This article examines a formative episode in the history of both the United Nations Security Council and Indonesian decolonisation. In August of 1947, Council members authorised an ad hoc delegation from the Republic of Indonesia to participate in its discussions concerning the ongoing Dutch–Indonesian conflict. Focusing on the series of developments that led to the Indonesians taking their seats at the table, this article reveals how Security Council procedures and practices could be used to facilitate the decolonisation process. The Council's involvement in the Dutch–Indonesian conflict—and, in particular, the decision to allow the Indonesians to present their case in this international arena—demonstrates that Europeans’ claims of “domestic jurisdiction” over their colonial territories remained subject to negotiation, and that non-European actors could successfully contest these claims in Council chambers.

本文探讨了联合国安理会和印度尼西亚非殖民化历史上的一次形成性事件。1947年8月，安理会成员授权印度尼西亚共和国一个特设代表团参加有关正在进行的荷兰－印尼冲突的讨论。本文着眼于导致印尼人在桌旁就座的一系列事态发展，揭示了如何利用安全理事会的程序和做法来促进非殖民化进程。安理会参与了荷兰－印尼冲突，尤其是允许印尼人在这个国际舞台上陈述自己的案子的决定，证明欧洲人对其殖民地领土的“国内管辖权”主张仍需进行谈判，