Cablegram 389 CANBERRA, 31 December 1947
IMMEDIATE SECRET
Your 351. [1]
You will appreciate that American and Belgian representatives on Committee of Good Offices cannot be expected to entertain feelings of same concern as does Judge Kirby at the effects which Dutch policy is having on Republican position. In the first place Van Zeeland was in effect the Dutch nominee on the Committee, and his approach to the problem has from the beginning been generally sympathetic towards the Dutch. In addition Van Zeeland has been absent from Indonesia for several weeks, and has only just returned. The United States representative, Graham, has agreed with Kirby on most issues, but has not always been prepared to join him in bringing required pressure on Dutch to withdraw their forces in accordance with Security Council resolutions, and in other ways to adopt a more accommodating attitude.
2. Nevertheless it can be said that both Graham and Van Zeeland have in the past few days agreed with the Australian representative on a series of proposals to both parties which, if not as far-reaching as we would have wished, are reported to have induced a perceptible change for the better in the Dutch attitude.
3. We understand, incidentally, that Paul Grey, during his recent visit to Java, advised Republican authorities that in their weakened position they must accept Dutch terms. [2] You might point this out to United Kingdom Government as tendency to undermine Committee’s authority.
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1 Dispatched on 29 December, it advised that Beasley intended to discuss the issues raised in Document 487 with Bevin as well as Noel-Baker and that he thought it would be helpful if in such a discussion he could refer confidentially to the views of Graham and Van Zeeland if they generally agreed with Kirby.
2 See Documents 465 and 477.
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[AA:A1838/274, 854/10/4/2, iii]