Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Your K.33.
Invitation was stimulated by no other desire than to extend a
sincere and friendly invitation to the Prime Minister of a country
with which Australia has always maintained the closest relations,
in particular, in work with the United Nations. At San Francisco,
at Paris, and at Assembly meetings, Netherlands representatives
have always worked closely with us. The hope was that a visit by
Beel, because of this background, would have enabled us to discuss
the Indonesian problem in the broadest way and arrive at a better
understanding of the points of view of each government. It is a
matter of great regret that the invitation was not accepted,
apparently not for time reasons, but for some political reasons.
[1]
2. With respect to paragraph 6, there was no statement or
announcement here, except one forced upon the Minister by the fact
that Dutch sources had quoted the invitation. In commenting, the
Minister told the press that he hoped it would be accepted, but,
as yet, there had been no reply.
3. Apparently the decision regarding Beel has been taken largely
on the advice of Batavia officials, who would regard a friendly
visit here as being, in effect, a reflection on the attitude they
have adopted. [2] In fact, the visit could have done nothing but
good both at The Hague and at Batavia.
4. Your paragraph 3. Police action would seem quite out of the
question. The policy is to set up a United States of Indonesia as
soon as possible, even though this is done without the inclusion
of the Republic. The military occupation and economic control is
sufficiently effective to make police action unnecessary and, if
they are using police action as a threat, it is more in the nature
of a bargaining procedure.