Between the devil and the deep blue sea - University of Canterbury

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Between November 1918 and June 1919, the government feared that the Allies
might yet invade the Netherlands or punish it in some way. Its neutral image had been
tarnished by a number of events in November 1918. Its position was not helped when the
Minister of Foreign Affairs, van Kamebeek, allowed 70,300 Gelman troops stuck in
northem Belgium to cross through Limburg into Germany on 13 November. 141 Only a day
earlier, van Kamebeek had denied requests for troop passage, except for wounded men. 142
Why he changed his mind remains unclear, although, as we will see, if he had not done so,
the Netherlands could have been faced with an intemee crisis even more debilitating than
that of October 1914.
The Allies met the news of German passage through Limburg with an uproar of
indignation. The situation was not helped by the fact that a Belgian newspaper, the Miroir,
published photos claiming that the Gennans had not even been disanned. While reporters
had photographed anned troops entering Limburg, the newspaper wrongly identified the
location of the soldiers. 143 The Dutch Anny, in fact, had a huge task on its hands disanning
the foreigners where they crossed the border near Maeseyk - extra troops travelled to the
province expressly for this purpose. 144 Of course, convincing the intemational press was far
from easy and decidedly hampered by van Karnebeek's untrue claims that he had received
pelmission from the Allies before letting the Germans through. 145
141 De Doormarsch Door Limburg. [The march through Limburg] Utrecht: A. W. Bruna & Zoon, 1921, pp. 6 - 7.
142 "Nota van het Departement van Buitenlandse Zaken aan het Duitse Gezantschap" [Note from the Department of
Foreign Affairs to the German delegation] 12 November 1918, in Smit (ed.), Bescheidell betrefJende de
buitenlalldsche politiek vall Nederland 1848 - 1919. Denle Periode 1899 - 1919. Vij/de Dee11917 - 1919. T,veede
Stukp.737.
143 For the photos and claims made in the Miroir, see: correspondence in ARA, "Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken
'A' dossiers" entry number 2.05.04, inventory number 837. In the end, the newspaper retracted the claims.
144 Chief of Staff Division IV to Commander-in-Chief, 12 December 1918, in ARA, "Archief van het Hoofdkwartier
Veldleger" entry no. 2.13.16, inventory no. 312.
145 Minister of Foreign Affairs to Dutch Minister in Paris, 21 November 1918 in Smit (ed.), Bescheiden betrefJende
de buitenlandsche politiek van Nederland 1848 - 1919. Derde Periode 1899 - 1919. Vij/de Deel 1917 - 1919.
Tweede Stukp. 749.