Your telegram 17th April, 156. [1]

We appreciate the reasons for your suggestion that His Majesty's
Ambassador at Washington should be requested to discuss question
of Netherlands East Indies with the United States authorities in
order to ascertain their attitude, and had in fact already
considered sending instructions to Lord Lothian in this sense. We
felt, however, that such an approach might prove embarrassing to
the United States Administration owing to their well-known dislike
to [sic] committing themselves in advance to a course of action
which, on account of public opinion or for other reasons, they
might not be able to carry out when the time came.

2. In the meantime it has been reported in the press that the
United States Secretary of State has issued a statement warning
other nations to respect the status quo of the Netherlands East
Indies regardless of what happens in Holland: in the course of his
statement Mr. Hull is reported to have said that 'intervention in
the domestic affairs of the Netherlands Indies, or any alteration
in their status quo by other than lawful processes, would be
prejudicial to the cause of stability, peace and security, not
only in the entire Netherlands Indies, but in the entire Pacific
area.'
3. We regard Mr. Hull's statement as most satisfactory from our
point of view and feel that in all the circumstances and
particularly for the reason explained in paragraph one, an
official approach to the United States Government would not be
likely to be helpful at present stage.

4. According to the Netherlands Minister in London [2] the
Netherlands Minister in Tokyo [3] was informed by the Japanese
Minister for Foreign Affairs [4] that the Japanese Government
could not look with equanimity upon any alteration in status quo
in Netherlands East Indies in the event of the Netherlands being
involved in the European war. A protectorate over the Netherlands
East Indies by any belligerent would involve an alteration in the
economic and political status quo in East Asia, which Japanese
could not accept. Similar communication had been made by the
Japanese Minister at Hague [5] to the Netherlands Minister for
Foreign Affairs. [6]

5. We feel, therefore, that the best course for us to pursue would
be to inform the Japanese Government that we hold similar views,
and that like them we should be deeply concerned over any
developments in the European war which might affect the status quo
in Netherlands East Indies. Before acting along these lines we are
consulting His Majesty's Ambassador at Washington.

6. See also my telegram Circular D.138. [7]