ABSTRACT
Dr. George H. C. Hart, speaking for the Dutch, wants to have the Indies returned to the Netherlands, but under a new arrangement of “linked independence.” Setting aside for the moment consideration of possible alternative plans, the main query is what the Dutch intend to do about the internal reorganization of the Indies. The forces of conservatism, very strong in the Netherlands and among many of the Dutch in the Indies, are sure to swing into action after the war and interpose obstacles to liberalizing the colonial policy. In the Indies, for instance, the Dutch would be the administering group, because of their experience in the region, and the representative committee would be drawn from several of the most interested nations. Indeed, the exclusiveness of the Dutch concerning the Indies is so striking that it can be justly regarded as the prime determinant in all their planning for the future.
