MOST IMMEDIATE

Your telegram No. 939. [1]

I went this afternoon to State Department accompanied by Minister
and had a long interview with Under Secretary Lovett who had with
him Freeman Matthews, Assistant Secretary of State, Charles
Bohlen, newly appointed Counsellor of State Department, and Rusk
(Hiss's successor as Director of Office of Special Political
Affairs which includes United Nations questions). I had hoped to
see General Marshall also but he is on the point of leaving U.S.

for Rio Conference. [2]

I began by stressing our appreciation of the action taken by the
United States Government-both the offer of good offices [3] and
the positive contribution to the Security Council dispute.

I then brought out at length and with all the emphasis possible
Australia's vital interest in this matter, including the following
points-
(a) Any major development in the Southeast Asia region greatly
concerns Australia. Here our very security is at stake.

(b) In particular any disturbed situation in the Indonesian area
since this is immediately adjacent to Australia.

(c) Particular responsibility of Australia as the member of the
Security Council most closely affected.

(d) World opinion expects Australia to play a positive part, an
expectation arising from Australia's record in the work of the
United Nations and also from her part in the Pacific War.

I pointed out that while the Security Council's decision opens the
way to a settlement it does not provide specific means by which a
just and lasting settlement can speedily be achieved. The United
States' offer of good office[s] I continued provided a starting
point for practical steps towards a speedy settlement if accepted
by both parties.

I underlined how important it was to avoid any proposals which
might fail to gain the full confidence of the parties in the
dispute. I emphasised that the situation was and would be
extremely tense. One major difficulty which seemed to have arisen
was that the simple 'cease fire' in present positions might
encourage the Dutch to believe they can retain what they now hold.

In consequence the Indonesians apparently felt that Security
Council's decision was to some extent unfavourable to them. A
concrete proposal for mediation should be made as soon as possible
before the situation could deteriorate again. If situation
deteriorated the matter would again have to be referred to
Security Council in circumstances less favourable than before to a
settlement. Australia therefore could not be content just to await
events. We felt it essential that Council's decision be followed
through by positive action until just and permanent settlement
secured.

I developed fact that we have been in closest touch with situation
in Indonesia from Japanese surrender. An Australian representative
had accompanied Killearn to Cheribon at time of Linggardjati
agreement. Recently a mission of 4 Australian officials visited
Java and conducted negotiations with both parties and reached
successful agreement re Dutch shipping. These officials also made
intensive study of situation in Indonesia generally. Our recent
move at Security Council was based on very full knowledge of
position. We felt that we could claim confidence of Indonesian
Republican Government and we had also maintained good relations
with both Netherlands Government and Government of Netherlands
East Indies.

The Australian Government therefore felt it had positive and
perhaps indispensable contribution to make towards a settlement.

We recognised the great interest of the United States in a just
and lasting settlement and had welcomed their action. We now
wished to propose a joint United States-Australian mediation. I
ended by quoting terms of para 8 of your telegram urging immediate
joint offer to both parties.

Lovett listened carefully and made only one interruption. When I
was developing extremely tense nature of situation and referred to
Republican Premier's statement that Dutch had delayed transmission
of Security Council's message making it difficult to achieve
cessation of hostilities on short notice [4], he remarked 'Do you
believe that is so?'
When I had ended Lovett said 'Here is our position-we made our
offer 5 days ago. The Dutch have accepted, the Netherlands East
Indies' Government approves. We have not yet heard from the
Indonesian Republic.' He then went on to say that he was troubled
as to why Australia feeling so strongly in the matter had waited
for 5 days after the United States' offer before taking this step.

I brought out the likely alternative, a demand for India's
participation in the mediation and Lovett again interjected 'it
seems to me the same thing applies to India too-why did they not
make an offer 5 days ago?'
Lovett then asked whether we had reason to think that Australian
mediation would be acceptable to both sides and when I told him I
believed it would and referred to Australia's help to the
Netherlands at the time of the Japanese occupation and since he
commented 'my experience has been that in international as in
business affairs gratitude is a virtue rarely to be found'.

Harking back to Australia's special position in relation to the
Indonesian area he asked whether in fact we were more nearly
affected than the Philippines.

I corrected him on this aspect.

Before leaving I made another strong appeal for a joint U.S.-
Australian mediation.

Lovett's last word was 'You will appreciate I cannot say more now
than that we will consider the question carefully and I shall get
in touch with you when we have had an opportunity for
communication with our people in these areas'.

My definite impression was that he did not welcome our offer.

We learn informally from U.K. Embassy that Charge d'Affaires saw
Matthews at State Department yesterday. Minister expressed British
concern with affairs in Indonesia and indicated U.K. Government's
disappointment that after approach to U.S. Government for joint
Anglo-American offer had been discouraged, U.S. Government had
then gone ahead to offer good offices on its own behalf.

I understand Matthews replied in similar terms to those used to
Forsyth (my tel. 1037 [5]) namely that they would keep U.K.

Embassy informed and that while U.S. Government understood U.K.

interest in Indonesia they hoped U.K. would be not less interested
in other questions now before Security Council.