Beinganapologist?

:TheCornellPaperandadebate
betweenfriends

JemmaPurdey
MonashUniversity

ForthosewhoknewHerbFeith,Indonesiascholar,humanistandpeace
studiespioneeritisperhapsunimaginablethathecouldberegardedas
anapologistforatrocitiescommittedinIndonesia.Butinearly1966,in
themidstoftheongoingmassacresofcommunistsandtheirsuspected
sympathisersafterthesocalledcoupattemptthepreviousyearon30
September,someofHerbscloseandrespectedcolleagueswere
perplexedatwhattheytookaswordsfromHerbcondoningthemilitary
sponsoredviolence.Thisarticleisanattempttopresentacloserlookat
theconversationthattookplacebetweenthesescholarsofIndonesiaat
thiscriticalmoment,becauseitraisespertinentquestionsstillrelevant
inIndonesianandAsianstudiesmorebroadlyabouthowwebalanceour
obligationsasanalystsseekingsubstantiatedtruthandfact,withthe
moralobligationtospeakagainsttyrannyandinjusticeandthepressures
weexperiencefromwithinourownnationalcontexts.

HerbwasinthemiddleofhisteachingsemesterinMelbournewhen
newsreachedhimofthearrestsofagroupofgenerals,allegedtohave
plannedacouptounseatthegovernment,inJakartaonthenightof30
September.Atthattime,gettingagrasponwhatwashappeningwas
extremelydifficultasJakartaquicklycameunderastateofmartiallaw,
cuttingoffcommunicationwiththeoutsideworld.Fromhishomein
Melbourne,Herbfollowedthecataclysmiceventsof30September1965
anditsbloodyaftermathasmuchashewasable.Inhislittle
correspondencefromtheperiod,thereisnotmuchtoindicate,however,
thatinthelastmonthsof1965hehadmuchadditionalinformation
beyondthatwhichwaspublishedinAustraliasdailiesandinthehighly
censoredmainstreamIndonesianpress.

LikemanyotherIndonesiaobservers,achangeinregimeand

ISBN9781740762250

http://www.austneth.net/transmission_proceedings

BEINGANAPOLOGIST?:THECORNELLPAPERANDADEBATEBETWEEN
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theendofSukarnosPresidencywasimminentwasnotunforseen.
Moreover,whilstthemannerinwhichthispowerstruggleleadingto
thecoupattempton30Septemberwasplayedout,mayhave
surprisedhim,thefactthatittookplacedidnot.Norwashe
surprisedbythefactthatitsaftermathprovedtobebloody.Like
othercommentatorsatthetime,Herbexpectedthattheincreasingly
tensestandoffbetweenthethreepillarsofpowerinIndonesian
politicsthathaslastedthroughout1965wouldspilloverintoa
confrontation.Inanarticlepublishedthepreviousyear,Herbhad
predictedthattheIndonesianCommunistParty(PKI)couldsucceed
ingainingpower,thoughthingswouldbedifficultafterSukarnogoes,
andthatthearmywillthenemergeasthedominantpoliticalforce
andthatitwilltreatthePKIasanenemy. 1

Thereality,though,ofjusthowlittlehedidknowofthedetailsof
whathappenedinthesefirstweeksofOctoberisclearfromhisonly
publishedcommentaryonthecoup.On10OctoberHerbwas
interviewedonABCradio 2 wherehewasnoncommittalaboutwhere
toplaceresponsibilityfortheattemptedcoup,butpredictedalong
drawnoutperiodofviolencebetweenthegovernmentandthe
Communists.

NewsreportingonthecoupinAustraliannewsmediawasextremely
limited.InhissurveyofMelbournenewspapersduringthisperiod,
RichardTanterdemonstratesthattherewasverylittlementionofthe
eventsinIndonesiaandalmostnomentionofthekillings. 3 The
generalsentimentwithinAustraliaatthetimeacceptedthe
eliminationofbothSukarno,whomtheysawasatroublemaking
despot,andfearedcommunists.

BylateOctober,however,newsbegantotricklethroughofmass
arrestsinIndonesiaastheclampdownonPKImembersand
supporterstookhold.AtHerbsalmamater,CornellsModern
1

Herb Feith, President Soekarno, The Army and the Communists: The
TriangleChangesShape,AsianSurvey,Vol.4,No.8(Aug.,1964),969980.
2
ABCradio,10October,1965;19October1965,LotsWife.
3
Richard Tanter, Witness denied: Australian media responses to the
Indonesian killings of 196566, Inside Indonesia, no. 71, (JulySeptember)
2002.

