Cablegram 296 CANBERRA, 3 November 1948, 3 p.m.
While on brief visit to Canberra De Ranitz in the course of general conversation said that Dutch authorities in Java are particularly concerned at alleged frequent and serious breaches of truce agreement by Republicans. He claims that Indonesians are filtering through demilitarized zones and assembling deep in Dutch-controlled territory in groups up to 8,000 strong.
Activities of these groups are alleged to include sabotage, fomentation of unrest, and murder of a number of heads of dessas.
De Ranitz claims that Indonesian authorities have definite evidence that these incursions are not all Communist-inspired but are in some cases promoted by the Republican Government.
2. Your telegrams have reported Dutch complaints about Republican infiltration [1] but we would have assumed that if they had any substance they would have been confirmed by reports of Military Observers in the affected area.
3. Have you any facts concerning De Ranitz’s allegations?
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1 See Documents 278, 286 and 296.
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[AA:A1838, 403/3/1/1, xix]