Bresnan considered the participation of IRRI in Indonesia the most successful of the Foundation's programs. Because of this institute, the level of rice production in Indonesia increased dramatically. "I knew nothing about the Green Revolution, except that I wanted to make it happen. That was probably the single most exciting or influential thing that I did, in retrospect. But even at the time I felt it was important," said Bresnan.

In 1974, Bresnan was recalled to head the Foundation's Asia-Pacific division from where he maintained strong links with Indonesia . In 1982, he left the Foundation to join the East Asian Institute at Columbia University , New York , where he taught and did research on Asian studies.

In 2001, a large number of academics who had received assistance from the Foundation during Bresnan's tenure approached Juwono Sudarsono, at the time a minister, to nominate Bresnan for the Bintang Jasa Pratama. President Megawati agreed, and so Bresnan became the third American to receive Indonesia 's highest award for non-Indonesians.