Cablegram 606 CANBERRA, 9 October 1947, 12 noon
IMMEDIATE SECRET
Your UN.952. [1]
Eaton, and also military observers, one of whom has returned [2],
is emphatic that there can be no satisfactory outcome unless there
is a demarcation line set or troop withdrawals to some given
points. They are convinced that the Indonesians will give
undertakings regarding the safety of those who have collaborated
with the Dutch and of Chinese and other personnel whom the Dutch
now say they are protecting. The Indonesian Commanders are in
touch with headquarters by radio, and there would be no great
difficulty in arranging orderly withdrawals.
2. The present absurd position regarding claimed demarcation lines
was brought out by the recent American 'plane crash [3] and the
capture by Indonesians of Dutch soldiers in what has been claimed
by the Dutch as a Dutch area.
[AA:A1838/283, 403/3/1/1, xi]