Cablegram Hag 119 THE HAGUE, 20 July 1947, 9.10 p.m.
MOST IMMEDIATE TOP SECRET
INDONESIA
My immediately preceding telegram 118. [1] After the Foreign Minister had advised me of the contents of memorandum, I said that I felt that I should immediately inform him of what I believed would be your views.
2. After weeks of patient negotiations and several breakdowns the stage had been reached when little remained but to set up an interim Government. But recently the attitude of patience had been replaced by one of threat and ultimatum. So much so as to raise fears that those in Batavia and here who had always desired negotiations to fail because they believed in force, had won their way. You and other Governments would feel that with a draw almost made the game had been discontinued and would condemn in strong terms this action. At the most there might have been a final warning that it would be taken within a certain space of time so as to allow the Republican Government another and last chance.
3. I feared that police measures of a limited character would amount soon to nothing less than complete military action and ensuing destruction would be far more than anything done so far. I doubted whether any number of Indonesians would take sides against their own people.
4. The Minister for Foreign Affairs took them in good part and seemed to be unhappy and ill at ease, so confirming my fears that Van Mook and his local Cabinet have had their way at last.
_
1 Document 126.
_
[AA:A1838/283, 403/3/1/1, viii]