RESIGNATION OF DR BEEL AS HIGH REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CROWN

Attached hereto is a translation of the Netherlands Government
statement [1] on the resignation of Dr Beel as High Representative
of the Crown in Indonesia.

2. Liberal opinion in the Netherlands has deplored the timing of
Dr Beel's action. When the first confirmation of his resignation
was received, the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant described his
action as something of a demonstration. 'If Dr Beel attaches so
much political importance to his own position, and sees so many
political objections to the latest agreement, did he not also see
the political consequences of a resignation now? The fruits of
international goodwill are reason for the majority of critics and
the Government itself to swallow the rest of the agreement. We
have secured the first gains in the form of a changed attitude on
the part of India and Australia in the General Assembly. Does not
Dr Beel threaten, with his resignation, to shake part of the
fruits from the tree of agreement? This display of Dutch internal
disunity will not increase our political prestige abroad,
especially in connection with Indonesia.'
3. Similar sentiments were expressed by the Catholic paper De
Tijd, which recalled the less brilliant aspects of Dr Beel's
career. 'The High Commissioner treated the United Nations Good
Offices Commission and its military observers so badly that these
gentlemen were put in a most unfavourable frame of mind with
regard to Dutch intentions. The Beel plan [2] designed to
outmanoeuvre the Security Council, had also failed.' De Tijd
concluded its comment with the suggestion that 'it will probably
be a good thing, after the fortunate nomination of Dr van Royen as
leader of the Dutch delegation, to appoint new men who are not
burdened with the errors of a political past which deserves little
praise'.

4. The Catholic conservative Maasbode expressed the hope that Dr
Beel would be proved wrong 'for the road which the Government, at
the instigation of Dr van Royen, has entered upon cannot be
retraced'.