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

71 Critchley to Department of External Affairs

Cablegram K69 BATAVIA, 16 February 1948, 11 a.m.

IMPORTANT SECRET

My telegram K.66 and K.67. [1]

My immediately following telegram is a summary of a communique released by Netherlands East Indies Government withdrawing their earlier statement on alleged New York Press Conference Committee of Good Offices. [2]

2. Press correspondents here have expressed the opinion that whole episode might have been deliberate. Certainly the Netherlands appear to have gained an advantage from its hasty Press release and local Dutch Press continues to publish reactions in Netherlands. On the other hand, Kirby might be able to make good use of the incident in New York and Washington by giving it as an example of how difficult it is for the Committee to work with the Dutch.

1 See Document 65 and note 2 thereto.

2 Cablegram K70 dispatched on 16 February. The NEI Government stated in its communique that it had discovered that reports concerning the Committee of Good Offices' press conference on 12 February were 'incorrect on a number of important and momentous points'. It withdrew its earlier statement (see note 2 to Document 65) on the Committee's New York press conference.

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

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