Nugroho Notosusanto Brigadier General Raden Panji Nugroho Notosusanto ( 15 July 1930 – 3 June 1985 ) was an Indonesian short story writer turned military historian who served as professor of history at the University of Indonesia . Born to a noble family in Central Java , he exhibited a high degree of nationalism from a young age . During the Indonesian National Revolution from 1945 to 1949 he saw active service as a member of the Student Army , working reconnaissance . Despite wanting to remain in the military , under influence by his father he continued his education , eventually enrolling in the faculty of literature at the University of Indonesia . During the 1950s he wrote extensively and was active in numerous political and academic groups , finally graduating with a degree in history in 1958 . After a failed attempt to study at the University of London , in the early 1960s Notosusanto – by then a lecturer – was contacted by General Abdul Haris Nasution and tasked with writing a history of the revolution and Madiun Affair . By 1964 he had become head of the Indonesian Army ' s history division , holding an honorary rank . Continuing to teach , he wrote extensively on the revolution and other military events , including the first book on the 30 September Movement of 1965 . Between 1983 and his death Notosusanto served concurrently as rector of the University of Indonesia and Minister of Education and Culture . Early life . Nugroho Notosusanto was born in Rembang , Central Java , Dutch East Indies , on 15 July 1930 , the first of three children born to R . P . Notosusanto , a professor of Islamic law and later one of the founders of Gadjah Mada University , and his wife . The family was well connected , and several of Nugroho Notosusanto ' s relatives were " bupati " ( regents ) ; his grandfather , Notomidjojo , was likewise connected to the nobility . While still a child Nugroho Notosusanto began writing short stories ; his father later recalled that they were filled with themes of struggle and nationalism . Another of Notosusanto ' s relatives , Budi Darma , later recalled that he had always stood at attention , " like a soldier " , when the future national anthem " Indonesia Raya " was played . Nugroho Notosusanto began his elementary education at a Dutch - run school in Malang , East Java , in 1937 . The following year he transferred to a school for native Indonesians in the colony ' s capital at Batavia ( now Jakarta ) , graduating in 1942 . He completed his junior high school studies in Pati . During the Indonesian National Revolution from 1945 to 1949 Nugroho Notosusanto ' s family lived in the temporary national capital at Yogyakarta so that his father could work for the Ministry of Law . The younger Notosusanto fought for the revolutionaries . He first joined the 17th Brigade of Student Army ( ) , later transferring to the People ' s Security Army ( ) . During this period he exclusively did reconnaissance and often slept at the homes of local villagers . Historian Katherine McGregor suggests that this influenced his later short stories , which took humanist themes . Post - revolution . After the end of the revolution , Notosusanto was given a choice between resuming his studies or going to Breda in the Netherlands for further military training . Influenced by his father ' s disapproval of the military , he finished his senior high school education , despite wanting to continue with the army . After graduating senior high school in 1951 , he immediately enrolling with the faculty of literature at the University of Indonesia ( , or UI ) . However , he continued to resent the older generation and political leadership . During the 1950s Notosusanto wrote extensively , focusing on essays but also writing poems and , later , short stories ; the last of his creative works were written around 1956 . He published four short story anthologies between 1958 and 1963 . The first , " Hudjan Kepagian " ( " Morning Rain " ) , consisted of six short stories . It dealt with the struggle against the Dutch colonists during the revolution . His second anthology , " Tiga Kota " ( " Three Cities " ) , was published the following year and followed events in three cities : Rembang , Yogyakarta , and Jakarta . The others , and his numerous stories which were published outside of anthologies , mostly dealt with the war and the positive effects of revolution . Aside from his writing , Notosusanto was active in student and political organisations , the student press , and academic conferences . With other students he picketed the British and French embassies in Jakarta , supporting independence for Egypt and Algiers . He also travelled extensively , visiting Malaysia , Singapore , the Philippines , Japan , and the US on academic sorties . He completed his bachelour ' s degree in history from UI in 1958 , becoming a lecturer at UI after graduation . On 12 December 1960 he married Irma Sawitri Ramelan ( better known as Lilik ) . Together they had three children : Indrya Smita , Inggita Sukma , and Norottama . Historian . By the early 1960s Notosusanto had abandoned his literary career , focusing instead on history . In 1960 he received a scholarship from the Rockefeller Foundation to study at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London , England . He dropped out in 1961 , and returned to Indonesia in 1962 . Around this time he was recruited by General Abdul Haris Nasution to provide a version of the revolution amenable to the Indonesian Army and counter a Communist Party of Indonesia - backed history which ignored the Madiun Affair of 1948 . In 1964 he was chosen as head of the Department of Military History . He also worked as a lecturer at UI . During the mid - to - late 1960s Notosusanto wrote extensively on the military history of Indonesia , including a book on Supriyadi ' s anti - Japanese rebellion in 1945 and the Battle of Surabaya . His 1968 book on the 30 September Movement coup in 1965 , written in collaboration with Ismail Saleh and entitled " The Coup Attempt of the 30 September Movement in Indonesia " , was the first on the subject to be published . It was later used as the basis for the pro - Suharto film " Pengkhianatan G30S / PKI " ( " Treachery of G30S / PKI " ; 1984 ) , for which Notosusanto received a writing credit . Sometime after 1968 Notosusanto conceived of Satria Mandala Museum in Jakarta as a modern museum showcasing the military ' s role in the country ' s history . The museum , modeled after the Australian War Memorial in Canberra and the Museo Nacional de Historia in Mexico City , Mexico , opened in 1972 and contained numerous dioramas . In a later pamphlet Notosusanto wrote that dioramas were necessary as " the habit of reading is still developing . . . [ thus ] historical visualisation remains an effective way to express the identity of ABRI " . In existing museums he revised the dioramas to better suit the needs of the New Order government . During this period Notosusanto continued to teach , although he also became involved with administrative work at UI . He served as assistant dean at the university ' s faculty of literature between 1963 and 1964 , later serving as assistant rector from 1964 to 1967 . After writing his thesis on " The Peta Army During the Japanese Occupation in Indonesia " , Notosusanto received his doctorate in 1977 from UI ; the thesis was translated into Indonesian and published in 1979 by Gramedia . Two years later he was made a full professor . Notosusanto was made a member of the Fourth Development Cabinet when it was formed on 16 March 1983 , replacing outgoing minister Daud Jusuf and taking office three days later . During his two years as minister he worked on several programmes , including compulsory education and student selection systems . He also instituted a new curriculum , replacing the one which had been in use since 1975 and promoting the humanities . Concurrently with his work as Minister of Education and Culture , Notosusanto served as rector of UI ; students were disapproving of his selection , considering him a military official sent to limit their freedom . He died at his Jakarta home on 3 June 1985 after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage and was buried at Kalibata Heroes ' Cemetery . At the time he was a brigadier general , the highest rank then available for civilians in military service . Legacy . For his military and civilian service , Notosusanto received several awards from the Indonesian government , including the Bintang Dharma , Bintang Gerilya , Bintang Yudha , Dharma Naraya , and Satyalencana Penegak . McGregor describes him as " the central propagandist of the New Order regime " , writing that he worked " tirelessly " to support the military . She argues that he controlled a " cult of personality " built around President Suharto , giving the reorganisation of history museums as an example . According to McGregor , Notosusanto relegated the country ' s first president , Sukarno , to a background role while he " inserted Suharto , together with other military men , into new places " , legitimising the New Order government .