Office of the Historian

856E.00/1–846: Telegram

The Ambassador in the Netherlands (Hornbeck) to the Secretary of State

secret
us urgent
The Hague, January 8, 1946—4 p.m.
[Received 8:58 p.m.]

21. Dr. Van Roijen8 called on me late last evening and gave me an extensive account of a recent development in relation to the situation in Netherlands East Indies wherein action taken by Admiral Mountbatten9 has, in the opinion of the Dutch authorities, compromised the results which Dutch had thought achieved at conference at Chequers and has necessitated postponement of Van Mook’s departure for Batavia pending further discussions, wherein Van Mook will advise the Netherlands Ambassador to Great Britain, with the British Govt.

Briefly stated, Mountbatten has given Helfrich10 orders, which Helfrich is executing, which Van Mook and Netherlands Cabinet regard ill-advised, untimely, prejudicial to the forthcoming negotiations between Indonesians and Van Mook in favor of the former; and suggestive either of lack of coordination between attitude of British authorities at Chequers and that of Mountbatten’s headquarters or of [Page 792] a change of mind on part of British Govt after return of Mr. Bevin11 from Moscow.

Van Roijen said Netherlands Ambassador Washington being informed.

I have dictated memo giving condensed yet lengthy account; am holding pouch to take same forward today;12 difficult further to condense contents; shall I telegraph text?13

Hornbeck
  1. Minister without Portfolio.↩
  2. Adm. Lord Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander, Southeast Asia.↩
  3. Adm. C. E. L. Helfrich, Commander in Chief, Netherlands Forces in the Far East.↩
  4. Ernest Bevin, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.↩
  5. Despatch 532, January 8, from The Hague, not printed.↩
  6. Telegram 42, January 12, 9 a.m., from The Hague (856E.00/1–1246), reported in condensed form the conversation of January 7.↩