Richard W. Franke served as a professor of anthropology at the Montclair State University from 1972 to 2009. He edited the U.S. Tapol Bulletin, the official publication of Tapol USA, from 1975 until 1980. The UK-based Tapol was initially formed in 1973 as an advocacy organization to support political prisoners in Indonesia. Their mission later expanded to encompass general human rights concerns in Indonesia and East Timor. The now defunct U.S. branch of Tapol was located in Montclair, New Jersey. Franke also wrote extensively on East Timor and Indonesia for many publications, including the Guardian and the Bulletin of Concerned Asian Scholars .
From the guide to the Richard W. Franke Files on Indonesia and East Timor, circa 1965-circa 1990, (Tamiment Library / Wagner Archives)
