The world's second largest island, which is situated in the Western Pacific, was given the name "New Guinea" by the Spaniard Ortiz de Retes in 1545. Colonial powers let the people of the island alone for some 300 years afterwards. In 1883, the island was carved up between the Dutch, the Germans and the British. The Dutch took control of the western half of the island, which they had been claiming since 1828. The British took the north of the eastern half, the Germans, the south. From the early fifties, Australia was to administer both eastern parts. In 1975 Papua New Guinea, the eastern half of New Guinea island, gained full independence.

The Dutch administration largely neglected West New Guinea; it was mainly Catholic and Protestant missionaries who concerned themselves with the Papuans there.

Perhaps the decisive point in Papuan history came on 17 August, 1945, when the Republic of Indonesia was proclaimed. Dr. Mohammed Hatta, who was to be a member of the new republic's first cabinet, in deliberations over the proposed extent of "Indonesia", had stated on 11 July 1945 "the Papuan people, too, are entitled to become a free nation."

The Dutch recognised Indonesia's independence in 1949. West New Guinea's future was to be the subject of discussions within one year between the Netherlands and Indonesia.

In 1952, the Netherlands recognised Papuan self-determination as a right in accordance with Article 73 of the Charter of the United Nations, and began preparing the nation for independence. The territory was given a governor and an administration of its own, directly under the Hague. Had not Indonesia interfered, West Papua would have achieved self-determination by 1970.

Indonesia continued to claim the territory on the basis that New Guinea formed part of the colonial territory of the Dutch East Indies. Between 1954 and 1960, West New Guinea was an annual issue for discussion at the UN General Assembly.

In 1961, various steps towards self-determination took place:

a New Guinea Council, the first parliament, was installed;

the Dutch Foreign Minister, Joseph Luns, launched his plan to have West New Guinea put under UN control, an idea which Indonesia rejected;

a group of African countries, the Brazzaville Group, called for the territory to be put provisionally under international control;

on 19 October the Papuan National Committee introduced the national anthem and the Papuan flag ( officially put to use on 1 December ), and decided that in future their country should be called West Papua.

Unable to gain the territory peacefully, President Sukarno chose armed conflict to force the issue. On 15 January 1962, a minor naval battle took place between the Netherlands and Indonesia. Pressure from the United States, and pressure from interest groups within the Netherlands who wanted to keep friendly with their former colony, mounted. The Dutch went into secret negotiations with Indonesia sponsored by the United States.

The US in particular wanted to mend relations with Indonesia, which had been deteriorating through the 1950s because of US support for regional rebellions in Sumatra and North Sulawesi. Indonesia was also buying arms from the Soviet Union and from Eastern European countries.

John F. Kennedy, who became US President in 1961, sent his brother Robert, US Attorney-General, to visit both the Netherlands and Indonesia.

The Australian government, which had been a firm supporter of the Dutch position, completely reversed its policy on West New Guinea in 1962.

President Kennedy's emissary, Ellsworth Bunker, brought the two sides together, and by August 1962, the "New York Agreement" was concluded between the Netherlands and Indonesia. This agreement, which was ratified by the UN General Assembly on 21 September 1962, stipulated that the Netherlands was to leave West New Guinea and transfer authority to a United Nations Temporary Executive Authority ( UNTEA ) on 1 October.* The UNTEA was to hand West New Guinea over to Indonesia on 1 May 1963. The Papuans were never consulted.

The Agreement also stipulated that the Papuans had a right to self-determination. It stipulated that the Papuans would, within six years, determine, in a free and fair manner, whether they wanted to remain under Indonesian control, or whether they would strike out on their own for independence. However, the Indonesian administration could control the territory for up to six years before any Papuan desire for independence could be expressed.

*Despite the presence of the UN from 1st October 1962 to 1 May 1963, most of the officials employed by the UN were Indonesians, so Indonesia had effective control before the hand-over date. Indonesian soldiers and police also carried out arrests, intimidation and torture on Papuans during the UNTEA period.