Cals cabinet

The Cals cabinet was the executive branch of the Dutch Government from 14 April 1965 until 22 November 1966. The cabinet was formed by the christian-democratic Catholic People's Party (KVP) and Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP) and the social-democratic Labour Party (PvdA) after the fall of the previous Cabinet Marijnen. The cabinet was a Centre-left coalition and had a substantial majority in the House of Representatives; prominent Catholic politician Jo Cals, a former Minister of Education, served as Prime Minister. Labour Leader Anne Vondeling served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Protestant Leader Barend Biesheuvel continued as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and the responsibility for Suriname and Netherlands Antilles Affairs from previous cabinet.

Cals cabinet
Cabinet of the Netherlands
The installation of the Cals cabinet on 14 April 1965
Date formed	14 April 1965 (1965-04-14)
Date dissolved	22 November 1966 (1966-11-22) 1 year, 222 days in office (Demissionary from 14 October 1966 (1966-10-14))
People and organisations
Monarch	Queen Juliana
Prime Minister	Jo Cals
Deputy Prime Minister	Anne Vondeling Barend Biesheuvel
No. of ministers	14
Ministers removed	1
Total no. of members	15
Member party	Catholic People's Party (KVP) Labour Party (PvdA) Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP)
Status in legislature	Centre-left Majority government
History
Legislature terms	1963–1967
Incoming formation	1965 formation
Outgoing formation	1966 formation
Predecessor	Marijnen cabinet
Successor	Zijlstra cabinet

The cabinet served in the middle of the tumultuous 1960s. Domestically it had to deal with the counterculture and implemented several major social reforms to social security, as well as closing the mines in Limburg and stimulating urban development in the Randstad. Internationally, the protests against the Vietnam War were a major point of attention. The cabinet suffered several major internal and external conflicts, including multiple cabinet resignations. The cabinet fell just 18 months into its term on 14 October 1966, following the Night of Schmelzer when Catholic Leader Norbert Schmelzer proposed a counter-motion that called for stronger austerity measures to reduce the deficit than those the cabinet had itself proposed. Prime Minister Cals saw this as an indirect motion of no confidence from his own party, and announced his resignation; the cabinet continued in a demissionary capacity until it was replaced by the caretaker Cabinet Zijlstra.

Formation

Main article: 1965 Dutch cabinet formation

After the fall of the Marijnen cabinet, the confessional parties did not want snap elections because those could centre on the introduction of commercial television, the issue that led to the fall of the former cabinet. So a new cabinet was formed on the basis of the existing situation. A continuation of the Marijnen cabinet was considered to have too narrow a basis, so PvdA was asked to join in. As a result, CHU stepped out. But previous frictions between PvdA and KVP were overcome because there was a desire to form a cabinet fast, which was indeed done, in just over a month.

Term

After two decades of economic growth, this cabinet experienced a slight recession. Plans to build sports halls, roads and houses had to be tempered. In Limburg the coal mines were closed, and plans were devised to educate and re-employ the former miners.

There was also social unrest, which became apparent in the Provo movement, construction worker protests, riots over the marriage of Princess Beatrix in Amsterdam and the rise of new parties: the Farmers' Party (BP), the Pacifist Socialist Party (PSP), the Reformed Political League (GPV) and the Democrats 66 (D'66). The last party, especially, wished to change the political order..

On 14 October 1966 Norbert Schmelzer the Leader of the Catholic People's Party and Parliamentary leader of the Catholic People's Party in the House of Representatives proposed a Motion of no confidence against the cabinet and Prime Minister Jo Cals. A shocking and surprised action in Dutch politics, it marked the first time that a motion of no confidence was proposed against a cabinet of the same party. The cabinet resigned that evening.

Changes

On 5 February 1966 State Secretary for Defense for Air Force Affairs Jan Borghouts (KVP) died following a debilitating disease at the age of 55. On 22 June 1966 former Chairman of the United Defence Staff lieutenant general Heije Schaper, who until then had been working as Chief Adjutant in extraordinary service to Queen Juliana was installed as his successor.

On 31 August 1966 Minister of the Interior Jan Smallenbroek (ARP) resigned after he was involved in a traffic incident while driving under the influence. Minister of Justice Ivo Samkalden (PvdA) served as acting Minister of the Interior until 5 September 1966 when Koos Verdam (ARP), who until then had been working as a professor of Roman and International Private Law at the VU University Amsterdam was appointed as his successor.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Luns, Prime Minister Jo Cals, President of Tanzania Julius Nyerere and Prince Bernhard at Soesterberg Air Base on 21 April 1965.

