View source for Hubertus van Mook

{{Short description|Dutch colonial governor (1894–1965)}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2009}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image              = Hubertus J. van Mook, minister van koloniën, NG-1992-3-3-9.jpg
| caption            = Hubertus van Mook, {{circa|1940s}}
| office             = [[Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies]]
| status             = Lieutenant
| term_start         = 8 March 1942
| term_end           = 15 October 1948<br>[[Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies|In exile]] until 1 October 1945
| monarch            = {{ubl|[[Wilhelmina of the Netherlands|Wilhelmina]]|[[Juliana of the Netherlands|Juliana]]}}
| predecessor        = [[Alidius Tjarda van Starkenborgh Stachouwer|Alidius Tjarda van Starkenborgh]]
| successor          = [[Louis Beel]] (as High Commissioner)
| office1            = [[Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations|Minister of Colonial Affairs]]
| term_start1        = 21 May 1942
| term_end1          = 23 February 1945
| primeminister1     = [[Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy]]
| predecessor1       = Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy
| successor1         = [[Josef Schmutzer]]
| birth_name         = Hubertus Johannes van Mook
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1894|05|30|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Semarang]], [[Dutch East Indies]]
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1965|05|10|1894|05|30|df=y}}
| death_place        = [[L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue]], France
| alma_mater         = [[Leiden University]]
| occupation         = {{hlist|Politician|diplomat|author}}
}}
'''Hubertus Johannes "Huib" van Mook''' (30 May 1894 – 10 May 1965) was a Dutch [[Administrator of the Government|administrator]] in the [[East Indies]]. During the [[Indonesian National Revolution]], he served as the [[Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies|lieutenant governor-general of the Dutch East Indies]] from 1942 to 1948.<ref name="Kahin23">Kahin (2003), p. 23</ref> Van Mook also had a son named Cornelius van Mook who studied [[Marine propulsion|marine engineering]] at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]].<ref name="Kahin23" /> He also wrote about [[Java]] - and his work on [[Kota Gede]] is a good example of a colonial bureaucrat capable of examining and writing about local folklore.

==Biography==
Hubertus van Mook was born in [[Semarang]] in [[Central Java]] on 30 May 1894. As with many Dutch and [[Indo people|Indos]] (people of European and Indonesian heritage) growing up in the East Indies, he came to regard the colony, particularly [[Java]], as his home.<ref name="BaylyandHarper170">Bayly and Harper (2007), p. 170</ref> He studied Indology at  [[Leiden University]], and then returned to the Dutch East Indies. In 1931, he became a member of the [[Volksraad (Dutch East Indies)|''Volksraad'']], the advisory body set up by the colonial administration. There he spoke in favour of greater autonomy for the Dutch East Indies and for equal treatment for different races. From 1937 to 1941 he was director of economic affairs.<ref name = "CribbKahin278">Cribb & Kahin (2004) p. 278</ref> On 29 December 1941, a royal decree named Van Mook the successor to [[Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies]] [[Alidius Tjarda van Starkenborgh Stachouwer]], and appointed him lieutenant governor-general.<ref name="Schiller37">Schiller (1955), p. 37</ref> Immediately prior to the [[Dutch East Indies Campaign|surrender of the East Indies]] to the [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] on 8 March 1942, the [[Dutch East Indies]] [[government in exile]] near [[Brisbane]], [[Australia]] gave Van Mook authority over those areas still unoccupied by the Japanese.<ref name="BaylyandHarper167">Bayly and Harper (2007), p. 167</ref> However, two weeks later, he was relieved of his lieutenant-governorship and became minister of colonial affairs. On 14 September 1944, after he persuaded the Dutch government in exile to establish a provisional East Indies government, he was reappointed lieutenant governor-general.<ref name="Schiller3739">Schiller (1955), pp. 37-39</ref>  Due to his liberal inclinations and sympathies towards Indonesian nationalism, many conservative Dutch distrusted his policies and he was never given the full title of governor-general.<ref name="Kahin24">Kahin (2003), p. 24</ref> Because of the weakened position of the Dutch due to the Nazi [[Battle of the Netherlands|invasion]] and [[German occupation of the Netherlands|occupation]], much of the task of retaking the East Indies following the [[Japanese surrender]] in August 1945 was carried out by Australian and British forces. While Australian forces succeeded in occupying the Outer Islands with minimal resistance, British forces in [[Java]] and [[Sumatra]] were challenged by a nascent Indonesian republic led by [[Sukarno]] and [[Mohammad Hatta|Hatta]].

