Office of the Historian

131. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Netherlands1

Washington, December 30, 1955—8:06 p.m.

1008. Djakarta’s 1452 (pouched The Hague by Dept).2 The Hague’s 943 rptd Djakarta 52.3 Both Dutch and Indonesians have requested US assistance in current Indo-Dutch negotiations re outstanding differences. Dutch have requested we warn Indonesian Government of impossibility success current Indo-Dutch discussions unless question Dutch prisoners held by Indonesians is settled. (They have made similar approach to UK, Belgium, Pakistan, India and Australia.) Indonesians have requested we re-examine our position on New Guinea to see if there is anything we can do with Dutch, Indonesians or both to help bring Indo-Dutch negotiations to successful conclusion.

Department continues appreciate problems confronting both Dutch and Indonesians in endeavoring work out their differences. After careful consideration requests from both sides, however, Department has decided it cannot accede to Dutch or Indonesian request without vitiating US policy of neutrality which has been consistently followed and to which Department wishes continue adhere strictly.

Embassy Djakarta should inform Indonesian Government Jan 3 its request given serious consideration but US has decided, in keeping with its policy strict neutrality it cannot intervene.4

Department will respond similarly on Jan 3 to Dutch request.5

Re reaction Department to Dutch approach, as reported The Hague’s 943, Departmental officers did not comment on substance prisoners issue or Dutch démarche as such when it raised with Department by Ketel, First Secretary Dutch Embassy. They made clear they in no position give immediate answer but assured Ketel Dutch request would be carefully studied and response given as soon as practicable. Ketel made repeated assertion Indonesian treatment [Page 222] Dutch prisoners in same category as Chinese treatment American prisoners, which Department officer informally, without going into merits, questioned as to Indonesian reaction such assertion.

Dulles
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 656.56D13/12 955. Confidential. Also sent to Djakarta and repeated to Brussels, Canberra, Geneva, Karachi, London, and New Delhi. Drafted in WE, approved in FE, and cleared with EUR and PSA.↩
  2. Document 127.↩
  3. Telegram 943 from The Hague, December 29, reported that the Netherlands Foreign Office was disappointed in the initial U.S. reaction to a December 23 approach to the Department of State by the Netherlands Embassy concerning the Dutch prisoners in Indonesia. (Department of State, Central Files, 656.56D13/12–2955) The Netherlands request for U.S. intervention with Indonesia concerning the prisoners was delivered on December 23 by First Secretary Ketel of the Netherlands Embassy. (Memorandum of conversation by Young, December 23; ibid., 656.56D/12–2355)↩
  4. Telegram 1551 from Djakarta, January 4, 1956, reported that the U.S. position had been given to Sudarsono. (Ibid., 656.56D13/1–456)↩
  5. No record of this conversation has been found in Department of State files.↩