During the Second World War, Indonesia was occupied by the Japanese. Some of the Dutch that were able to escape to Australia established a Dutch government in exile. In 1942, together with other...Show moreDuring the Second World War, Indonesia was occupied by the Japanese. Some of the Dutch that were able to escape to Australia established a Dutch government in exile. In 1942, together with other Allies, the Dutch government in exile established NEFIS (Netherlands Forces Intelligence Service) as a way to satisfy the need for information about Indonesia in order to take back Indonesia from the Japanese. After the Japanese surrender, the Dutch government moved back to Indonesia and NEFIS continued its intelligence activity in Indonesia. This intelligence service continued its activity until 1949. The aim of this study is to investigate from both an organizational and archival approach the type of information that NEFIS accumulated in Indonesia between 1945 and 1949 and explore whether these perspectives correspond with each other. Literature and archival sources were used to conduct research in order to better understand NEFIS’s tasks and responsibilities. The applied archival approach involved taking several general subjects and matching them with sample archives. The results indicate consistency between NEFIS’s raw documents and its stated tasks. Several subjects of interest to NEFIS include: anti-Dutch propaganda, the current political condition, underground activity, and information about the Indonesian Armed Forces.Show less
