The Macmillan government, British arms exports and Indonesia

Ball, S.J. (2002) The Macmillan government, British arms exports and Indonesia. Contemporary British History, 16(2), pp. 77-98.

Abstract

This article outlines the process behind Britain's 1958 decision to export Fairey Gannet aircraft to Indonesia. The decision has not previously attracted scholarly attention. The decision to export arms to Indonesia is of particular interest because of its complexity. Britain had difficult relations with the Indonesian government that led to 'Confrontation' in 1963. This relationship was further complicated by the United States' volte-face in its relations with Indonesia and the emergence of the Soviet Union as the Indonesians' major arms supplier. The article is a contribution to the literature on the Macmillan government that concentrates on a detailed technical issue rather than on grand strategy. It concludes, nevertheless, that the dictates of diplomacy rather than commerce governed decision-making. The article draws on documents detailing the role of the inter-departmental machinery for regulating arms exports based in the Ministry of Defence and those relating to the involvement of the prime minister in the decision-making process.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Ball, Professor Simon
• Authors: Ball, S.J.
• Subjects: D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > History
• Journal Name: Contemporary British History
• ISSN: 1361-9462