THE IKN POST.com — Former Indonesian Ambassador to Japan, Yusron Ihza Mahendra, has been challenged by his brother, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, to explore deeper into the mysteries surrounding the assassination of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, in 1963, and the sudden death of Indonesia’s last Prime Minister, Ir. H. Raden Djoeanda Kartawidjaja.
“In his novel Irian Barat, Yusron indeed narrates the death of our national hero, Ir. H. Raden Djoeanda Kartawidjaja, the 10th and last Prime Minister of Indonesia. He passed away suddenly during a dinner banquet in Jakarta,” said Ismeth Wibowo, the eldest grandson of H. Djuanda, a national figure renowned for his intelligence and dedication to the nation.
Ismeth Wibowo agreed with Yusril Ihza Mahendra’s challenge for Yusron to write further about Djuanda Kartawidjaja, either in historical accounts or in another novel.
Yusril, who currently serves as the Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections (Menko Kumham Imipas), expressed his admiration for the launch of Irian Barat and voiced his support for Yusron to create more literary works.
“The death of Ir. Djuanda, if it happened in today’s era, could have gone viral, similar to the rumors surrounding the late Munir, who allegedly drank a glass of water and then died,” Yusril remarked, referring to his brother’s novel, which not only explores the mysteries behind Kennedy’s assassination but also the planned visit of Kennedy to Jakarta before his untimely death.
Further supporting this notion, Ismeth Wibowo provided additional information, stating, “On the night after Ir. H. Djuanda passed away, Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Soebandrio came to my grandfather’s residence on Jl. Diponegoro No. 8, Menteng, to request from Mrs. Djuanda the carefully archived correspondence containing President Soekarno’s directives to Ir. Djuanda.”
Yusron Ihza Mahendra’s 464-page novel, Irian Barat, unravels one of the greatest political conspiracies of the 20th century: the assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas in 1963.
Set against the backdrop of the Cold War, ideological rivalries, and the economic interests of American corporate giants, the novel takes readers on a gripping journey, uncovering the hidden truths behind a tragedy that reshaped global history.
The story follows Graham Edward Miller, a former CIA agent who abandoned the intelligence world out of disgust for its deceptive tactics, and Jane Hellen Lewis, a determined investigative journalist from the Dallas Tribune. Together, they probe into the irregularities surrounding Kennedy’s death. The Warren Commission’s conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone is found to be unconvincing. Their suspicions lead them to uncover the involvement of former CIA Director Allen Dulles—who had been dismissed by Kennedy—and the Rockefeller corporate empire, which had vested interests in the natural resources of Irian Barat (West Papua).
A striking revelation within the novel points to an intriguing timeline: exactly six months before his scheduled meeting with Soekarno, Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. This occurred shortly after the sudden death of former Indonesian Prime Minister Djuanda Kartawidjaja, who led Indonesia’s negotiation team in Kennedy’s Economic Support Program. Djuanda’s mysterious demise at a dinner banquet in Jakarta, merely two weeks prior to Kennedy’s assassination, raises further questions.
“The next book—whether it’s another novel or a historical account—is eagerly awaited to complement the launch of Irian Barat, which is engaging, enjoyable to read, and essential,” Ismeth Wibowo remarked. He currently serves as Commissioner of PT Sunra Distributor Indonesia, a leading company in environmentally friendly two-wheeled vehicle technology.
The book launch event for Yusron’s Irian Barat was attended by close friends and family, including Yusril Ihza Mahendra. Also present were Deputy Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Otto Hasibuan; Chairman of the Regional Representative Council (DPD) Sultan B. Najamuddin; Presidential Advisory Council Member Sidarto Danusubroto; and Governor of the National Resilience Institute, Ace Hasan Syadzily.
