REF ID:A488598 

Declassified and approved for release by NSA on 11-07-2013 pursuant to E .0. 1352a 
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REF ID :A488Sg18' 

lfl~Oit.ANL(J}.£ (if COfN~~il:'.iATI~M dTH ~a. WAL'rafi. FOOTE AT n~ STATE :JEf' AHTil!\NT 

~)f. ffEDffl':SDA! a ~ UAY 1945_ ---

l. 1t1· • .Ja.lter Foote waa thtt AJMlrican Consul 'Jeneral at Da.tav1a, JavE4.J 

fr1Jm 1927 until the capture ot Java. by t.he Japanese in 1942, except !or a 

short t.our v! duty in Jtuetralia. At the present tiJH he i.8 attached to 

Uie Sta.te ;Jer~t and ie standing-by t.o rot.um to Java u diplomatic 

repreaont&tbe of the United !it.ates Government. ~ir. Foote knew all the 

NtI officials 1ntiaately and •u t.a)cen into their confidence in all 

off'iclal matters in their relat.iona with Japan. Mr. Foote ll67 be reached. 

on Rranch 420 at the State Department, in care ot Mias .Jane 1:Uson. 

2. lfr. Foote 1;ot. his information a.bout the iH.nda ''Set-Up11 meeaage !ram 

"ion7n Lovink, Adviaor t.o !.he ri0vernor General tor Eaet A\iatic A!faire. 

Mr. Lovink: ia now Netberlanda Ambaaeador at Chungking, being one of the 

tn high Dut.ch official.a to eecape from Java. Mr. Lovink WU bead of the 

NE! Intelligence Service and was well informed u to Japanea-e plans and 

1nt.ant1ona. All u.rl7 u Ju'J.T, l '141, "r. Lovink 1ntormed the Oo'Vemor 

General that Ja,.wi wu planning the conquut ot J!:ast Asia and the onl,y 

thine in doubt wu Juat when the Japanese would c0111:1enCe their advance. 

li!r. Lovink said t.he ·iiiindll "Set-Upn as the tirst tangible thing that he 

had to show his Government to prove his pred1ct1ona. As he expraaed it., 0 It was the first thing I could sink rq teeth into." Mr. Lovink kept 

warning the NE! Government as to the Japanese plans and preparations tor 

war, and wu.e regarded a.e an alarmist. Subsequent event.a proved hia lL'O% 

correct throughout. 

J. klr. Lovink i.nfon11ed Mr. Foote ot ttM 'idnds nset-Up", and tlr. Foote 

sent Rata.via contidentia.l message 1220, dated 4 Deccber 1941, addreaaed 

tot.ha ~tate Departmct,·att.er thinking the matter over tor about t.wo 

hours. This meaaage waa largely at fi..r. Lovink'a beheat.. Lieut. Colonel 

Thorpe, USA, tUl.d lieut. Coan.and.er Slawson, U-SNH., got. their translation.a ot 

the t~inda "clet.-Up" directly from the MEI itar Oepartmmt. at Bandoeng. 

(l.t. Comdr • .:>l&non wu killed in action of! the eoaat o! Hew Guinea.) 

(I.t. Col. Thorpe ia believed to be atill alive.) 

4. The !Juteh listened tor the •~1nde "l!.xecut.11 rueeaage but did not hear it . 

Mr. r'oote b positive that he would have bee notified it 8flT i'iinds 

"hxecute .. had been heard 1n Java. The Out.ch were conYinced that. Japan waa 

going t,o 1Uke war on th• on December 6, 191+1. llben the big conv07 ot 35 

trarusporte (~r. foot.•'• recollect.ion), guarded by about six cruisers and 

aaveral de.stro,era, waa sight.ed heading •t.raight. tor Kota Bh&ru. (Malaya). 

The Dutch did not think that Japan wu going t.o attack the United .states 

&nd Pearl Harbor cee aa a coaplet.e aurpriae to tha. 

