Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, The Far East, Volume VI

856E.00/8–847: Telegram

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

confidential
us urgent

The Hague, August 8, 1947—2 p.m.

584. Embtel 557, July 31. Acting Chief Political Section states that FonOff again considerably annoyed by Chifley’s proposal for Australian arbitration of Indo situation. He said Netherlands Government was still as firmly opposed as previously to arbitration of question and now hoping that US would send top flight commission as expeditiously as possible to Indo as Republic could not in his opinion do otherwise than accept US action in this regard. He said all-important thing at the moment was to “reduce temperature” of situation with all possible haste. When asked for clarification of Netherlands Government’s present conception force of Linggadjati Agreement, he said that in terms of contract, agreement was now abrogated but that Netherlands Government felt itself morally bound to maintenance of Linggadjati principles and that Dutch would presumably seek any new contract on this basis.

Sent Dept; repeated London 90.

Department pass to Batavia.

Baruch