Office of the Historian

357.AA/1–3051: Telegram

The Ambassador in Indonesia (Cochran) to the Secretary of State

confidential
Djakarta, January 30, 1951—4 p. m.

1016. Gocus 944. From Cochran and Beam.1 We appreciate position taken by Department re UNCI2 outlined Usgoc 493.3 We think it might be useful if Department would now initiate concerted campaign with all interested parties close up UNCI soonest. While Ambonese problem not yet finally settled, fair prospect ex-KNIL and KL will be removed Indo end March.4 Roem5 and Simatupang6 have strongly stressed wish terminate UNCI soon as possible after that date and it appears likely Indo Government any event will request removal military observer. Roem emphasized previous UNCI good work and said would be most deplorable if commission’s prestige should suffer by indefinite continuation after all conceivable grounds for its existence had ceased.

Secretariat here agrees with us and probably Australia can be pushed adopt our viewpoint. Belgians likely follow Dutch. Believe Department already has sufficient arguments dissolution UNCI but following considerations may help. With Dutch Government change now looks as if further Irian7 discussions and solution may be indefinitely delayed. In last three months UNCI has had literally nothing [Page 591] to do. Last meeting with Indos and Dutch took place in contact committee October 25. Except for Natsir’s letter (Gocus 933)8 neither party has addressed communication of substance to UNCI in all these months. In fact neither party has shown any initiative in even keeping UNCI informed current developments. While UNCI’s personal relations with both delegates are good, UNCI chairman9 has had to seek information in individual periodic calls. As indicated above, Indos frankly advocate UNCI dissolution and if Dutch still possess any interest in UNCI on the spot they certainly have not shown it. [Cochran and Beam.]

Cochran
  1. Jacob D. Beam, Consul General and Counselor of the Embassy in Indonesia and Acting U.S. Representative on the United Nations Commission for Indonesia.↩
  2. United Nations Commission for Indonesia. For documentation on its activities, see Foreign Relations, 1950, vol. vi, pp. 979 ff.↩
  3. In telegram 770 (Usgoc 493) to Djakarta, January 26, the Embassy was informed that it should work for the earliest possible dissolution of the UNCI (357.AA/1–2551).↩
  4. For documentation on the Ambonese problem, see Foreign Relations, 1950, vol. vi, pp. 1082 ff.↩
  5. The reference is to Mohammad Rum, Foreign Minister of Indonesia. Ambassador Cochran in his cables used both spellings.↩
  6. Col. T. B. Simatupang, Acting Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces.↩
  7. Netherlands New Guinea.↩
  8. Not printed.↩
  9. There was no permanent chairman of the UNCI; the position rotated among the representatives of the nations participating on the commission.↩