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IndonesiaProject,BenAnderson,RuthMcVeyandFredBunnellwith
GeorgeKahinsencouragement,followedtheeventsascloselyaswas
possiblefromoutsideIndonesia,monitoringandanalysing
Indonesiannewspapersources(uptothirtyIndonesianpublications),
andothermaterialfromcontactsinWashingtonandJakarta.Thetrio
rushedtopiecetogethertheeventsof30Septemberandits
aftermath.WasthisreallyaPKIbackedattemptedmilitarycoup,or
wasitallpartofamasterfulplotbornofintramilitaryfactionalism
dresseduptomakeitlooklikeaPKIplot,inordertojustifythefull
scaleexpulsionofthecommunistsfromIndonesianpolitics?Forthe
Cornellteam,whichincludedRuthMcVeywhoseresearchwas
concernedwiththecommunistpartyinIndonesia,thetheoryofa
PKIconspiracyinconjunctionwiththeseGenerals,particularlyLtCol
Untung,didnotaddup.Moreovertheemergingstoriesandrumours
ofsystematicarrestsandincreasinglyalsobrutalkillingsandlarge
scaleviolence,werewayoutofproportiontotheinitialcatalyst,a
plotbythe30Septembermovement.TheysettoworkinIthaca
scrutinisingnewsreports,statementsfrommilitaryandpolitical
leaders,witnessestothekidnappingsoftheGeneralsandsubsequent
attacksonmembersofthePKI.ThewiderCornellnetwork,
includingHerb,JamieMackieandJohnLeggeatMonash,werein
touchwithBenandRuthduringthecourseoftheirresearchfrom
OctoberuntilJanuary.Initslatter,writingupstagesoverthenew
year,Herbandothersfromthisinnercirclewereincontactvia
correspondenceandoccasionallonginternationalphonecallsto
CornellsModernIndonesiaProjectbaseat102WestAvenue,Ithaca. 4

Ben Anderson letter to Herb Feith, Jamie Mackie, (nd. midNovember

1965),MonashUniversityRecordsandArchives,MON781991/09,Folder181.
[We have been up to our ears in the coup as you can imagine and have
muchappreciatedthetidbitsyouhavesentalongFredandRuthandIhave
beenclippingWearesupposedtowriteupsomekindofgeneralanalysisof
the whole affair, but this seems a fairly dim prospect as the newspaper
materialhereispositivelyoverwhelming,wearegettingabout30Indonesian
newspapersnowonaregularbasis.Thethingtolayimmediatelyitseemsto
meisthewholePKIghost.]

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ThePreliminaryReport

InearlyFebruary,thePreliminaryReportmarkedforyoureyes
onlywasdistributedamongasmallnetworkoftrustedIndonesia
watchers,includingthegroupatMonash.Itsfindingsrancounterto
theofficialstorythenissuingfromIndonesiaandsupportedbythe
UnitedStatesandAustralia.Theofficialstorypublishedjustforty
daysaftertheeventson30SeptemberbytheArmedForcesHistory
CentreunderthedirectionofNugrohoNotosusanto,wastitledThe
FortyDayFailureofthe30SeptemberMovement.AshistorianKate
McGregordescribesit,thisversionofeventswaslargelya
consolidatedversionofArmypropagandasettingoutproofthatthe
coupattemptwasacommunistplot. 5 InitsopeninglinesthePR
arguedthatthePKIsandSukarnosinvolvementintheattempted
coupandmurderoftheGeneralshadbeenminimal,ratherthat,
Theyweremorethevictimsthantheinitiatorsofevents. 6 The
eventsof30Septemberwereinstead,theyargued,theresultofa
strugglebetweenfactionswithintheArmedForcesitself,whereby
ThepatentdesignoftheArmywastoplaceallblame[forthe
challengeonthegovernment]onthePKI. 7 ThePreliminaryReport
pointedtotheanticommunistcampaignlaunchedbytheArmy
subsequently,withmassiveraidsagainstleftistelementsandPKI
propertyandorganisationofmassdemonstrationscallingforthePKI
tobebanned.Basedontheevidence,theauthorsarguedthatthe30
Septembermovementandtheanticommunistcampaignlaunched
on21October,thoughintimatelyrelated,nonethelessformquite
separatepoliticalphenomena. 8

Itsassemblyinsuchashorttimeandmostofalltheconclusions
withinthereport,thoughmarkedaspreliminarywerealsohighly
challengeable.InalettertoKahinon18February1966,inwhatcould
5

Katharine E. McGregor, History in Uniform: Military Ideology and the

ConstructionofIndonesiasPast,Singapore:NUSPublishing,1997:62.
6
A Preliminary Analysis of the October 1, 1965, Coup in Indonesia, Ithaca:
CornellModernIndonesiaProject,1971:1.
7
Ibid.,56.
8
AndersonandMcVey,PreliminaryAnalysis:63.Thisisreiteratedinmore
recent research (John Roosa, Pretext for Mass Murder, Madison: The
UniversityofWisconsinPress,2006:22).

