Cablegram External 1 LONDON, 5 March 1949, 2.02 p.m.
PERSONAL
INDONESIA
Reviewing my earlier telegram [1] from Delhi my views are as follows.
1. The Dutch have clearly failed to carry out the Security Council’s decision. The Commission will no doubt report this with appropriate comment. Your own comment that there has been ‘an inexcusable delay’ is true.
2. Then comes your statement indicating necessity of reconstituting Government of Republic of Indonesia as a condition precedent to its representative at Conference having any authority whatever. These points seem sound and [un]answerable.
3. If and when conference between parties is held it should be completely within framework of United Nations and under jurisdiction of Commission of Security Council not of the Dutch.
4. Cochran, United States Representative, himself does not act for Commission. I feel that Cochran’s visit to The Hague was ill-timed and has tended to cause ‘inexcusable delay’.
5. If a Conference is to be held its framework organisation and control are more important than its location. There are solid disadvantages to Batavia but these apply also to The Hague. The obvious place for the Conference seems to be either Lake Success or Geneva. Preferable former.
6. I agree that while what I have said above should be the view taken diplomatic care should have to be exercised by Australian representative in New York. Above all, we must stand for principal of solid acceptance of United Nations decisions not only by its members but its own organisations. Moreover weakness and vacillation at this crucial stage may be dangerous to United Nations authority and prestige.
7. So far as I know some of the leaders of the Republic have not even as yet been released. There is much to indicate a deliberate policy by the Dutch of playing for time.
8. Critchley’s assessment of the situation has been borne out and should be accepted.
9. Prime Ministers India and Pakistan [2] both take the view indicated herein which stands for United Nations decision and is not animated by hostility to Dutch.
10. These points should be impressed on Hood, Forde and Norwegian [3] and above all United States [4] Representatives. I am of course discussing the matter fully with Beasley here.
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1 Document 263.
2 Jawaharlal Nehru and Liaquat Ali khan.
3 Arne T. Sunde.
4 Warren R. Austin.
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[AA : A1838, 401/3/1/1, vi]