In guerrilla warfare such as the Indonesian War of Independence, intelligence is critical for achieving military success. No wonder, then, that the Netherlands and the Republic of Indonesia waged a grim intelligence war from 1945-1949 by means of espionage, infiltration and other – often extremely violent – methods, including the interrogation of prisoners. In addition, both Dutch and Indonesians set up – with varying degrees of success – an extensive alarm system to warn their own troops of attacks in advance.

Until recently, little was known about the complex Dutch-Indonesian intelligence struggle and its impact on the population. This book offers an analysis of this aspect of the war, focusing on the actions of the Dutch military intelligence services. An important question is to what extent the Dutch intelligence services used torture and abuse. ‘Stumbling in the Dark’ thus provides new insights into the nature and extent of the extreme use of force by the Dutch armed forces in the Indonesian War of Independence.