Dr. Hubertus J. Van Mook, Acting Governor General of The Netherlands Indies, exchanged toasts in Batavia last week with the "Prime Minister" of the rebel Indonesian Republic, though Dutch officers still walked out of British parties whenever Republican Army leaders appeared. The civilian amenities held more significance than the military discourtesy.
Van Mook's banquet for Prime Minister Sutan Sjharir celebrated the signing of a truce designed to limit, and eventually to halt hostilities in the Indonesian Republic (Java and Sumatra). It also symbolized Dutch recognition that Empire days were ended by fiery...