756D.94/180
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Adviser on Political Relations (Hornbeck)
The Netherlands Minister called me on the telephone at 11 o’clock last evening and said that he had a very urgent telegram from the Netherlands East Indies Government. He was going to New York today and he wished to inform me of this matter at the earliest possible moment. The Minister called on me by appointment at 9:30 this morning and read me his telegram, which conveyed the essence of the Japanese proposals for the agenda of the conference which is in its preliminary stages at Batavia. What he read corresponded substantially with the summary reported in our telegram from Batavia of January 21, 11 a.m. Mr. Loudon said that his telegram stated that the Netherlands East Indies authorities found these proposals entirely unacceptable.—I informed Mr. Loudon that the reports given us corresponded with the report which he had, and I told him in confidence of the substance of our telegram from Batavia of January 22, 3 p.m. Mr. Loudon desired that this matter be brought immediately to the attention of the Under Secretary. I said that I had no doubt that the Under Secretary had already read the telegrams which we have on the subject. I stated that Mr. Foote reports in detail but with exercise of skillful discretion. I said that I would inform the Under Secretary immediately of Mr. Loudon’s call.52
Mr. Loudon said that he was leaving for New York at noon to be gone over the week-end, but that he could easily be reached through Baron van Boetzelaer.53