Netherlands Forces Intelligence Service (NEFIS): Dutch intelligence in exile

Netherlands Forces Intelligence Service (NEFIS): Dutch intelligence in exile in Australia

The Netherlands Forces Intelligence Service (NEFIS) was the wartime intelligence arm of the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) government-in-exile. It emerged after the collapse of the NEI in early 1942, when Dutch civil and military authorities relocated to Australia. NEFIS became the centre of Dutch intelligence, propaganda, and special operations in the South West Pacific Area (SWPA), operating under the overall Allied command of General Douglas MacArthur.

Origins in exile

When Japan invaded the NEI in early 1942, the Dutch colonial administration disintegrated. Lieutenant Governor-General Hubertus van Mook and his top officials fled by plane to Australia in early March, establishing a temporary administration in Sydney. For security reasons, this move was kept quiet, but within two weeks Prime Minister John Curtin formally welcomed the Dutch and recognised their presence. By late March, the Dutch administration had shifted to Melbourne, where it received full Australian logistical and legal support as an Allied partner in exile.

Early Dutch intelligence efforts were ad hoc. The service originated in 1941 when the Dutch naval commander Vice-Admiral C.E.L. Helfrich sent a liaison officer to the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board in Melbourne. A small naval and army intelligence teams was led by Captain-Lieutenant-at-Sea G. B. Salm and Lieutenant-Commander H. J. Landsman, and operated from Sydney and Melbourne. The service originated in 1941 when the Dutch naval commander Vice-Admiral C.E.L. Helfrich sent a liaison officer to the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board in Melbourne. Their work included liaison with Australian and American officers, monitoring refugee and shipping reports, and gathering intelligence from escaped prisoners and merchant crews.

When Japan invaded the NEI in February 1942, a number of prominent and high-ranking authorities of the NEI Government were already ordered to move to Australia. This included a number of staff officers of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (K.N.I.L.), including Major Jhr. J.M.R. Sandberg, captains Dirk Cornelis Buurman van Vreeden, G.L. Reinderhoff, S.H. Spoor and H.J. de Vries. Later, lieutenant colonel N.L.W. van Straten, from Timor, and captain of the military police F. van der Veen would also be added.

In April 1942, the Naval and Army Intelligence Service was further expanded to include Major Spoor (now promoted). Captain Reinderhoff became his first employee. Lieutenant-at-sea of the first class J.A.F.H. Douw van der Krap also joined. In total, about 50 men and women worked in this service.

The formal creation of NEFIS on 1 April 1943 gave these efforts a central structure, and it became the main Dutch intelligence agency in the Pacific War. The name ‘NEFIS’ then arose because the contacts with the other Allied staffs all had English as their working language and the Dutch name was not considered practical.

Leadership and command

Lieutenant-General Simon Hendrik Spoor in front of NEFIS office at Camp Columbia.

NEFIS operated under the overall military authority of Lieutenant-General Simon Hendrik Spoor, who was appointed commander of Dutch land forces in Australia and later commander of the KNIL in exile. Spoor coordinated intelligence, oversaw Dutch military presence in Australia, and ensured reports flowed into SWPA channels. He worked closely with Salm, who led naval intelligence and liaison, and with Australian and American intelligence officers.

Spoor was well regarded by the Allies for his professional approach and ability to work within the constraints imposed on minor Allies. His challenge was to maintain Dutch visibility and relevance within MacArthur’s command, which was dominated by American priorities and often sidelined smaller partners like the Dutch and Australians.

Organisation and structure

NEFIS was headquartered first in Melbourne and moved in June 1944 to Camp Columbia, at Wacol, near Brisbane. This site became the Dutch intelligence hub, close to the relocated NEI government-in-exile. NEFIS consisted of three key sections:

NEFIS I – Intelligence Collection and Analysis
Collected and processed information from refugees, escaped POWs, aerial reconnaissance, and intercepted communications.
NEFIS II – Propaganda and Psychological Warfare
Produced anti-Japanese leaflets and radio broadcasts to maintain loyalty to the Dutch crown and undermine Japanese propaganda.
NEFIS III – Special Operations and Guerrilla Support (overview only)
Conducted clandestine reconnaissance and supported small Dutch and local guerrilla units in occupied territories. Operatives were inserted by submarine, Catalina flying boat, or parachute in collaboration with Australian and U.S. special forces.

NEFIS also worked closely with the Allied Intelligence Bureau (AIB) and coordinated with Australian services to avoid duplication. Its intelligence reports contributed to operations in New Guinea, the NEI, and the broader SWPA theatre.

Role in the Allied war effort

NEFIS ensured that the Dutch remained an active participant in the Pacific War despite the loss of their homeland and colonies. Its contributions included:

Providing local knowledge of NEI geography, shipping routes, and political networks
Supporting Allied operations with intelligence on Japanese troop movements and coastal defences
Helping maintain Dutch political legitimacy and Allied recognition of the NEI government-in-exile
Laying the groundwork for Dutch re-entry into the NEI after liberation

However, NEFIS was a small organisation with limited strategic influence. Many of its operations were high-risk, and some missions failed or suffered heavy losses. Intelligence was often duplicated by Australian or U.S. sources, and MacArthur’s staff kept tight control over how Dutch information was used.

Assessment

NEFIS played a modest but symbolically significant role in the Pacific War. It preserved Dutch intelligence capabilities in exile, supported the Allied campaign in New Guinea and the NEI, and demonstrated the Netherlands’ commitment to the war against Japan. Its intelligence and propaganda efforts were valuable, but its influence was constrained by size, resources, and Allied politics.

NEFIS III’s field missions and special operations, including infiltration and guerrilla support, are covered in a separate article to highlight their risks, challenges, and contributions to the war effort.

Return to the Netherlands East Indies

In 1945 the NEFIS was reorganised so that after the Japanese capitulation the service could form the new security service in the NEI In September and October 1945, the NEFIS was transferred from Camp Columbia (Brisbane) to the NEI and was established in Batavia on Java.

After a chaotic start, the service in the NEI started collecting information about the new local political groups. The intelligence service played an important role during the transition period as well as Indonesia’s later war of independence. In 1948, the NEFIS merged into the new overarching Central Military Intelligence Service. This service came directly under the command of Commander-in-Chief General Spoor. It would eventually have had a short existence in view of the soon-to-be-followed transfer of sovereignty. The director had become Lieutenant Colonel G.L. Reinderhoff, who would transfer to the Royal Netherlands Army after the transfer of the NEI to the new Republic of Indonesia. Back in the Netherlands Korps Insulinde grew into today’s modern Korps Commandotroepen.

Netherlands Forces Intelligence Service (NEFIS): Dutch intelligence in exile

Published by DACC on August 1, 2025August 1, 2025