A Preliminary Analysis of the October 1, 1965, Coup in Indonesia, more commonly known as the "Cornell Paper", is an academic publication detailing the events of an abortive coup d'état attempt by the self-proclaimed September 30 Movement, produced on January 10, 1966. The study was written by Benedict Anderson and Ruth McVey, with the help of Frederick Bunnell, using information from various Indonesian news sources. At the time of writing, the three were members of Cornell University's network of graduate students and scholars on Southeast Asia.
Headquarters of Radio Republik Indonesia in Jakarta
D. N. Aidit, chairman of the Communist Party of Indonesia and a political ally of President Sukarno
Foreign minister Subandrio was forced to resign and jailed for his alleged involvement with the PKI's attempt to take control of the government.
Major General Suharto at the funeral of five murdered generals on October 5, 1965
The Thirtieth of September Movement was a self-proclaimed organization of Indonesian National Armed Forces members. In the early hours of 1 October 1965, they assassinated six Indonesian Army generals in an abortive coup d'état. Later that morning, the organisation declared that it was in control of media and communication outlets and had taken President Sukarno under its protection. By the end of the day, the coup attempt had failed in Jakarta. Meanwhile, in central Java there was an attempt to take control over an army division and several cities. By the time this rebellion was put down, two more senior officers were dead.
Pancasila Sakti Monument
The editorial cartoon from the front page of the PKI newspaper Harian Rakjat, 2 October 1965
Contemporary anti-PKI literature blaming the party for the coup attempt