was disbanded, Murtopo did not have as much power or the leeway to use it as he did in the first few years of the regime. He was however still loyal to Suharto and in turn, Suharto still had confidence in him. When the matter of East Timor's decolonization emerged, Murtopo was entrusted with heading Operasi Komodo in early 1975, a covert operation set up with the hopes of having East Timor integrate with Indonesia with the help of pro-Indonesian forces in East Timor and without Indonesia having to resort to military means. He was also part of the diplomacy, being sent as a special envoy to Portugal to gauge the opinion of East Timor's then colonial rulers and give a warning to the East Timorese in August 1975 that Indonesia would not tolerate an independent East Timor under the government of Fretilin. In 1977, Murtopo was plagued by health problems but nevertheless he still had ambitions for the future; hoping that he would either be made the Head of Bakin or become the Minister of Home Affairs. Ali got neither position, being named instead in 1978 as the Minister of Information in the Third Development Cabinet. After five years serving as a Minister, Murtopo became the Vice Chairman of the Supreme Advisory Council (DPA). Death Ali Murtopo died on 15 May 1984. He was buried at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery in Jakarta. Additional reading Moertopo, Ali. 1972. Some Basic Thoughts on the Acceleration and Modernization of 25 Years’ Development. Jakarta: Yayasan Proklamasi, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, originally published as Dasar-dasar Pemikiran tentang Akselerasi Modernisasi Pembangunan 25 Tahun. Centre for Strategic and International Studies. 2004. Ali Moertopo 1924 - 1984. Jakarta: Centre for Strategic and International Studies, . Tempo. 2017. Ali Moertopo, Jakarta: KPG (Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia), . Notes 1924 births 1984 deaths Indonesian generals