47

Department of External Affairs to Critchley

Cablegram 33 CANBERRA, 9 February 1948, 6.25 p.m.

IMMEDIATE SECRET

Our 24. [1]

At the request of the Committee of Good Offices we agreed to make available a team of military assistants to work with the Committee on the implementation of the truce agreement. The Australian party is still at Darwin awaiting Dutch permission to enter Java. Unless the Committee obtains Dutch consent within next 48 hours we shall have to consider withdrawing our offer to send any more observers and return the party to Melbourne. It will be clear that we were for our part fully prepared to fall in with the Committee’s request.

_

1 Dispatched on 4 February, it reported that all arrangements were complete for the departure of the Australian Military Assistants from Brisbane on 5 December and requested Critchley to seek from the authorities permission for them to enter the NEI.

_

[AA:A1838, 854/10/4/2, iv]