Cablegram 1305 WASHINGTON, 23 December 1948
MOST IMMEDIATE CONFIDENTIAL
INDONESIA
Your 1O23 [1] badly mutilated. State Department fully appreciate necessity for first hand information and are perturbed at recall of military observers to Batavia. Freedom of movement for Committee of Good Offices, and in particular, military observers, is essential corollary to third paragraph to United States resolution. [2] They doubt, however, whether passage of resolution will affect Dutch attitude in this matter and consider most effective course is persistent effort by Committee itself in Batavia along lines used to secure return of Kaliurang Group. We have stressed that support of Australian amendment [3] which assigns definite role to military observers would strengthen third hand.
2.United States consider every effort should be made to ensure Good Offices Committee remains in operation to report to Security Council, but doubt whether it can continue to operate effectively for any long period. Out immediately following telegram [4] contains assessment of United States position on Security Council action and sanctions. Your queries re suspension supplies not yet received. They may be contained in telegrams received indecypherable. We shall try to anticipate queries.
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1 Dispatched on 23 December, it conveyed the text of Document 433.
2 i.e. the instruction to the Committee of Good Offices to report on events in Indonesia Since 12 December and to assess the responsibility for the outbreak of hostilities (see Document 407).
3 See Document 449.
4 Cablegram 1306 was dispatched on 23 December. It reported that the US State Department did not consider that a majority could be secured for a Security Council resolution to impose economic sanctions on the Netherlands although one might be secured for sanctions directed at the Dutch in the NEI.
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[AA:A1838, 854/10/4/3, ii]