H. B. van Daalen was the editor of the Java-Bode who, in 1873, published the articles later reprinted as De enquête over den mislukten tocht naar Atjeh. In those articles he became one of the earliest press critics of Dutch policy in the Aceh War, attacking the failed First Aceh Expedition (1873), the official inquiry that followed it, and the public defense of Governor-General Loudon.
He is important because he helped turn the first Dutch defeat in Aceh into a political scandal and a printed public controversy.
Editor of the Java-Bode
The title page of De enquête over den mislukten tocht naar Atjeh named Van Daalen as editor of the Java-Bode. The pamphlet was a reprint of two newspaper articles. That shows how quickly the war moved from battlefield event to newspaper controversy.
Critic of the war and its explanation
Van Daalen argued that the Dutch defeat in Atjeh should not be hidden behind patriotic phrases. He attacked the anonymous pamphlet Bemoediging, which he believed defended Loudon too eagerly and used insider language to do so. He also condemned the secret questioning of officers and the later Commission of Inquiry into the First Aceh Expedition, because he thought these steps undermined military fairness and were used to move blame downward.
Defense of the commanders
Van Daalen did not say that commanders could never make mistakes. His point was that accusations had to be open, clear, and properly addressed. He objected strongly to questioning subordinates behind the backs of their chiefs. In this way he made military dignity and proper procedure part of the public debate.
Language about Aceh
One striking feature of Van Daalen’s writing was the language he used about the Acehnese side. He spoke of the vigilance of the ruler, the patriotism of the people, and the courage of resistance. This made his pamphlet unusual in the early Dutch literature of the war.
Significance
H. B. van Daalen is significant in Aceh-related print history because he preserved one of the first strong anti-official readings of the war. Through the Java-Bode and his pamphlet, he helped define the first printed struggle over what the defeat of 1873 meant and who was responsible for it.
See Also
- De Java Bode
- De enquête over den mislukten tocht naar Atjeh
- Bemoediging
- James Loudon
- I. D. Fransen van de Putte
- Commission of Inquiry into the First Aceh Expedition
- First Aceh Expedition (1873)
- Aceh War
- 1873
Source
De enquête over den mislukten tocht naar Atjeh, door H. B. van Daalen, redacteur van den Java-Bode (Batavia / The Hague, 1873), pp. 3–23.