Cablegram UN1191 NEW YORK, 2 December 1947, 11.55 p.m.
SECRET
Security 530.
Indonesia.
Your 719 [1] was transmitted to Washington by telekrypton 29th November and we understand Ambassador plans to discuss the matter with the State Department tomorrow. [2] The United States Delegation here who had received copy of Graham’s telegram agree that Australia should continue on the Committee. They are awaiting instructions.
2. As regards Australia’s rights in the Security Council itself after 31st December we are confident that a request at that time to participate in any Council discussion on Indonesia could not be refused in view of the participation by India and the Philippines this year. Attempt to secure decision in advance on this point would therefore seem unnecessary unless we could at the same time obtain the right to vote. In view of the fact that there is no provision in the Charter for voting by non-members of the Council it would be difficult to argue that a country even if acting on behalf of the Security Council should have a vote when the matter continues beyond its term of office. We will sound out Secretary- General and other Delegations who might support us if we made it a firm objective.
3. We have received very little information regarding the work of the Committee of Good Offices apart from published information based on reports by the Secretariat. it would be helpful in case we are called upon to take any action in the Security Council if you could let us have from time to time a short account of the situation.
4. Palar, the Indonesian representative in New York, informed us today that he was contemplating bringing to the attention of the Council certain evidence relating to the abrogation by the [Dutch] [3] of the Linggadjati Agreement. He stated that Indonesian Government was divided on question whether Linggadjati Agreement should be taken as basis for negotiations in view of fact that United States apparently accepted Dutch interpretation of the agreement. Pending your advice we suggested to him that it would serve no useful purpose to raise this question in the Council.
Please confirm that we should discourage Palar.
5. Palar indicated that he did not intend to press at this stage request [from] the Government of Indonesia for appointment of a Security Council Commission to supervise [territories] [4] handed back to Republican control. (See Doc. S/590. [5]) However there is a possibility that some other member of the Council e.g. U.S.S.R.
may request a meeting to discuss the Indonesian communication.
6. Report of Committee on choice of U.S.S. Renville as site of negotiations has just been received [6] and may be made occasion for debate on progress of Committee’s work.
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1 Document 442.
2 See Document 451.
3 Amended in accord with a correcting cablegram dispatched on 3 December (on the same file as the cited copy). The text originally read ‘Council’.
4 The cited copy reads ‘treaties’.
5 Not printed.
6 Dated 1 December, the report is given in United Nations, Security Council Official Records, Second Year, Supplement No.20, pp.171-2.
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[AA:A1838/274, 854/10/4/2, ii]