The Ambassador relates the highly negative experience of a Dutch business representative who recently traveled to Pyongyang on the request of a Dutch commercial delegation already there. The North Korean hosts were offensive in their manner, attempted to play the different representatives against each other, and made highly dubious proposals and demands, including that 50 cars be donated to state corporations as gifts.

Memorizes a visit by the British Third Secretary of the Embassy. Having heard that North Korea was considering establishing a trade mission in the United Kingdom, the British were looking for information on similar initiatives elsewhere. The Ministry described the unsuccessful attempt a few years earlier, which was by now a thing of the past.

The Netherlands Council for Trade Promotion decides not to reciprocate a visit to North Korea for the time being.

A memorandum notes that the proposal to allow a number of North Korean business representatives temporary yet effectively indefinite stay would require permission from the Justice Department, and proposes to initiate contact to this effect.

The East Asia Department agrees with Foreign Economic Relations that no North Korean trade mission in the Netherlands should be established, but proposes instead that a number of representatives be allowed temporary stay to build up commercial contacts instead.

The director-general of the Department for Foreign Economic Relations advises against the establishment of a North Korean trade mission in the Netherlands: while the volume of trade with the two Koreas is roughly equal, such a mission would do great harm to commercial interests in South Korea, particularly VMF and Shell.

Recalls a conversation with Heldring of the Netherlands Council for Trade Promotion, during which Heldring said he had received word from the North Koreans that they were willing to sign the proposed agreement even though they kept urging the establishment of a permanent trade mission. Heldring pointed out such a mission had recently been established in Switzerland and similar contacts were ongoing in the Scandinavian countries. The Dutch company VMF had, however, by now changed to a much more cautious position because of its South Korean interests. Heldring was putting of a reciprocal visit to North Korea until he knew the Ministry's position.

Memorizes a visit by the director of Shell in the Netherlands who reported a message from his colleague in Seoul that establishment of a permanent trade representation by North Korea in the Netherlands would cause significant harm to Shell's operations in South Korea. The Ministry informed him of the talks with the Netherlands Council for Trade Promotion and called the issue "entirely open".

Veraart of the Dutch company Verolme visited to report on the farewell dinner he hosted for the North Korean trade mission. The delegation stressed that a trade agreement was not sufficient and that a permanent representation should be established, which Veraart promised to keep talking to the government about.

A cover letter from Heldring of the Netherlands Council for Trade Promotion (in Dutch); the text of agreements with the Japan External Trade Organization and the Irish Export Board (in English); and a draft agreement with the Korean Committee for the Promotion of International Trade including lists of goods (in English).