Office of the Historian

501.BC/7–3147: Telegram

The Ambassador in the Netherlands (Baruch) to the Secretary of State

confidential
niact
The Hague, July 31, 1947—3 a.m.

557. Following is transcript verbal message which Vredenburch gave Embassy tonight as transmitted by telephone by Ambassador.

Van Kleffens has received instructions to make following statement on Netherlands position if queried whether proffer of United States good offices acceptable on Indonesian situation:

Inform United States Government police measures which we were forced to take were intended put end to untenable situation will be concluded within next few days. On that occasion Netherlands Government will gladly avail themselves United States Government’s good offices in order renew consultations with the Republic which consultations were always envisaged by Netherlands Government.

We (Dutch) consider that British are no longer free agent (re good offices) for the following reasons:

(1)
Australia has brought the Indonesian situation to attention Security Council under Chapter VII—this procedure can only be considered as unfriendly;
(2)
India has now also brought Indonesian question attention Security Council and, furthermore, India has informed us that KLM services will no longer be allowed land Karachi and Calcutta—this means that India is taking action unilaterally without awaiting conclusion Security Council;
(3)
United Kingdom has been forced by public opinion suspend shipment military supplies Netherlands East Indies and has also informed Netherlands that military equipment this country would only be shipped if we (Dutch) undertook that these goods would not be re-exported;
(4)
Knowing interests British in Arabia, action taken by Egypt and other Arabic states in concluding treaties with Republic would not ease British position in that area.69

All this leads us (Dutch) to conclusion that we are doing British favor by not asking them tender good offices once more as they are through force circumstance in impossible situation. End instructions to Van Kleffens.

Orally Vredenburch stated that Dutch still stand by Linggadjati but are not prepared to withdraw troops from present positions fearing reprisals; however, Dutch would accept supervisory United States commission to show good faith Linggadjati at a MacArthur, Eisenhower, Wedemeyer70 level but insist on truce effective where economic potential of Indonesia can be realized; proposal of joint police force still maintains to point where local population will no longer be “terrorized”.

Vredenburch emphasized point that if Australia had not taken today’s action above information would have been submitted to both United States and United Kingdom, but, under circumstances, Dutch decided advise United States only for present.

Sent Department as 557; repeated London as 82. Department please pass Batavia.

Baruch
  1. Telegram 920, July 31, 1 p.m., from Cairo, reported the text of Egypt’s offer of good offices to the Netherlands in the Indonesian case (856E.00/7–3147).↩
  2. General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander, Allied Powers, Japan; General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower, Chief of Staff, U.S.A.; and Lt. Gen. Albert C. Wedemeyer, U.S.A., President Truman’s Special Representative to China and Korea (July–September).↩