BEINGANAPOLOGIST?:THECORNELLPAPERANDADEBATEBETWEEN
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onlyhavebeenamatterofweeksafterreceivingthePR, 9 Herbwas
oneofthefirsttocontestitsfindings,thoughherecognisedits
importance,FirstofallthePreliminaryAnalysisaliaThriller.
StronglyasIdisagreewithquiteabitofit,itiscertainlytremendous
stuffandopensanewpageinthestudyofIndonesianpolitics.His
mainfocusofdisagreementwiththeauthorswasbasedonhisbelief
thatPKIUntunglinkscantjustbeassumedtobenonexistent,that
Sukarnosflickeringhealthmusthavebeenafactorofenormous
importance,andthatarmyplanstoorganisesomesortofprovocation
ofthePKIwereprobablyfaradvanced. 10 ThirtyyearslaterHerb
reiteratedthisposition,IwasstartledbytheCornellpapers
exculpationoftheparty,andIthinkunconvinced,butIampretty
surethatIsharedthesenseofoutrageexpressedwithinit. 11 Inhis
lettertoGeorge,Herbindicatedhiswasadifferentalbeitstill
preliminaryinterpretationoftheeventsandreferredtoashortarticle
hehadrecentlywrittenaboutthecoupandkillingspublishedinthe
localjournalNation. 12 Thisarticlewastosparkabitteralbeitshort
exchangebetweenfriends.

Amoralanalysis?

TheproductionofthePreliminaryReportatsuchspeedandwithsuch
highlyflammableconclusions,coupledwithhisowndifficultyofgaining
insightintoeventssorapidlyunfoldingbutclearlyofimmenseand
historicimportanceandcalamity,allledHerbtoreflectatthetimeon
hisroleandthatofthefieldmorewidely.AsheconfessedtoGeorge
KahininFebruary1966hisownthinkingonthefactsoftheevents
remainedmassivelyconfused.Inawayhisalreadysixteenyearsof
engagementwithIndonesiaprofessional,scholarly,patrioticandthe
9

ThePAwascompletedinIthaca,10January1966.SeeGeorgeMcT.Kahin,
SoutheastAsia:Atestament.London:RoutledgeCurzon,2003:178.
10
Herb Feith letter to George Kahin, 18 Feb 1966, Monash University
RecordsandArchive,78/1991/09Box7.
11
Herb Feith letter to Richard Tanter, 8 October 1996, National Library of
Australia, Manuscripts Collection, MS 9926/ ACC 02/262, (General
Correspondence,FolderTW).
12
Herb Feith, Killings in Indonesia: To moralise or analyse: a dialogue,
Nation,19February1966,911

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constantlycompetingtensionswithinhisrolesinrelationtoIndonesia
andAustralia,cametogetherintheformofthisonepageessay
publishedinFebruary1966andgivenitstitlebythejournalseditors,
KillingsinIndonesia:Tomoraliseoranalyse:adialogue.13

TheessayiswritteninaSocraticstyle,whichwouldbeamethodHerb
increasinglypreferredinthecomingdecades.Theessayisadialogue
betweenAandBaboutthecoupandsubsequentkillings.Insummary,
Amakesacaseforamorebroadlyhumanitarianresponse,whilstB
arguesthatthecommunistsgotwhattheydeservedwithoutdoubtthe
dominantviewintheUSandAustralia.AsHerbtoldhisfriends,I
certainlymeantformyreaderstobeconvincedbytheAcaseThatis,
thatregardlessofthepoliticsofthevictims,themassmurdersshouldbe
whollycondemned.AsHerbsawit,hewasattemptingtoraisecritical
questionsaboutobjectivity,neutralityanddetachment.Thoughhelater
admittedtoregrettingtheeditorschoiceoftitleforthearticleand
perhapstosomeextentthemethodologyheused,hedidnotregretits
intention.Herbhadconstructedthetwosidesatpolaroppositesinan
argumentaboutcommunismandjustificationofwidespreadkillingsand
imprisonmentofitsfollowers.

