Our coverage of wartime broadcasts emitted by Radio Tokyo and its satellite stations, while unavoidably incomplete, nevertheless offers clear clues to the Japanese blueprint for Indonesia. The essence of propaganda is to hammer away at a few points, and we may infer from these what the Japanese intended to do, regardless of what they actually accomplished. Despite certain conflicts in regard to timing, priorities and, above all, overall direction, this program seems to have represented the combined goals of Japan's military and big business elements. Although most of the desiderata were the same as those set for the rest of what Japan termed the Southern Regions, Japanese propaganda to and about Indonesia exhibited certain variations from the norm. As the richest, most populous, most distant from Japan, and most thoroughly Muslim area in Southeastern Asia, Indonesia necessarily called for special handling. Its political division by the Japanese into three administrative areas under separate army and navy commanders was a further complicating factor.

Nationalism is an explosive topic at any time, but it is peculiarly explosive at this moment when the restraints of war have been lifted, when peace settlements are in prospect, and when national movements everywhere are again in full flower. The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature of nationalism in as uncontroversial and non-political a manner as the subject itself allows, and to compare its development in Southeast Asia with similar movements in other parts of the world. What is involved is an objective sociological investigation, and not an effort to arrive at value judgments which would answer such questions as whether this or that nationalist movement is good or evil or whether particular nationalist demands should be granted or opposed.

This special issue on the Netherlands Indies has been prepared with the collaboration of the Southeast Asia Institute (formerly East Indies Institute of America), 15 West 77th Street, New York City, which enlisted the cooperation of its membership to write all the articles on the Netherlands Indies, as indicated in the introduction to the issue.

Attention is drawn to the Institute's recent change of name, which was made by a majority decision of the membership and which makes it clear that the Institute's area of research and study comprises the East Indies, the Philippines, Malaya, Burma, Siam and Indo-China.