Political Committee met on May 10.
(a) Report of sub committee 4 on procedure for plebiscite or other
means for the delineation of states in Java, Sumatra and Madura
[2] reveals complete deadlock as set out in first para of my 106.
[3]
(b) Interim report of sub committee 2 on outlines of the structure
of the Netherlands-Indonesian Union also received. [4] Further
discussions are taking place.
(c) Netherlands Delegation extended an invitation on behalf of its
Government to the Republican Government to participate in the
delegation of the Netherlands for the third conference of the
ECAFE. [5] The Republican delegation is communicating this
invitation to its government which will certainly refuse. [6]
2. Subsequent discussions with other members of the Committee and
advisers have indicated that we may be able to reach agreement on
the basis of my proposals (see my telegram 106). Major difficulty
is the attitude of American adviser Ogburn who admits openly to
strong sympathy with the psychological problems of the Dutch
'because they are giving up so much' and also opposes the
Committee taking any initiative which he claims is contrary to its
character as a Committee of Good Offices.
3. At today's meeting of Social and Administrative Committee the
parties agreed to exchange letters covering their agreement
regarding early release of political prisoners.
1 According to a copy on file AA:A1838, 854/10/4/2, v, Cablegram
K112 was dispatched from Batavia on the morning of 13 May. The
cited copy bears the date 15 May, but the cable was presumably
drafted on 12 May, the date of the meeting referred to in
paragraph 3. A record of the meeting can be found on file
AA:A4357/1, 48/255, vi.
2 This report, dated 5 May, revealed a fundamental disagreement
between the Republican and Netherlands Delegations. The Republican
Delegation argued that the holding of plebiscites in Republican-
held territories would contravene the fourth of the Six Additional
Renville Principles (see Document 24). In particular, the
Republican Delegation argued that before holding a plebiscite to
determine whether the people in Republican territories wished to
form pan of the Republic or of 'another state within the United
States of Indonesia', it would first be necessary to define what
was meant by 'another state'. The Netherlands Delegation argued
that plebiscites should be held on both sides of the status quo
line.
3 Document 125.
4 Registered on 10 May as S/AC/10/CONF.2/C.1/5.
5 The Netherlands Delegation invited the Republican Government to
nominate (and by mutual agreement with the Netherlands Delegation
appoint) a candidate as a member of the Delegation of the Kingdom
of the Netherlands to the third session of the United Nations
Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East in Ootacamund,
India. The Netherlands Delegation required that the Republican
candidate promote the interests of both the Netherlands and
Indonesia as a whole, that he should not act as special
representative of the Government of the Republic, and that he
would receive instructions from the Netherlands or NEI Government.
6 On 15 May, the Republican Delegation replied that the Government
of the Republic would not take put in the conference, except when
represented by its own Delegation as an associate member.