Brandedanapologia

HerbwrotetheNationarticleinmidFebruaryandsentitofftohis
Cornellfriendsexpectingtheirusualcritiqueandpossiblyalsohelp
gettingitawidercirculation,entirelyunawareofthewayinwhichthey
wouldreaditandrespondtoit.RuthandBenimmediatelysawitasan
attackontheirworkinthePreliminaryReport,butmorecritically,they
readitasanapologiafortheantiCommunistpurgestilltakingplacein
Indonesia.Theircounterattackwaspainfullypersonal.

InherlettertoHerb,dated25February,RuthMcVey,abeautifullyfluid
andastutewriter,inaselfconfessedhottemper,hurriedoffanacerbic
andpersonallytargetedresponseinverse.SheentitledthepoemThe
13

HewasapproachedbytheeditorsofCurrentAffairsBulletin(Sydney)to
writesomethingbutdeclined,insteadsuggestingLanceCastles,whowrote
thearticleanonymously(IndonesiaThecoup,andafter?,CurrentAffairs
Bulletin,30May1966).

BEINGANAPOLOGIST?:THECORNELLPAPERANDADEBATEBETWEEN
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OmletMakersSong(TobesunginmomentsofflaggingEnthusiasmby
analystsofcurrentIndonesianAffairs).Thepoemisabrilliantly
constructedandintentionallycruelcritiqueofwhatshedepictsas
amoraldetachedscholarshipthatdismissesthemasskillingsinfavourof
higherscience.Itisalsoapersonalassaultwithsardonicreferencesto
HerbsuseoftheconceptofproblemsolvinginhisbookDeclineof
ConstitutionalDemocracy 14 ;andendingbymakingacomparisonwith
theapologiasmadeofHitlersFinalSolution. 15

FromBen,whosereplyHerbreceivedonthesamedayinearlyMarch,
themessagewasperhapsevenmoreupsettingbecauseoftheparticular
closenessoftheirfriendship.Benstone,thoughlessacutethanRuths,
gavewaytoancrushingtranscriptionofhisMoraliseessayinorderto
demonstratehow,Benexplained,youwillbesubjecttoveryserious
misinterpretation. 16 Andersontookwhathecalledkeyexcerptsfrom
thearticleandsimplysubstituteddifferentnounsandadjectiveswhile
keepingtherestofyourargumentasitstands.Thesenounsand
adjectivessosimplysubstitutedwereBerlinforJakarta,Jewsfor
CommunistsandThirdReichandNazisfortheIndonesianArmy.

HerbandtheCornellIndonesianistswerenotstrangerstodebate
amongstthemselves,divergencesofviewanddifferentapproachesto
work.SuchwastheatmosphereencouragedandpromotedbyGeorge
KahinattheModernIndonesiaProjectanditproducedagreatresearch
environment.Nevertheless,Herbwascaughtentirelyoffguard.How,he
wondered,hadthesehisclosestcolleaguesanddearfriends
misunderstoodhimsogrossly?Howwasitthathehadexplainedhimself
sobadly,sothathe,aJewishrefugeefromNazioppression,couldbe
14

In Decline of Constitutional Democracy in Indonesia (Ithaca: Cornell

University Press, 1962), Herb Feith argues that two types of leadership
dominated postrevolutionary Indonesia. Following from S.N. Eisenstadt
andLucienPye,hecalledtheseadministratorsandsolidaritymakers.As
heexplained,Thewholeemphasis oftheadministratorswasonproblem
solving (p117), whilst the solidarity makers were concerned with
symbolism,massorganisationandmediation.
15
Ruth McVey letter to Herb Feith, 25 February 1966, Monash University
RecordsandArchives,MON781991/09,Folder203.
16
BenAndersonlettertoHerbFeith,24February1966,MonashUniversity
RecordsandArchives,MON781991/09,Folder181.

BEINGANAPOLOGIST?:THECORNELLPAPERANDADEBATEBETWEEN
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labelledanapologistformassexterminationsandpoliticalrepression?
Herbwasknockedsidewaysbytheletters,totheextentthathiswife
BettyfeltcompelledtowritetoGeorge,alsoaclosefriendofhers,to
seekhisadviceandclarifyHerbsposition.

