856d.00/12–1448
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Chief of the Division of Southeast Asian Affairs (Lacy)
I reached Dr. Soemitro by telephone at about 10 a. m. this morning at the Mayflower Hotel. I told him that the Department had learned during the past twelve hours of certain important developments of [Page 554] which it felt he should have knowledge before his press conference at 11 o’clock. Dr. Soemitro agreed to come to my office, which he did, arriving at about 10:20.1
I told Dr. Soemitro: (a) That the Netherlands Embassy had informed the Department yesterday evening that it would deliver to the Department this morning a reply to Dr. Soemitro’s memorandum concerning the projected shipment of textiles from an American port to the Indonesian Republican Government. I said that I was in no way familiar with the substance of the Netherlands’ reply and that it was not my intention to influence the treatment which he might give this matter in his press conference but that I thought it important for him to know that a reply would be forthcoming today from the Netherlands Government on the matter. Dr. Soemitro replied that he was very grateful to me for giving him this information but that he felt he must, until the letter was received, take the position that he had received no reply from the Netherlands Government. (b) That Prime Minister Hatta had addressed to Mr. Cochran a letter dated December 13, which Mr. Cochran had delivered to Mr. Schuurman of the Netherlands delegation at Batavia at 6:30 p. m., December 13, Batavia time. I read the text of the letter to Dr. Soemitro and I later handed him a copy thereof. I again told Dr. Soemitro that it was not for me to suggest the line he should take in his press conference but that the Department considered it most important for him to know of Mr. Hatta’s latest communication with the Netherlands delegation and to have the opportunity to bring his remarks at his press conference into full coincidence with the position taken by his President and his Prime Minister. I added that I was sure he would agree that all parties concerned must make every effort at this moment to create an atmosphere most favorable to the resumption of successful negotiations. Mr. Soemitro thanked me for the Department’s thoughtfulness in advising him of Mr. Hatta’s letter. He said that he could not understand how the Netherlands could have had any genuine or sincere misunderstanding of Mr. Hatta’s position which he had embodied in his original aide-mémoire to Mr. Stikker. He said that since he felt that the Netherlands had deliberately misunderstood Mr. Hatta’s position, he could not see that Mr. Hatta’s latest letter would improve the situation in any important degree. I told Dr. Soemitro that I did not agree with him since I felt Mr. Hatta’s letter was of such clarity as to eliminate many misunderstandings which had separated the Netherlands and the Republic, whether those misunderstandings were genuine or deliberate.
[Page 555]I impressed upon Dr. Soemitro the confidential character of Mr. Hatta’s communication, pointing out that at this moment its existence was known only to the Government of the Indonesian Republic, the Government of the Netherlands, and the United States Government. I pointed out that serious complications might result from his revealing its existence to anybody, least of all the members of the press. Dr. Soemitro said he thoroughly understood the importance of respecting the confidential character of Mr. Hatta’s communication to Mr. Cochran. Dr. Soemitro said before he left that he would consider remarking in the course of his press conference that he had received information which led him to believe that his Government was prepared to take certain action which would make possible the resumption of negotiations. I said that was his business.
- Mr. Soedarpo also was present.↩