Following the Japanese invasion and collapse of the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) in early 1942, Dutch political and military leadership scattered across the globe. Many civil and military authorities regrouped in Australia and Ceylon, while the central government-in-exile remained in London. Amid the chaos, a major political fault line emerged between those seeking to restore Dutch colonial control over the Indies and those advocating for political reform and greater autonomy for Indonesians after the war.
At the heart of this divide were two senior colonial officials whose lives and careers had been shaped by the Netherlands East Indies: Hubertus van Mook and Charles van der Plas. Their close familiarity with the region and its diverse communities helped shape a political outlook that differed from that of many officials based in the Netherlands.
Van Mook’s ideas were not new. Before the war, he and Van der Plas had been involved with the Stuw group, a progressive forum that promoted reformist thinking about Dutch colonialism. When they arrived in Australia, they found a growing openness to postcolonial ideas. In his early discussions with Australian and American officials, Van Mook suggested that Indonesia would need a new political framework—one that granted meaningful self-governance and eventually, shared sovereignty with the Netherlands.
This vision sharply contrasted with that of the Dutch government-in-exile in London, led by Prime Minister Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy. Gerbrandy and his ministers viewed Van Mook’s initiatives as dangerous and ideologically subversive. In Ford’s account, Gerbrandy described Van Mook’s ideas as “a cardinal threat to the existence of the [Netherlands] nation” and saw the Indies reformers as having “practically gone native.” Their vision for a postwar Dutch–Indonesian partnership was seen by the London cabinet as weakening imperial unity and encouraging nationalist unrest.
These political differences complicated Van Mook’s relationship with the Netherlands Government-in-Exile. Following the collapse of the Netherlands East Indies, he travelled from Australia to London, arriving in April 1942. He subsequently became Minister for the Colonies, a substantive cabinet position that nevertheless placed him within the political and constitutional framework of the London government. His proposals for the future of the Indies continued to generate disagreement, particularly over the extent of Indonesian autonomy and the preservation of ties with the Netherlands. Van der Plas also faced political opposition from officials who regarded the Indies reformers with suspicion.
Yet even from exile, Van Mook continued to shape policy. Despite these disagreements, Van Mook and Van der Plas continued to influence the development of the Netherlands East Indies administration in Australia. The Commission’s responsibilities evolved as Dutch officials coordinated civil affairs, military requirements, Allied relations and preparations for the eventual return to the Indies.
In 1944–45, as the tide of war shifted in favour of the Allies, Van Mook revived his autonomy proposals. He planned to convene a conference with Indonesian representatives in preparation for postwar governance. Gerbrandy strongly opposed the idea, fearing that it would legitimise nationalist claims and weaken Dutch sovereignty. According to Ford, Gerbrandy’s cabinet pressured Queen Wilhelmina not to endorse Van Mook’s initiative—but the Queen, perhaps recognising changing global tides, ultimately offered her qualified support.
Australian and American officials increasingly recognised that the political future of the Netherlands East Indies could not be separated from questions of regional security and Indonesian self-government. Their attitudes towards Van Mook’s proposals varied, however, and neither country’s wartime policy amounted to an unequivocal endorsement of his federal vision.
Van Mook’s proposals were ultimately overtaken by events. In August 1945, just days after Japan’s surrender, Indonesian nationalist leaders Sukarno and Hatta declared independence. Van Mook, now back in Australia and later Jakarta, would spend the next several years trying to negotiate a federal solution. But the wartime divisions within the Dutch administration had already fractured its moral and political credibility.
The wartime rift between the London-based government and the Indies-born reformers reveals how the Dutch empire was already fracturing from within well before Indonesia’s formal declaration of independence. Van Mook’s reform efforts—while ultimately unsuccessful—represented a meaningful attempt to modernise colonial governance in line with shifting global norms around sovereignty and self-determination.
This article is part of a six-part series on Dutch–Australian wartime cooperation. For related perspectives, see:
- Between secrecy and survival: Australia’s frustration with Dutch neutrality on the eve of war.
- Divided in exile: tensions between Batavia and London in the Dutch war effort.
- Wartime reform and Indonesian voices: Dutch–Indonesian political tensions in exile.
- The Dutch purchasing mission and wartime supply issues in Australia.
- From indifference to diplomacy: how the war transformed Dutch–Australian foreign relations
- A Dutch military and civil inventory in Australia – March 1942 snapshot
References: Jack Ford, Allies in a Bind: Australia and the Netherlands East Indies in the Second World War, CQU Press, 2001
R. W. A. van den Berg, Unchained Interests, Netherlands Staff College Monograph, 2021
Related DACC series
Australia and the Netherlands East Indies on the eve of war
This four-part series examines how Australia and the Netherlands East Indies moved from limited contact towards direct diplomatic, military, public and economic cooperation immediately before the Pacific War.
A three-part series examining constitutional authority in London and the development of the Netherlands East Indies administration in wartime Australia.
This six-part series continues the story by examining how the displaced Netherlands East Indies administration was reconstructed in Australia, how it worked with Australia and the Allied command, and how wartime cooperation was affected by the political transformation of Indonesia after 1945.