HerbdoesntknowIamwritingyoubutImust.Hes
stunnedatarecentletterfromBenandRuthindicating
theirassumptionthattheaimofhisarticlewasan
ApologiaforMassMurder.Imstunnedtoo.Ijustwant
toletyouknowthatquitethereversewastheintention.
Thepointofthearticlewasaprotestagainstthebland
acceptancebythepressherethatitsOKtokillthese
peoplebecausetheyreCommunistsupporters.We
thoughtthiswas100%clear.Apparentlyitwasnot. 17

BettyscompulsiontowritetoGeorgewaspartly,sheexplained,because
sheherselfhadencouragedHerbtousethedialoguestyle.Theywere,
sheexplained,tryingtofindawayinwhichtoovercomethegeneral
apathywithintheAustralianpublicandencouragethemtoreadtothe
endratherthanjustanotherprotestofthekindthatoneignoresherein
thepresseveryday(particularlyasHerbisratherpronetowritesuch
things).

TheauthorofasurveyofAustralianmediacoverageoftheVietnam
conflictduringthissameperiodasked,HowfarwastheAustralian
publicmadeawareofthemajorproblemsassociatedwiththeVietnam
War?18 ,findingthatEvidenceexiststoprovideabasisforsuspicions
thatdistortionisoccurringinthereportingThegeneraltrendofthese
suspicionsisthatVietCongsuccessesareplayeddown,whileAmerican
andSaigonesesuccessestendtobeplayedup. 19 Theauthorconcluded
thatgiventhelimitedandbiasednatureofAustraliannewsreportingon
thewar,theAustralianpubliccannothopetomakeinformeddecisions

17

BettyFeithlettertoGeorgeKahin,10March1966,CornellUniversity,Rare
and Manuscript Collections, Carl A. Kroch Library, Kahin archive, Box 5
14/27/3146.
18
DerekMcDougall,AustralianPresscoverageoftheVietnamWarin1965,
AustralianOutlook,vol20,no3,December1966,307.
19
Ibid.,303.

BEINGANAPOLOGIST?:THECORNELLPAPERANDADEBATEBETWEEN
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aboutVietnam 20 andindeedwiththesituationinIndonesia.The
apathyorindeedsenseofapproval,withinthewiderAustralianpublic
onthekillingswasreflectedinthelackofinterestinIndonesiafrom
governmentatthetime.Asafurtherexample,inmid1966anAustralian
parliamentarydelegationtoSoutheastAsiavisitedSingapore,Malaya,
(Sabah,Sarawak),Thailand,Cambodia,andSouthVietnam.Not
Indonesia.Itisnotknowniftheattemptsweremadetoincludeitonthe
itineraryandtheIndonesianswouldnotcooperate,orifthesituation
wassimplydeemedtobetoochaoticatthetime,butinthereportofa
delegateonthistrip,SenatorR.C.Cotton,whichincludedextensive
discussionoftheimportanceofSoutheastAsiatoAustraliasfuture,
Indonesiaisnotmentioned. 21

Undoubtedly,Bettysmainconcernwhenwritingherletterwashowever
toalertGeorgetotheextenttowhichHerbwasupsetbythe
misunderstandingwithBenandRuth,andshethought,perhaps,also
withGeorgehimselftoo.Sadly,herhunchwasright.On14March,most
probablybeforeBettysletterpostedfourdaysearlierfromMelbourne,
hadyetreachedhim,GeorgerepliedtoHerbwithapologiesforitsdelay,

IfevenpeoplehereatCornell,whoarefondof
youandpredisposedtobesympathetictowards
yourviewsconcludeonreadingthepiecethat
youare,infact,evidencingaconsiderable
callousnesswithregardtothekillings,Iam
afraidotherswhodonotknowyoumightwellall
morereadilycometothesameconclusion. 22

However,knowingHerbaswellashedid,Georgewascarefultoexplain
thathealsounderstoodHerbsintentandtheparameterswithinwhich
hewasgrapplingtowork.Drawingonhisownexperiencehewrote,

20

Ibid.,310.
R.C. Cotton, Liberal Senator for NSW, Australian Parliamentary
Delegation to Southeast Asia, 1966; 7 weeks in SEA, Australian Outlook,
Vol21,no1,April1967,94.
22
George Kahin letter to Herb Feith, 14 March 1966, Monash University
RecordsandArchives,MON781991/09,Folder198.
21

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Itseemstome,then,thatyouhaveencountered
thedifficultybesettingsomanyofusoftryingto
reasonconcurrentlywithanuntutoredmass
audienceandwiththepoliticallyinformedand
humanitarianlysensitiveelementwhich
constitutes,unfortunately,sosmallapartof
publicopinion.Icertainlyhavefounditdifficult,
ifnotimpossible,todothiswithrespectto
AmericaninvolvementinVietnam,andIwould
imagineitwouldbequiteasdifficulttoachieve
thisobjectwithregardtoIndonesiainthe
Australianmilieu.

