Australian Government - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Advancing the interests of Australia and Australians internationally

Australian Government - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Advancing the interests of Australia and Australians internationally

150 Critchley to Department of External Affairs

Cablegram K121 [KALIURANG] [1], 27 May 1948

SECRET

Your telegram 134. [2]

The Republic would welcome a solution to the sovereignty issue along the lines suggested. They have already expressed informally the opinion that they would welcome United Nations Trusteeship if the Dutch proceeded to set up the United States of Indonesia without them.

2. Any suggestion of strong action by the Security Council may bring the Netherlands' threat to quit the Indies. This bluff could be called. In the unlikely event that they carry out their threat, the Republic has already demonstrated (1945) its capacity to manage a difficult situation.

1 The cited copy was dispatched from Batavia at 6 p.m. on 27 May.

However, Cablegram K121 was first cabled to Batavia by Critchley from Kaliurang. Whenever versions of cablegrams dispatched from Batavia actually originated from Kaliurang, the date of dispatch from Kaliurang is shown in square brackets and the time of dispatch from Batavia omitted.

2 Document 146.

[AA:A1838, 403/3/1/1, xvii]

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