Swart’s letters to Schmidt (1909-1913) was the private letters of H. N. A. Swart to H. J. Schmidt of 26 December 1909, 26 September 1911, 9 December 1911 and 10 August 1913, printed in extract by du Croo.
They are, du Croo wrote, “characteristic both of the manner in which Swart corresponded privately with his most trusted collaborators and of certain frictions with the army command, which in fact ended only when Swart became lieutenant-general.” The letter of 26 December 1909 promises T. Radja Moeda Seudagan six breech-loaders when his koeta is ready and an advance of two or three hundred guilders, and instructs Schmidt to end the existence of T. Dagang and his panglima Pang Tjoet Bén at Tangsé, then to go to Geumpang against Keudjroeën Leupoe and his sons. That of 26 September 1911 reports the interview with the new Governor-General Idenburg at Sabang on 14 December, the farewell to van Heutsz on 22 December, the death of Tgk. Ma’at and the instruction to Scheurleer concerning Pang Bintang, and offers Schmidt Tgk. di Barat as his next object. That of 9 December 1911 concerns his own promotion. Du Croo defended the practice by citing Idenburg’s letter to van Heutsz of 15 September 1908: “the advantage of private correspondence is that it is personal and that one can say exactly what one thinks about a matter.”
See Also
Source
Generaal Swart, Pacificator van Atjeh (“General Swart, Pacifier of Atjeh”), by M. H. du Croo, Colonel K.N.I.L. (retired), with the collaboration of H. J. Schmidt, Titular Colonel K.N.I.L. (retired), with a foreword by His Excellency Lieutenant-General K.N.I.L. (retired) G. K. Dijkstra (Maastricht: N.V. Leiter-Nypels, 1943), Chapter XIV, pp. 140–141.