501.BC Indonesia/10–1647
Memorandum of Conversations by the Acting Assistant Chief of the Division of Southeast Asian Affairs (Lacy)
Mr. Reuchlin called at his request at 5:30 p.m. He handed me the attached paper which he said had been telephoned to him by Mr. van Kleffens in New York; Mr. van Kleffens had received it from the Secretary General, UN.
Mr. Reuchlin asked me if I thought that the adoption of a position by the Indonesians, as set forth in the attached paper, would change the US position in respect of the withdrawal of the armed forces of the Dutch and Indonesians from their present positions. Mr. Reuchlin said that he understood that the US would support the United Kingdom resolution as amended by the Belgians.
I told Mr. Reuchlin that I did not believe that the adoption of such a position by the Indonesians would require a change in the US position, as set forth by Senator Austin in discussions of the Security Council; that the United States would, in my opinion, continue to oppose the principles embodied in the resolutions offered by the USSR and Australia; that I did not know whether the United States would support the United Kingdom resolution or not.
Mr. Reuchlin expressed the hope that the United States would not agree to any action on the part of the Security Council which would [Page 1059] prejudice the final recommendation of the Security Council’s Good Offices Committee. I said the Department was particularly concerned to avoid taking any such position.
I reminded Mr. Reuchlin that the views expressed were my own as I had not had the opportunity to consult other interested officers in the Department.