220 Department of External Affairs to Brookes

Please request the Commanding Officer, Allied Forces, Java (1) to convey to responsible Indonesian leaders in whatever way he thinks most suitable, and in the strongest possible terms the extremely grave view which the Commonwealth Government takes of the murder of Australians [1] and to call upon Indonesian leaders to bring the murderers to justice; and (2) to inform them that the Commonwealth Government cannot accept the description in the Vice Minister's letter [2] of these wanton and abhorrent murders as an 'unhappy incident'.

2. Your 41 paragraph 10. [3] Request the C.O. Allied Forces, to arrange for the most searching inquiry into these outrageous crimes, making full use of the services of Lieut Colonel Smith and the Australian War Crimes detachment.