GeorgeKahinsreferencetothewarinVietnamandthefinebalance
thatheasanintellectualinAmericaopposingthewar,recentlyfound
himselftreading,iscriticalbackgroundtohisownmisgivingsand
thoseofBenandRuthaboutHerbsattemptatbalancedanalysisof
thecurrentcrisisinIndonesia.Herbsessaycameinthemidstof
debateanddisquietaboutVietnamragingwithinandacross
Americasintellectualandgovernmentclassesbutnotyetpresentin
Australia.AsNoamChomskyputitinanarticleayearlaterinthe
NewYorkReviewofBooks,inwhichhelaunchedcriticismsat
Americanintellectualswhomhecalledacademicapologistspeddling
untruthsaboutthewarinVietnam,Itistheresponsibilityof
intellectualstospeakthetruthandtoexposelies.This,atleast,may
seemenoughofatruismtopassoverwithoutcomment.Notso,
however.Forthemodernintellectual,itisnotatallobvious. 23

Theresponsesofhisclosefriendsandmostrespectedcolleaguestowhat
hesawasanattempttoengagewithdeepquestionsofhisownabout
balancingtheanalyticalwiththemoralrolesasacademics,ledHerbtoa
personalandprofessionalcrisisofconfidence.Forsomeweekshe
wrestledwithhisreplytoBenandRuth,initiallyadmittingitwasasock
inthejawthatyouandRuthgaveme,Ben,butitwasprobablyavery
goodthing. 24
23

Noam Chomsky, The Responsibility of Intellectuals, The New York

ReviewofBooks,February23,1967.
24
Herb Feith letter to Ben Anderson and George Kahin, 29 March 1966,
MonashUniversityRecordsandArchives,MON781991/09,Folder198.

10

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InhiseventualfullreplytohisCornellfriends,Herbaccepted
responsibilityfortheNationarticleanditsmistakes,buthealsoshed
lightonhisownstrugglesabouthowtopursuehisscholarlyandactivist
roles.Heconfessedtowhathecalledvisacowardice,thatistheneedto
protectmyentreandthatofmystudents. 25 ButhisreplytoRuthand
Benalsocontainedseveralpagesofdetailednotesandtechnical
commentsonthePreliminaryReport.ForBen,Herbsgenerousand
engagedreplywasarelief.Hehadregrettedhisearlierlettertohimas
soonasitwassent,andtoldhimsoinhisreply,Ihavebeenfeeling
terriblyfrustratedfeelingquitehelplessaboutdoinganything,andthe
resultofthisisthatmostofmysenseoffrustrationwasdeflectedquite
thoughtlesslyontoyou. 26

HerbFeithsdistressingengagementwithhisCornellfriendsand
colleaguesoverthePreliminaryReportillustratesanenduringchallenge
forscholarsintheexerciseofprofessionalvalues.Thischallengeisthat
ofcontributingeffectivelytobroaderpublicdebatewhenthetermsof
thatdebatearefarremovedfromthescholarsownposition.Inorderto
engagewithanAustralianpublicthatacceptedtheslaughterof
communistsasadesirableoutcome,Herbfelthehadtowriteanarticle
thattookthatpositionseriously.Byrespectingandengagingwithviews
withwhichhedisagreed,Herbaimedtomovehisreadersawayfrom
thoseviews.Intakingseriouslythepublicview,however,hedeeply
offendedcommittedfriendsandcolleagues,whosawhisarticleasa
bewilderingcapitulationtobrutality.HerbFeithresolvedthechallenge
onthisoccasionbyrecantingandbyacceptingtheinsistenceofhis
friendsoninterpretativepurity,buttheeventseemstohavebeena
catalystthatpushedhisacademiccareerintheotherdirection.Although
hecontinuedtoconductscholarlyresearch,hedidsoonareducedscale
andhegavehisheartinsteadtoactivismandtochangingtheworld.

25

Herb Feith letter to Ben Anderson and Ruth McVey, 12 March 1966.
MonashUniversityRecordsandArchives,MON781991/09,Folder181.[The
letter,thoughdated12.3.66wasnotfinishedandposteduntilmidApril.]
26
Ben Anderson letter to Herb Feith, 1 May 1966, Monash University
RecordsandArchives,MON781991/09,Folder181.

11