As distinct from the inquiries which Brookes is making into the
murder of the three Australian officers in Java [1], it seems
necessary that the Commonwealth Government should take immediate
steps to record a strong protest and, notwithstanding the
expressions of regret and the assurances contained in the letter
to Brookes from the Indonesian Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs,
to demand fullest investigation by the Indonesian authorities and
active steps to bring the murderers to justice.

The letter addressed to Brookes is not thought to be adequate,
particularly the reference to the outrage as an unhappy incident.

The initial difficulty is that formal protest cannot be presented
to any Indonesian authority. We recognise the Netherlands as the
sovereign power in the area and anything which could be regarded
as an acknowledgment of an Indonesian Government might lead to
complications which it seems desirable to avoid. This should not
in our opinion delay or prevent the strongest protest directly or
indirectly to the Indonesian Leaders. The Supreme Authority in
Java at present is the British General who is Allied Military
Commander. The course which we would propose is for Brookes to be
instructed to request the Allied Military Commander to convey to
the responsible Indonesian leaders, in whatever way he thinks most
suitable and in the strongest possible terms, the extremely grave
view which the Commonwealth Government takes of the murders and to
call upon those Leaders to take all possible steps to bring the
murderers to justice; also to inform them that the Commonwealth
Government cannot accept the description in the Vice-Minister's
letter of the wanton murders as an unhappy incident.

Would appreciate early advice.