Cablegram 1288 WASHINGTON, 19 December 1948, 8.46 p.m.
MOST IMMEDIATE SECRET
Indonesia Jessup’s instructions are- (1) [Cite] [1] report [2] sent today by Critchley and Cochran from Batavia in which Committee of Good Offices calls upon the Security Council to consider with the utmost urgency the outbreak of hostilities in Indonesia in violation of the Truce Agreement.
(2) Urge the Council to call for an immediate cease fire, need for which is under-scored in above report.
(3) Propose that Council ask the Good Offices Committee to report the facts and assess the blame.
2. Jessup is also authorised to support a call by the Council for the withdrawal of forces to the status quo line.
3. State Department stress that these are initial steps only.
4. State Department is concerned by report from Jessup that Australian representatives in Paris would blame United States for failing to prevent Dutch action. While it may be true that United States could have used stronger pressure on Dutch, we feel that public statement to that effect would not assist and might even lessen chance of vigorous United States action now. [3]
5. Latest United States information is that Djokjakarta is in Dutch hands and that all Republican leaders including Soekarno, Sjahrir and Hatta are prisoners.
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1 The word ‘cite’ has been inserted from a copy on file AA:A3300/7, 688. The cited copy here reads ‘Committee’.
2 See Document 392.
3 In Cablegram P275, dispatched at 5.15 p.m. on 20 December, the Department of External Affairs instructed Hodgson to avoid any suggestion that responsibility for the Dutch police action rested with the United States.
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[AA:A1838, 403/3/1/1, xx]