Cablegram 278 PARIS, 22 December 1948, 11.10 p.m.
IMMEDIATE
This afternoon’s meeting of Council [1] devoted to statements by Palar and Jessup. We are reporting separately in cypher on proceedings generally.
Palar made statement claiming that latest Dutch action part of long-term plan of which vital part was delay. G.O.C. reports have proved Dutch responsible for five months delay. Blockade, a breach of Article Six of Renville [2], has been aimed at Economic strangulation. Political activities which have been of same nature were supposed to be concern of G.O.C. which Dutch have consistently by-passed. Having at last got their forces ready they have tried with a final blow to finish question. How wrong they are they will find out. The infiltrations they make so much of are often spontaneous uprisings behind Dutch lines and at other times consist of Indonesians visiting their families. This is a social and not military [or] a political problem. Uprisings in East and West Java are clear indication of hate and growing distrust of Dutch army of occupation. Dutch have not quelled many of disturbances as they wished to have excuse to retain their armies where they were. It is not that Republic is not adhering to agreements made, as the Dutch claim, it is that the Republic will not adhere to Dutch interpretations of these agreements. Dutch interpretation of truce agreement as allowing them to set up states in disputed areas is an example of such methods. One of the reasons for the police action was that Sockarno would not be there to approve Governmental decisions yet the Dutch now claim to have captured him. Dutch demands amounted to ultimatum which would have led to complete dissolution of the Republic. Circumstances of time limit and methods of communication are obvious. Palar warned that Republic would never give in and predicted guerrilla warfare for years. Conflagration, started by Dutch, will not be confined to Republican territory. Already repercussions have occurred in West Java and East Indonesia showing both solidarity of people and falseness of Dutch claims about the Governments they have set up.
Asked for immediate and positive action on part of Council to order cease-fire and withdrawal and stressed that positive achievement could only be achieved by continuation of Council’s Committee in Indonesia.
Jessup stated that U.S. position basically same as 1947. In recalling terms of 1947 resolution [3], Jessup asserted that U.S.
had never been in doubt as to competence of Council acting under article 40 to order a cease fire and to see that it was carried out. It had been then an outbreak of hostilities threatening international peace and security and the present situation is at least as serious. No question of what is going on as Dutch have quite openly and formally broken truce and Council has been called upon urgently by G.O.C. to consider breach of truce provisions of Renville.
Efforts of G.O.C. for more than a year have been unremitting. Long delays in political agreements have brought economic difficulties and deterioration in relations which were always a danger to continuation of negotiations. Insufficient efforts have been made to use G.O.C. U.S. fails to find any justification for resumption of military action, especially after seven months when G.O.C. not used. If violations of truce so frequent then Dutch should have reported direct to Security Council.
It was necessary under Article Ten of truce agreement [4] to notify Committee. Committee was separated yet in middle of night, one hour before truce ended, Dutch gave notice to U.S.
representative, who was unable to communicate with Australian and Belgian representatives because Dutch had cut communications.
There was, therefore, not really a notification to Committee at all and Article Ten was infringed.
Latest telegram from G.O.C. (reported in our earlier en clair [5]) of considerable value in estimating causes. U.S. was of opinion that Committee should be instructed to prepare report assessing responsibility for failure to reach a settlement. Council should know why method of Good Offices failed. This, however, would take time. Council’s own order of August first 1947 had been infringed and this must be dealt with at once. Security Council should order cease-fire and withdrawal of troops behind truce lines set up by Renville. First August decision still binding on both parties.
U.S. regards new outbreak with great seriousness and feels that it might lead to grave threat to peace and security.
U.S., Syrian, Colombian resolution [6] to give effect to above submitted.
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1 The full text of the proceedings in the Security Council on the afternoon of 22 December is given in United Nations, Security Council Official Records, Third Year, 389th Meeting, PP.31-49.
2 See Article 6 of Document 22.
3 i.e. the terms of the resolution adopted by the Security Council on 1 August 1947. See Documents 224 and 225 in Volume XI.
4 See Article 10 of Document 22.
5 A reference to the report from the Committee of Good Offices dated 21 December (see Document 427) which was reported by Hodgson in Document Cablegram 504 (Document 441).
6 See Document 407.
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[AA:1838, 854/10/4/3, iiib]