This atmospheric mansion saw historic events as Indonesia proclaimed its independence at the end of WWII. It was the home of the Japanese naval commander Tadashi Maeda and is where, on 16 August 1945, Sukarno and Hatta were convinced the time had come to compose the proclamation that was announced the following day. The museum features the meeting room of those present that night and includes details like the typewriter where the words were pounded out.
A brief message to the world, the proclamation was forced by youth groups, notably the Menteng 31 Asrama (whose leader Adam Malik later had a house down the street at Jl Diponegoro 29). They 'kidnapped' Sukarno and Hatta and forced them to stop dithering and declare independence. The final draft was worked out with the assistance of Admiral Maeda, who had always been sympathetic to the independence movement and helped the cause as the Japanese waited to surrender to Allied forces.