5. Vice i>.dld.ral H•lfrich, MEI Cos-Gander in Chief, ordo:red his sub• t.o sea. 

on Dee8fllber 6, poseib.l,y earlier, and •t.at.ioned th• to ctetend the net.herlands East Indies. .:>ubc.ta.rinea had orden not. to caaenc• hoetilities 

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wit.bout positive orders. :1ben the newe of the Jap att.ack on Pn.rl Ea...>"bor 

rEiached Jav-a, the Governor r,eneral U.uedis:t.el,y broadcast tbe following 

meas.age t.o all Ni!..l armed !oreas ~ 

•••ie are now at. war with Jap.a.n which haa just 

attacked P&al"l harbor,• 

or words t..o that ef1'oct.. The ;A;.tch Uavy ccm&eneed hoetillt.iu :i.Niediately 

aft.er tJii.a broadcut but took no boetile action before. ( 't1e Adra.iral 

llelfr1ch attendeu t.be .::;an Fraricisco ~onterence in 1945 a.a one or the :Jutch 

delegatu. ~ The etory that t~I Fleet put to sea on Dec.t>er 6, 1941, with 

orders to aink sn.ything 1'l,y1ng the Japanese flag see1::..s to be a somewhat 

garbled v.raion or what act.uall.7 happened. 

6. The Hf! Intelligence were very alert;. '!'bey had a.11 !:.be leading 

Japanese under constant aurveill.Ance t.hroughout ~ov•ber and Oecaaber, 

1941, and had moet ot than under arrest wit.hin fU'\.oen minute• of the tine 

the newa o! t.he a.ttack on Pearl harbor wea broadcast by- the Governor 

General. )Or. Foote personally saw one whole block of Japaneae run down 

the at.reet in their underclothes in the custody o! NEI policemen. 

7. Jlr. Foote lived next door to the J&p&ft4tae Consul General. and eaw hie 

arrest a t¥W adnutea alt.er the previoueJ-7-Aent.ioned incident. lr.'r. r'oote 

aa.w the Japanese ~ Gan•ral bum hia coda and secret papers in hia 

back yard a J.ay or so before Pearl harbor. He could aee attrvanta bringing 

papers .f?UJ tJl8 consulat.e and couli.1 eee t.be smoke fia.e up each time a new 

bat.eh wu t..hrcum on. {!.tr. Foote was burning his own secret papers at t.he 

B&iae t.1'• '\.n his own buck yard.) 

B. ,then li!..r. f'oot.e oamEJ to 1iashington about. a rear ago, prior to going to 

dut1 at Curacao, i.'iH, ne lookeu up all his t.elegrama and report.B on t"U• 

in the .;;>t&~e O•part.aent t.o re!'roah hia utemDrJ. Mr. Foote reo&lled th• 

,220 as eoon u he aaw it. lie etated that there 1f&8 no record in t.h• 

S~t.e Jepartaent. ot WJT turth•r ref'erence t.o th• ninda lieas&&• or an,thing 

1n the nature o! a war warning, and t.hat. he did not reca.U ever harl.ng 

HDt. one. He ia tboroughl,y convinced th&t t.b• Dutch did not bear the 

~iods "hec:ut.e" ... aage but that t.ha,y would haft believed it. it theJ' had 

heard it. Mr. Foote AS one o! t.he very la.at whit.e aan to leave Java. 

Ii e eacaped on a 811&11 etMlll8r from a amall port. down the coaa\ w1t.h 

notJlin,g but the clot.bu on hie back. lie received the w&.ming t.o get. out 

rraa Captain J. t.i.. Creight.on' ti • .:;, • !llav7 J who MC&ped through SOJM other 

rout.e, ~lined b7 plane. 

'}. "Tony'1 Lovink waa thorOU&hl.r coniti.nced t.hat. tJle "iiin<Ja 1'Exeout.e11 aeesaae 

would contain the Japanese Govel"lllffllt.' • dec181on aa to peaee or war "1t.h 

!Uase1&, the United St.a.tea, ud i.ngland {including MEI), reepeotivel,y, and 

impnsaed this tact on Mr. Foote. 

10. The above JHl!IOr&na\llD. is prepared frt>lt• not.es aade at the t.iJne and is a 

reuonably accurate ~ ot Mr. Foot.•' a statement.a. 

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