Cablegram 5 LONDON, 12 January 1948, 3.46 p.m.
SECRET
Your telegrams 388 [1], 389. [2]
Indonesia Owing to Noel Baker’s visit to New York and Bevin’s absence on holiday, I only got an appointment with Bevin on Saturday afternoon 10th January.
2. I made the various points in your telegram adding that it would be scandalous if the Dutch as a result of their so-called ‘Police action’ put the Indonesians in a worse position than under the Lingajadi Agreement.
3. Bevin paid tributes to Kirby’s work and said that according to his information (i) Committee of Good Offices had taken a real lead in the past week.
(ii) Dutch were again trying to weaken it by qualifications and conditions.
He had issued instructions that the Dutch were to be told they must not hold up a settlement by Committee by these vague qualifications.
4. Bevin agreed with your concern for the future of South East Asia and said he had frequently put this point of view to the Dutch who had accused him of being worried unduly by problems of food which South East Asia could supply. He blamed the Dutch for breaking a line of countries from Australia to China in which relations between Western countries and nationalist movements could be satisfactory. He said that the Dutch were most foolish not to accept the position reached in the Lingajadi Agreement.
5. I put frankly to Bevin the point about Grey’s advice to the Republicans. Bevin said he had in fact authorised Grey to advise the Republicans that they should accept the Committee’s proposals as even if they appeared to favour the Dutch the Indonesian movement was bound to win however the Dutch tried to restrict their natural development. But he had not advised capitulation to the Dutch.
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1 Not found.
2 Document 497, Volume XI.
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[AA:A1838, 403/3/1/1, xiv]