Cablegrams 102, 647, 32, 79 CANBERRA, 17 February 1949, 5.15 p.m.
IMMEDIATE RESTRICTED
The Australian member [1] of the Indonesian Commission supported the United States representative [2] in suggesting to the Security Council that action be deferred from 15th February to 1st March, only because the United States representative having just returned from The Hague strongly urged that course of action. His concurrence did not imply any justification for Dutch defiance up to the date set down by the Council.
The Dutch Government has now stated it will not release prisoners and will proceed with its own policies and there is therefore open defiance of the Council.
In these circumstances it appears to us that there is no justification for delaying consideration in the Council until March 1st. We are suggesting to the Australian member of the Commission that the previous advice to the Council be withdrawn and that the Commission immediately recommend action to be taken for a settlement.
We assume that United Kingdom, Canada, and U.S.A. will in the light of this open defiance of the United Nations take whatever action may be necessary to give effect to the decisions of the Council already made and will support any further recommendations made by the Commission.
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1 T.K.Critchley.
2 H. Merle Cochran.
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[AA : A1838, 401/3/1/1, vi]