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313 Teppema to Burton

Letter CANBERRA, 6 September 1947

When I last met Dr. Evatt on September 2nd at the French Legation
I mentioned to him that I had gladly complied with his request,
formulated on the previous day, to send a personal message on his
behalf to The Hague.

This message conveyed his congratulations on the occasion of the
anniversary of H.M. The Queen's Birthday and further expressed Dr.

Evart's desire to renew, during his stay in the United States, his
Paris contacts [1] with Baron van Boetzelaer. Dr. Evatt felt that
a full and frank discussion with my Foreign Minister, should he
lead our delegation to the U.N.O., might be helpful towards a
solution of the various difficulties all of which your Minister
considered might easily be disposed of.

In referring you to the letter which I sent to the Right Hon. The
Prime Minister dated the 3rd instant [2], which I assume has by
now come to your notice, I believe I have given you a complete
background of the conversation.

I arranged with Dr. Evatt that any reply which would be received
in answer to my message would be passed on to you personally. He
assured me that you would see to its further and safe
transmission.

I therefore would ask you to be good enough to communicate to Dr.

Evatt by cable, firstly that the Netherlands Government
appreciates the congratulations which the Minister interpreted
[3]; and secondly that Baron van Boetzelaer to his regret most
probably will not be able to proceed to New York but that he
trusts that Dr. Evatt will frankly discuss the various questions
with Dr. H. van Roijen, Netherlands Ambassador at Ottawa (who will
be in New York) and whose acquaintance Dr. Evatt made at San
Francisco in 1945.

If I may be allowed to strike a personal note I would be
particularly grateful if you were to add and convey on my own
behalf that I am convinced that nothing would be more heartily
welcomed by my Government than an early improvement in our
relations with Australia. These relations, as you undoubtedly
realise yourself, suffered a further setback as a result of the
rather impetuous attitude of the Australian representative at the
Security Council. For the moment it looked as if the situation
might be further aggravated by the somewhat tactless approach of
Mr. Eaton [4], which now however happily belongs to the past.

I still believe that if we can join hands on the boycott question
[5] and continue our efforts to terminate what is becoming a
chronic disease all will be well between us.

May I ask you to acknowledge receipt of this letter and to confirm
to me that the message of my Government has been conveyed to Dr.

Evatt.

1 i.e. at the Paris Peace Conference of 1946.

2 Teppema's letter to Chifley concerned the refusal of the Royal
Australian Air Force (RAAF) to refuel aircraft of the Netherlands
19th Squadron at Brisbane. The Australian Cabinet decided on 2
September that RAAF personnel would not fuel Dutch aircraft.

3 The text should presumably read 'extended'.

4 In a note sent to the Department of External Affairs on 2
September, the Netherlands Legation in Canberra complained that
Eaton's desire to visit Djokjakarta without delay created an
impression that the Australian Government considered consultation
by members of the Consular Commission to be superfluous and that
each consular representative would proceed with investigations as
he deemed fit. The Legation also expressed the hope that Eaton
would refrain from any activity until provisional recognition of
his appointment as Consul-General had been granted. Eaton's
proposed flight to Djokjakarta had in fact been approved by the
Consular Commission at its first meeting on 1 September (see
Document 309). Accompanied by the French Consul-General, Eaton
flew to Djokjakarta on 3 September. Provisional recognition of
Eaton's appointment was granted on 4 September. Eaton did not
formally assume duty as Consul-General until 15 September.

5 The Waterside Workers Federation ban on the loading and
unloading of Dutch shipping in Australian ports remained in force.


[AA:A1838/278, 401/3/1/1, iv]
Last Updated: 11 September 2013
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