biography
| name: |
Mook, Hubertus Johannes van
|
pronunciation:
[van mohk]
| sex:
| male
|
| lived:
| (1894–1965)
|
| biography:
| Dutch politician, born in Semarang, former Netherlands East Indies (NEI). He studied chemistry in Amsterdam and Delft, and Indology and NEI law at Leiden. In 1918 he joined the NEI civil service, where he favoured native interests rather than commercial companies. His appointment at the request of the governor-general Tjarda van Starkenburgh Stachouwer as lieutenant-governor-general was interrupted by the war with Japan. He escaped to Australia after the NEI surrendered and became minister for colonial affairs in the wartime cabinet in exile in London (1942), and during 1944–8 was again appointed lieutenant-governor-general. In 1945, after the Japanese surrender, he returned to Batavia, where the British forces commander put him in touch with Sukarno, whom the British had de facto recognized. Any idea of official contact was officially rejected by the Dutch government. He later tried to form administrations in the non-republican areas, and undertook a police action in 1947. This was called off against his advice just before reaching Jogja, under pressure from the security council. He resigned in 1948 and became professor at Berkeley University (California) in 1949. During 1951–60 he was a UN expert on developing countries. |
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