Cablegram Hag 225 THE HAGUE, 22 December 1947, 2.50 p.m.
IMMEDIATE SECRET
Indonesia.
Director of the political section asked me to call urgently this morning.
2. He spoke with some heat of the Australian attitude at the last meeting of the Security Council and the repetition of [suggestion] the Dutch Government were delaying proceedings. [1] He referred to repeated assurances that they desired early implementing of the cease-fire (my telegram 214 [2]). They had hoped when they accepted Australia remaining on the Commi[ttee] of Three that there would be no hostile criticism in the Council until the Commi[ttee] verbally reported (my telegram 207 [3] paragraph 7).
Finally he doubted the wisdom of their advice to the Prime Minister to accept the invitation to Australia [4] as they felt that in the present atmosphere the visit would be useless.
3. As I have only brief and unsatisfactory press report of the Council meeting, I could not discuss that aspect but emphasised again the value of Kirby’s work and my hope that the Prime Minister’s visit would take place. But for the time being the atmosphere here is very cold like that of early August (see my telegram 134 [5]).
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1 See Document 480. Hood’s statement to the Security Council referred to ‘tendencies towards delay’ in the implementation of the cease-fire and to reports of movements by Dutch forces which, if substantiated, would not be in accord with the intentions of the Council in issuing the cease-fire order. See also Document 474.
2 Dispatched on 11 December, it reported that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had assured Officer that the Netherlands Government desired a peaceful settlement and that it believed that the first step had to be a complete cessation of hostilities.
3 Document 447.
4 See Document 469 and note 2 thereto.
5 Document 267.
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[AA:A1838/283, 403/3/1/1, xiii]