Foreign Relations of the United States, 1951, Asia and the Pacific, Volume VI, Part 1

656.56D/1–651: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Embassy in Indonesia

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Washington, January 6, 1951—6 p. m.

682. Following is verbatim text of identical notes to be delivered FonOffs Djakarta and The Hague immed.

“The United States Government has been consulted by the Governments of the Republic of Indonesia and of the Netherlands with respect to its views regarding the future status of Netherlands New Guinea. It will be recalled that the United States Government has, since the conclusion of the Round Table Conference Agreements in the autumn of 1949, publicly stated its view that the future status of Netherlands New Guinea should be determined by negotiations between the Governments of the Republic of Indonesia and of the Netherlands as provided in the Round Table Conference Agreements.

My Government notes with regret that a mutually satisfactory solution of this problem was not reached at the recent conference of the partners of the Netherlands-Indonesian Union at the Hague. It is the view of my Government that the interests of both Union partners can best be served through continued efforts to find a solution of the problem as contemplated in Article 33 of the Charter of the United Nations.

The United States Government maintains its opinion that Indonesia and the Netherlands can continue to build a cordial and mutually beneficial relationship under the Union Statute and under the other provisions of the Round Table Conference Agreements which were freely entered into a little more than a year ago under the auspices of an agency of the United Nations.¹ For these reasons the United States Government urges the Governments of the Netherlands and the Republic of Indonesia earnestly to seek, in a spirit of cooperation, an accommodation with respect to the New Guinea problem in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.”

Put name of Govt to which you are accredited first in each instance above.

Report time date delivery soonest as Dept is informing Embs Wash notes being delivered and wishes provide them copies thereof after delivery.

Sent Djakarta, rptd The Hague both for action as indicated. Rptd USUN for info: rptd London to pass copy of note to FonOff.²

Sent to AmEmbassy Djakarta 682; rptd to AmEmbassy The Hague 799. London 3295. USUN 623.

Acheson

1. The reference is to the United Nations Commission for Indonesia.
2. In telegram 891 from Djakarta, January 7, Ambassador Cochran reported that he had delivered on that same day the text of this note to Mohammad Rum, Foreign Minister of Indonesia (656.56D/1–751). In telegram 983 from The Hague, January 7, the American Ambassador to the Netherlands, Selden Chapin, also reported that he had delivered the text of this message to the Netherlands Foreign Office (756C.00/1–751). Moreover, the Embassy in Australia also received the text of this note in telegram 182, January 7 (756C.00/1–751).