501.BC Indonesia/7–3147
Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, by the Under Secretary of State (Lovett)
Immediately on receipt of the President’s approval to conversations with the Dutch looking toward the possibility of a U.S. offer of good offices, we endeavored to reach the Dutch Ambassador and were told that he was at the White House and was leaving by plane at one o’clock. At 12:45 we pulled him off the plane at the National Airport and, by phone, indicated that this Government was disposed to be helpful and, if necessary, would be available to offer its good offices in the hopes that it might remove from or compose the difficulties in the Security Council.
[Page 1003]The Ambassador said he was on the way to the meeting this afternoon in New York and told me that he had late yesterday afternoon wired his Government, making two observations. First, in spite of the Dutch position that the United Nations had no jurisdiction in this matter, the Dutch Government must consider the very important effect that its position would have on public opinion. He had indicated to his Government that public opinion was of extreme importance and, because of that, he made his second point to his Government, which was a recommendation that the Dutch offer at the United Nations or in other appropriate circumstances to invite the “representatives of several governments” to go to the spot and inspect the situation and make recommendations. He stated that he had received a reply this morning indicating that the Dutch Government was favorably disposed toward his suggestion and said that, in his opinion, it did not remove the possibility of their ultimately or in addition asking for United States good offices.