Canberra, 6 March 1964
284. 217. Secret
Please pass following letter from me to Dr. Subandrio:
Begins:—
I am deeply disturbed that no progress was made at the Bangkok meeting which has just concluded.1
I must tell you that I believe the attitude of the Malaysian Government in declining to negotiate on political questions while Indonesian guerillas not only remained on Malaysian territory but were being re-inforced by your Government, seems to me was correct and the only attitude they could have adopted in the circumstances. Malaysia had agreed to meet Indonesia at a time when the Indonesian Government was still proclaiming its intention to ‘crush Malaysia’. This seemed to me a most considerable concession for them to make. But there are limits to which any Government can go and still retain its self respect. The continued invasion of their territory by a neighbour in clear breach of the United Nations Charter is clearly such a limit. The view that terms should be offered for the withdrawal of forces gratuitously intruded into the territory of a neighbour is surely inadmissible and one which on reflection no nation including Indonesia could be asked to accept. As one who has striven for friendship with Indonesia I most earnestly counsel you to desist from these dangerous and indefensible courses.
I send you this letter because I shall shortly be obliged to speak publicly in the Australian Parliament in the same sense.2
Ends.
[NAA: A1838, 3006/4/9 part 5]
1 See editorial note, 1964 Tripartite Talks.
2 See CPD , H. of R., 11 March 1964, vol. 41, pp. 477–80.