[[File:Welcome van Mook Pelita Rakjat 5 October 1948 p2.jpg|thumb|left|Indonesians awaiting Van Mook's return to the country]]
On 1 October 1945, Van Mook arrived back in Java along with elements of the [[Netherlands Indies Civil Administration]]. However, their presence generated much outrage from much of the Indonesian populace who were opposed to the restoration of Dutch colonial rule.<ref name="BaylyandHarper170"/> With Dutch support being limited to Christian areas like [[Ambon, Maluku|Ambon]] and [[Manado]], which were at that time (not before WWII) the chief sources of recruitment for the [[Royal Dutch East Indies Army]].,<ref name="BaylyandHarper171">Bayly and Harper (2007), p. 171</ref> even though the majority of [[Royal Dutch East Indies Army]] soldiers had always been [[Javanese people|Javanese]] Muslims, the largest ethnic group in the colony. Republican forces had taken control of  [[Manado]] by February 1946, before being subdued by allied forces, and many Christian [[Minahasan people|Manado]] and [[Ambonese people|Ambonesse]] supported the Republic, including chief representative for the [[United Nations|UN]], [[Lambertus Nicodemus Palar]], Leimena, [[Alexander Andries Maramis]]. On the other hand, many leading Dutch supporters were from Muslim areas, including [[Syarif Hamid II of Pontianak|Sultan Hamid II]], [[Andi Aziz|Andi Azis]], [[Abdulkadir Widjojoatmodjo|R. Abdulkadir Wijoyoatmojo]] (later chief Dutch negotiator in the talks leading to the [[Renville Agreement]]). While van Mook planned to grant independence to Indonesia, he advocated a [[Federal republic|federal]] [[Republic of the United States of Indonesia]] with strong [[Netherlands-Indonesia Union|political and economic ties to the Netherlands]]. He regarded Sukarno's republic as economically inept and unable to ward off the [[Indonesian Chinese]], [[Indonesian Indian]]s, and the rising [[Indonesian Communist Party]], and began cultivating links with Indonesian leaders outside Java, particularly in West Java and eastern Indonesia. He organised a number of conferences aimed at offsetting the influence of the republic.<ref name="Kahin27">Kahin (2003), p. 27</ref><ref name="KeatGinOoi">Keat Gin Ooi (2004), pp 1365-1386</ref>

The above factors and violations of the [[Linggadjati Agreement]] prompted the East Indies government to launch a [[Police actions (Indonesia)|police action]] in mid-1947, which was known as [[Operation Product]]. The KNIL and [[Royal Netherlands Army]] occupied large areas of Java and Sumatra, with the [[Indonesian National Armed Forces|Republican army]] offering only weak resistance.<ref name="Jackson22">Jackson (2008), p. 22</ref> However, the Dutch were held back from full conquest of the Republic by pressure from the [[UN Security Council]] and the [[United States]], which called for a ceasefire.<ref name="Spruyt150">Spruyt (2005), p.150</ref> This led to the announcement of a ceasefire in January 1948 followed by a formal armistice. As a consequence, a conflict previously considered to be an internal Dutch affair now took on an international dimension.

The [[Renville Agreement]], as the armistice was called, stipulated the withdrawal of Indonesian forces from Dutch-occupied territory and the establishment of a [[ceasefire]] boundary known as the [[Van Mook Line]].<ref name="Kahin29">Kahin (2003), p. 29</ref> Because of problems caused by the differing interests of regional leaders and opposition from elements of the Dutch military and government, in 1948 Van Mook resigned.<ref name="KeatGinOoi"/>  Meanwhile, some time after the ceasefire, the Indonesian military secretly returned and began guerrilla operations against the Dutch. This led to a second major Dutch police action known as [[Operation Kraai]] in December 1948.<ref name="Zweers">Zweers (1995)</ref>

Van Mook subsequently broke links with both Indonesia and his home country, and took a job with the [[United Nations]]. However, not long after this, he died in [[France]].<ref name="KeatGinOoi"/>

==Decorations==
{| class="wikitable" style="width:60%;"
|- style="background:#ccf; text-align:center;"
| colspan=5 |'''Honours'''
|-
! style="width:80px;"| Ribbon bar !! Honour !! Country !! Date !! Comment
|-
| [[File:Order of Orange-Nassau ribbon - Knight Grand Cross.svg|80px]]
| [[Grand Cross|Knight Grand Cross]] of the [[Order of Orange-Nassau]]
| Netherlands
| 29 August 1947
| <small>Elevated from Commander</small>
|-
| [[File:Order of the Netherlands Lion ribbon - Knight.svg|80px]]
| Knight of the [[Order of the Netherlands Lion]]
| Netherlands
| 
| 
|-
| [[File:Ribbon Bar of None.svg|80px]]
| [[Order of Brilliant Jade|Order of the Jade]] 3rd class
| [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]]
| 22 July 1939
| 
|-
| [[File:VEN Order of the Liberator - Grand Cordon BAR.png|80px]]
| Grand Cordon of the [[Order of the Liberator]]
| [[United States of Venezuela|Venezuela]]
| 22 August 1944
| 
|}

