Evening star., 1949-05-08

since we are linked with oul
nearest neighbors in the Atlantic
pact. And, since their financia
solvency and military efficiency
are deeply involved, we have very
good practical reasons for taking
an interest in the present state OF
our partners, empires.
Different in France
We must begin by not confusing
the problems or even the feelings
about the problems. There can be
no doubt that in the Netherlands
the Indonesian question Is nearly
as important as the German ques-
ton. The papers carry the daily
casualty lists; the flnanciers note
with gloom the cost of the police
operations: parents lament the
exile of more than 100000 young
men in the army: parties quarrel
over the responsibility for the
present imbroglio; but no one is
Indifferent and comparatively few
are willing to call it a day and
get out of Java or Sumatra as the
British got out of British India.
In France, 1t is very different
There are the casualty lists; there
is the cost; there is the tying-ur
OF tens Of thousands of troops. But
there is far from being unanimity
on what ought to be done, far
from deep determination to hold
on at all costs: there is something
Of a nostalgia wish that France
had been as bold as Britain was In
India. And whereas in the Neither
lands. people Of all classes want to
talk about the Indian" problem,
in France few do. when I am
in danger of thinking things are
going really well in France, have
only to think Of Indo- China" said
an admirably-qualified commenta-
tor. But whereas he preferred not
to think of Indo- China, Dutchmen
Of the same type think a great
deal about their india"
Dutch Attitude
The proprietary sense of the
average Dutchman contrasts very
markedly with the boredom. hos
tility or anger of the average
Frenchman. And 1t contrasts,
the Dutch note with astonish-
ment. with the placidity with
which the average citizen of Brit
ain saw the abandonment of Brit
ish authority in what had been
"the brightest jewel in the
crown"
There are obvious reasons for
the different attitudes. AS COM
pared with the recent and not
very deeply rooted connection of
France and AMMAN -Tonking, the
Dutch connection with the Indies
is as old as the union of the
crowns (union of the English and
Scottish crowns. 1603. For a
Dutchman to think of a dissolu-
ton Of that connection is as diff
cult as for the average Scot to
contemplate an English independ-
ence movement. Then, unlike the
British In India, the Dutch en-
ployed whites at almost every
level of administration. "Old In
dia" hands in the Netherlands are
not represented by a few thou
sand retired colonels and collec-
tors in Bath or Cheltenham. but
by tens of thousands of people
all over the Netherlands with
an especially large concentration
in The Hague). Hundreds Of
thousands of people have a direct
or. at any rate. family connec-
ton with Indonesia.
Tenacity Explained
And they want to continue. In
donesia is not boring or remote
subjectA as India has been with
the British.
That is the first and probably
most important explanation OF
Dutch tenacity. Then this wide
spread connection has had other
political results. The average
Dutchman has not been impressed
by Britain's magnanimity In
leaving India. for he has none
of our belief in the capacity oi
the people we have trained tc
apply our political, legal and eco
nomic techniques. TITS all right
now, but In o few years India
and Pakistan will be anarchical
or Communist. Look at Burma.
They find it difficult to realize
that the British man-in-the-
street does not look at Burma
for the Dutch man-in-the-street
does look at Indonesia.
Then the fact that Holland was
occupied by the Germans has had
important results. It can be used
to justify the refusal Of the gov
ernment-in-exile" to make de-
tailed concessions in. say. the
spring of l941. It also explains
the bitterness Of the Dutch to-
ward some, at least Of the Ma
tionalist leaders who were pro-
teges of the Japanese. They see
in them not only rebels. but equiv
alents OF their own Quislings
Mussert and Blokzijl. And agair
the contrast with France Is worth
noting. Since Vichy France die
q deal with the japanese, the pos
sibly ambiguous past Of the Indo.
Chinese leaders Is O matter oi
indifference to the man In the
Paris street, unless. as Is the cas-
In the Communist districts. h,
sees In the Viet-Minh leader,
equivalents OF Maurice Thorez
who. In his time, was not an or
thodox French patriot
Economic Connection
Then, Of course. there Is tn,
economic connection. IF we los
the Indies, our standard Of livini
viii 60 down by half" So Al
excited Dutchmarl told me. Thi'
4w = er~nm% ave ocnyso ffrr1 ~ fta rail-