Cablegram Hag [1] 51 THE HAGUE, 13 April 1947, 6.50 p.m.
MOST IMMEDIATE SECRET
Reference your telegrams 36 and 37. [2]
Last night Van Vredenburch, Head of Political Division of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asked me to meet him early this morning, April 13th. He informed me advice had been received from the Netherlands Charge D’Affaires, Canberra, concerning your request to send small party of officials to Batavia. He told me informally that the Netherlands Government regretted it could not at this juncture authorise the Charge D’Affaires to issue visas.
2. Later, after receipt of your telegrams, I called on him again and advised him of your request that the Netherlands Charge D’Affaires be authorised to issue visas immediately. I impressed on him the urgency of the case and the mutual benefit.
3. I was informed that the Netherlands Government, with much regret, would not accede to your request.
4. Informally, I was told that the Government did not consider the time opportune for the Netherlands East Indies authorities to enter into discussions with Third Party as they were involved now in discussions with Indonesians concerning inter alia economic reconstruction and these were reaching a delicate stage.
5. Finally, I was advised informally that the Cabinet was meeting tomorrow afternoon and it might review its decision.
6. My impression is that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sincerely hopes you will see fit not to press the matter at this juncture, vide our telegram 50. [3]
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1 Variously prefixed ‘Hague’ or ‘Hag’, cablegrams from the Australian Legation in The Hague formed a single series.
2 Both dispatched on 13 April, these cablegrams conveyed a summary of the proposal to send an Australian mission to Java for talks on trade and advised that it was understood that the Netherlands Legation in Canberra had cabled the Dutch authorities at The Hague and Batavia recommending cooperation in the matter.
3 Document 28.
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[AA:A1838/2, 401/3/2, i]