==Trivia==
*Mr. Van Mook was pictured on the front of [[Time (magazine)|Time Magazine]]'s edition of August 18, 1941,<ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |title= Van Mook of the Indies |url= https://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19410818,00.html |website= [[Time (magazine)|Time magazine]] |access-date= July 20, 2025}}</ref> the fourth cover featuring a Dutch person.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |title= The Netherlands on the cover of TIME magazine|url= https://www.netherlandsintime.com/netherlands-cover-time-magazine |website= netherlandsintime.com |access-date= July 20, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Van Reybrouck |first= David |date= November 25, 2020 |title= Revolusi: Indonesië en het ontstaan van de moderne world |trans-title= Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World |language= Dutch |publisher= [[De Bezige Bij]] |chapter= Chapter 5: 'Silence' |isbn= 978-9-40-310462-1 }}</ref> An article was dedicated to him in Time's edition of June 16, 1941, lauding his stance towards Japan prior to the start of the [[Pacific War#Tensions between Japan and the West|Pacific War]].<ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date= June 16, 1941 |title= Foreign News: Thank You, Mr. van Mook |url= https://time.com/archive/6765083/foreign-news-thank-you-mr-van-mook/ |website= Time Magazine |access-date= July 20, 2025}}</ref>

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
*{{Cite book
| author=Bayly, Christopher |author2=Harper, Tim| title=Forgotten Wars: The End of Britain's Asian Empire|year= 2007|publisher=Allen Lane|isbn=978-0-7139-9782-8}}
* {{Cite book
  | last =Cheong | first =Yong Mun | title =H.J. Van Mook and Indonesian Independence: A Study of His Role in Dutch-Indonesian Relations, 1945-48| publisher =Nijhoff| year =1982  | location =[[The Hague]] }}
*{{cite book | last1 = Cribb| first1 = R.B |last2= Kahin | first2= Audrey | title = Historical Dictionary of Indonesia | publisher = Scarecrow Press | year = 2004  | isbn = 9780810849358}}
*{{Cite book
| last =Kahin | first= George McTurnan| title=Nationalism and Revolution in Indonesia|year= 1952|publisher=Cornell University Press|isbn=0-8014-9108-8}}
*{{Cite book |editor=Keat Gin Ooi |editor-link=Keat Gin Ooi |title=Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor, Volume 1 |year=2004 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=9781576077702 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QKgraWbb7yoC&q=hubertus+van+mook&pg=PA1385}}
* {{Cite book
  | last =Kahin | first =George McTurnan |author2=Audrey Kahin | title =Southeast Asia: A Testament | publisher =Routledge Curzon| year =2003  | location =London | isbn =0-415-29975-6 }}
*{{Cite book
  | last =Ricklefs | first =M.C.| title =A History of Modern Indonesia Since c. 1300 | publisher =Stanford University Press| year =1993  | location =San Francisco }}
* {{Cite book | last = Schiller| first = A. Arthur | title = The Formation of Federal Indonesia 1945-1949| publisher = W. Van Hoeve Ltd|location= The Hague | year = 1955}}
*{{Cite book
  | last =Spruyt | first =Hendrik| title =Ending Empire: Contested Sovereignty and Territorial Partition | publisher =Cornell University Press| year =2005  | location =Ithaca, New York }}
* {{Cite book| last =Zweers| first =L.| title =Agressi II: Operatie Kraai. De vergeten beelden van de tweede politionele actie| publisher =SDU Uitgevers| year =1995| location =[[The Hague]]| url =http://www.antiqbook.nl/boox/gem/43781.shtml| url-status =dead| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20120208081633/http://www.antiqbook.nl/boox/gem/43781.shtml| archive-date =2012-02-08}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book |last=de Jong |first=Loe |date=1986 |title=Nederlands-Indië III |series=Het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden in de Tweede Wereldoorlog |url=http://loe.niod.knaw.nl/grijswaarden/De-Jong_Koninkrijk_deel-11c_bw.pdf |location=Leiden |publisher=Martinus Nijhoff |volume=11c |isbn=90-689-0079-X |language=Dutch |archive-date=2024-04-02 |access-date=2025-03-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240402185221/http://loe.niod.knaw.nl/grijswaarden/De-Jong_Koninkrijk_deel-11c_bw.pdf |url-status=dead }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Hubertus van Mook}}
* [http://www.houseofdavid.ca/frnlus.htm#mook The Van Mook Factor].

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Alidius Tjarda van Starkenborgh Stachouwer|Alidius Tjarda van Starkenborgh]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies]]<br>(lieutenant)|years=1942–1948}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Louis Beel]]|as=High Commissioner}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations|Minister of Colonial Affairs]]|years=1942–1945}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Josef Schmutzer]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Members of the Volksraad (Dutch East Indies)}}
{{Ministers of Colonial Affairs of the Netherlands (1848–1945)}}
{{Governors-general of the Dutch East Indies}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mook, Hubertus Johannes Van}}
[[Category:1894 births]]
[[Category:1965 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Semarang]]
[[Category:Delft University of Technology alumni]]
[[Category:Governors-general of the Dutch East Indies]]
[[Category:Ministers of colonial affairs of the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Dutch people of the Indonesian National Revolution]]
[[Category:Leiden University alumni]]