189 Critchley to Department of External Affairs
Cablegram K137 BATAVIA, 22 June 1948, 6.03 p.m.
SECRET
The Committee has telegraphed to the Security Council Chapter I of the introduction to our third Interim Report. [1]
2. The Dutch have indicated that they will formally advise the Committee to-day that they are prepared to resume talks. The Committee will then finalize its reply to the Security Council's telegram requesting the cause and duration of the delay. [2] I have not been able to obtain the inclusion of details of Australian-American plan [3] but both our reply and Chapter I of the report should contain enough to help discussion of the plan and circumstances in which it was presented and facilitate a request that the plan be produced in Council. Copies of the plan are available in Committee records in New York.
3. Otherwise my present strategy is to ask for a meeting in this connection of Committee as soon as the Dutch are prepared to resume talks. The Republicans will then ask for consideration of the plan and will, I hope, be supported by a majority of the Committee. This would probably cause a further break and force the plan to the attention of the Security Council.
4. The Dutch will undoubtedly continue to delay resumption of formal talks as long as possible.