656D.006/3–947: Telegram
The Consul General at Batavia (Foote) to the Secretary of State
77. Master of Martin Behrman today made an affidavit as quoted below:
“Rudy Gray, being of lawful age and being duly sworn, deposes and says: That at 1 p.m. March 7, 1947, one Dutch civilian, one Dutch Army officer and two armed enlisted men came aboard the steamship Martin Behrman, of which he is the Master, and informed him that they had a court order to seize the cargo of the ship;
That he asked them where the court order was; to which he pointed to a brief case and said ‘I have it here’; that the civilian then said ‘First I have come here to ask whether you will cooperate in discharging the cargo’; that he replied ‘No, not only will I not cooperate but if you send any stevedores aboard without armed guards, I will have my crew throw them overboard’; that the civilian then left the ship immediately and has not been seen by him again; that he ordered the Chief Mate to take up the gangway; that four armed Dutch marines, who came aboard while he was talking to the above-mentioned civilian, forcibly prevented the Chief Mate from taking up the gangway as had been ordered by him; that at about 1:15 p.m. the same day, 22 armed Dutch soldiers and marines came aboard and took up stations all around the deck; that at about 1:30 the same day, 20 armed Dutch [Page 903] secret police came aboard to supplement 2 armed secret police who were already aboard; that at about 2 p.m. the same day, a Dutch Naval Lieutenant and a pilot came aboard and asked if they could have any assistance in moving the ship; that he said ‘No’; that the Dutch Naval Lieutenant then placed 16 Naval Blue Jackets armed with rifles near the gangway; that the pilot then asked him if he could have steam on deck, to which he replied ‘No’; that the 16 armed Blue Jackets were then called aboard ship; that he then informed the Naval Lieutenant as follows:
‘The ship is yours. I am no longer in command’; that the Naval Lieutenant then said: ‘I have orders to seize this ship and take it to another dock’; that he then said to the Dutch Naval Lieutenant, ‘Where is your order?’, to which he replied, ‘I have orders not to show anyone who signed my orders’; that he then said ‘You then have the ship). I am leaving’; that the Naval Lieutenant then called aboard 20 additional armed Dutch marines; that there were then 87 armed Dutch personnel aboard the ship; that at 2:20 p.m. the same day, he left the ship, refusing to remain aboard while the ship was out of his control.”