Cablegram Hag 200 THE HAGUE, 18 December 1948, 5.35 p.m.
MOST IMMEDIATE SECRET
I was called to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at 1430 hours [Saturday] [1] and was handed by the Political Director a memorandum on the decision of the Netherlands Government ‘to authorize the high representative of the crown to take without any further delay such measures as he considers necessary to re- establish conditions of peace and security in the whole of Indonesia’.
2. Boon stated that the memorandum in question had not been prepared until 1300 hours and that I was the first representative of ‘friendly powers’ to receive copy. Dutch are now transmitting the memorandum to the Committee of Good Offices and Teppema.
3. He described the memorandum as self-explanatory but added that cabinet’s decision was unanimous and while it had been reached with great regret it was regarded by the Government as representing the feeling of the Dutch people as a whole.
4. My immediately following telegram summarizes arguments set forth in memorandum.
_
1 The word ‘Saturday’ was inserted by hand on the cited copy and the word ‘Thursday’ crossed out.
_
[AA:A1838, 854/10/4/2, vii]