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

178 Australian Delegation, United Nations, to Department of External Affairs

Cablegram UN74 NEW YORK, [31 January] 1949, 3.48 p.m.

RESTRICTED

INDONESIA

Your 60. [1] Document S.1235 [2] circulated this morning contains report of first meeting of the new commission in Batavia on 29th January. Critchley will no doubt have reported negative Dutch attitude to commission's initial approach.

Unless he is held up by the weather Cochran [3] will leave Washington for Batavia today after consultations with Jessup who has gone to Washington for the purpose.

The initiative appears now to rest squarely on the commission whose worth will determine the success or otherwise of the Council's resolution. [4] The United States shares this view although diplomatic pressure on the Dutch, possibly in relation to Marshall Aid, is not ruled out here. It may be for this reason that although the United States expects Dutch obstruction to the Commission's work they do not appear to be unduly disturbed.

1 Dispatched on 30 January, it asked the Australian Delegation at the United Nations when and where the United Nations Commission for Indonesia was to meet, whether its powers had been increased, and whether Cochran was returning to it.

2 See note 1 to Document 173.

3 In Cablegram UN81, dispatched on 2 February Delegation at the United Nations advised that Cochran was expected to leave, within a few days, for Indonesia via Brussels and The Hague.

4 Document 168.

[AA : A1838, 402/6/1/1, ii]

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

  • R.G. Casey Building
    John McEwen Crescent
    Barton ACT 0221 Australia
  • Phone: +61 2 6261 1111
  • Fax: +61 2 6261 3111
  • ABN: 47 065 634 525

Australian offices:

International offices:

Embassies, High Commissions, Consulates, Multilateral Missions and Representative Offices.

Portfolio agencies

Travel

Trade

Issues

Organisations

Foundations, Councils and Institutes

About us

Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries

Stay up to date