Friendships in war
Sir: In his Notebook (3 November), Simon Courtauld raises the connection of several Asian leaders in their collaboration with the Japanese army in the last world war. He seems surprised that Suharto of Indonesia should show no sign of embarrassment at meeting recently in public his old cronies from the Japanese secret police.
The fact is that Indonesian nationalists, determined to rid themselves of their Dutch imperialist masters, were prepared to take a gamble and use the Japanese to that end. And despite the attempts of the Dutch to regain their colony, not without some help from the British who bombed the port of Surabaya after the war was over, they succeeded.
If in the meantime friendships were made, it is hardly Mr. Courtauld's place to pass comment. It is just a Shame that those friendships were not with the Brit: ish equivalent.
David Leake 261 East End Road, London N2
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