The Netherlands Foreign Minister [1] and Minister for the Colonies
[2], whose intention to visit Australia was reported in your
personal and confidential letter of 24th March [3], left for New
Zealand on 18th May after a week spent in this country as the
guests of the Commonwealth Government.

Official functions during the visit were confined to luncheons
given by the Governor-General [4], the Governor of New South Wales
[5], a dinner in Sydney attended by a number of Commonwealth
Ministers, and a reception in Melbourne attended by Ministers and
departmental heads. The visitors were also entertained in Sydney
by the Dutch community, and visited the motor-ship 'Oranje', which
has been presented by the Netherlands East Indies Government to
the Commonwealth to be used as a hospital ship for Australian and
New Zealand forces.

No formal conversations were arranged, but Dr. van Kleffens and M.

Welter called on me and discussed a few general topics. At a
dinner in Melbourne with the three Chiefs of Staff [6] and the
Netherlands Liaison Officer, Commander Salm, joint defence plans
and strategic problems were discussed.

As Dr. van Kleffens professed a keen interest in this country's
war effort visits were arranged to the Broken Hill Proprietary
works at Newcastle, the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation Factory
at Fishermen's Bend, Melbourne, and to the Munitions
establishments at Maribyrnong. One motive for the visit of the
Ministers was obviously the hope of increasing the supply of
munitions, especially small arms ammunition, to the Netherlands
East Indies. I understand that they received certain assurances in
this connection.

Dr. van Kleffens was most guarded in his public pronouncements,
which as a result received very little publicity. His press
interviews in Sydney and Melbourne were confined to a reiteration
of Holland's intention to continue the war, and to resist attack
in the Indies. He did, however, reaffirm his approval of Sir
Robert Brooke-Popham's [7] statement in Manila that Singapore, the
Netherlands Indies, and Australia form part of a single political
and military line, an attack against any part of which must be
considered and treated as an attack against the whole. These
declarations were subject to certain qualifications which deprived
them of most of their force, especially as reported in the Sydney
press. However, in a broadcast speech on 13th May the statement
was made explicitly that the Dutch people would 'fight to the last
limit of their strength whenever and wherever they are attacked'.

In the course of our conversation on 13th May Dr. van Kleffens
referred to the question of an exchange of diplomatic
representatives between the Commonwealth Government and the
Government of the Netherlands. I told him that it was the view of
the Commonwealth Government that an Australian Minister, to
perform any useful function, should be stationed at Batavia, and
that such an appointment might be a precedent for a similar
Japanese Legation which I understood would be opposed by his
Government. Dr. van Kleffens said that this was a valid objection,
but that it was something rather different he had in mind. He then
renewed the suggestion made by the Netherlands Minister in London
[8] in October last, and repeated by the Netherlands Minister in
Washington [9] in February of this year, that Mr. Bruce [10] might
be accredited to Queen Wilhelmina in London. He said that in that
event a Government representative or commissioner could be sent to
Batavia, and undertook to give appropriate standing and prestige
to any person selected for the latter position.

The suggestion raises incidentally the question of whether the
Netherlands Government in London is likely to move out to Java.

The possibility was rumoured before the arrival of the Ministers
there, but was denied by Mr. Welter in his first press interview.

In response to enquiries here members of the party denied that
there was any intention to move at present, but gave the
impression that the possibility could not be entirely ruled out at
some future date.

Mr. J. H. Ritman, head of the N.E.I. Government Publicity Service,
who accompanied the Ministers, took advantage of his visit to
Australia to examine the possibility of increasing the exchange of
news between the Indies and Australia. He met Sir Keith Murdoch
[11] and officials of the Department of Information in Melbourne,
and spent a few days in Sydney before returning to Batavia.

[F. STEWART]