Former United States Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs W. Averell Harriman and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Luns at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 3 September 1965.

Belgium Minister of Foreign Affairs Hendrik Fayat, West-German Minister for Foreign Affairs Gerhard Schröder and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Luns at a Western European Union conference in Brussels on 4 November 1965.

Indian diplomat Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit and Prime Minister Jo Cals at the Catshuis on 12 November 1965.

President of the European Parliament Alain Poher and Prime Minister Jo Cals at the Catshuis on 24 May 1966.

Soviet Ambassador Ivan Tugarinov and Prime Minister Jo Cals at the Catshuis on 30 June 1966.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Luns, President of Tunisia Habib Bourguiba and Prime Minister Jo Cals at the Catshuis on 7 July 1966.

Deputy Prime Minister Anne Vondeling, Indonesian Minister for Economic Affairs Hamengkubuwono IX and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Luns at the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague on 5 September 1966.

Cabinet members

Ministers			Title/Ministry/Portfolio(s)			Term of office	Party
		Jo Cals (1914–1971)	Prime Minister	General Affairs		14 April 1965 – 22 November 1966	Catholic People's Party
		Dr. Anne Vondeling (1916–1979)	Deputy Prime Minister	Finance	14 April 1965 – 22 November 1966		Labour Party
			Minister
		Barend Biesheuvel (1920–2001)	Deputy Prime Minister	Agriculture and Fisheries		24 July 1963 – 5 April 1967 [Retained] [Continued]	Anti-Revolutionary Party
			Minister
			Minister	Interior	• Suriname and Netherlands Antilles Affairs
		Jan Smallenbroek (1909–1974)	Minister	Interior		14 April 1965 – 31 August 1966 [Res]	Anti-Revolutionary Party
		Dr. Ivo Samkalden (1912–1995)				31 August 1966 – 5 September 1966 [Ad Interim]	Labour Party
		Dr. Koos Verdam (1915–1998)				5 September 1966 – 5 April 1967 [Continued]	Anti-Revolutionary Party
		Joseph Luns (1911–2002)	Minister	Foreign Affairs		13 October 1956 – 6 July 1971 [Retained] [Continued]	Catholic People's Party
		Dr. Ivo Samkalden (1912–1995)	Minister	Justice		14 April 1965 – 22 November 1966	Labour Party
		Joop den Uyl (1919–1987)	Minister	Economic Affairs		14 April 1965 – 22 November 1966	Labour Party
		Captain Piet de Jong (1915–2016)	Minister	Defence		24 July 1963 – 5 April 1967 [Retained] [Continued]	Catholic People's Party
		Dr. Gerard Veldkamp (1921–1990)	Minister	Social Affairs and Health		17 July 1961 – 5 April 1967 [Retained] [Continued]	Catholic People's Party
		Dr. Isaäc Arend Diepenhorst (1916–2004)	Minister	Education and Sciences		14 April 1965 – 5 April 1967 [Continued]	Anti-Revolutionary Party
		Ko Suurhoff (1905–1967)	Minister	Transport and Water Management		14 April 1965 – 1 May 1966 [Note]	Labour Party
		Pieter Bogaers (1924–2008)				1 May 1966 – 30 June 1966 [Acting]	Catholic People's Party
		Ko Suurhoff (1905–1967)				30 June 1966 – 22 November 1966	Labour Party
		Pieter Bogaers (1924–2008)	Minister	Housing and Spatial Planning		24 July 1963 – 22 November 1966 [Retained]	Catholic People's Party
		Maarten Vrolijk (1919–1994)	Minister	Culture, Recreation and Social Work		14 April 1965 – 22 November 1966	Labour Party
Minister without portfolio			Title/Ministry/Portfolio(s)			Term of office	Party
		Theo Bot (1911–1984)	Minister	Foreign Affairs	• Development Cooperation	14 April 1965 – 5 April 1967 [Continued]	Catholic People's Party
State Secretaries			Title/Ministry/Portfolio(s)			Term of office	Party
		Theo Westerhout (1922–1987)	State Secretary	Interior	• Municipalities • Provinces	12 July 1965 – 22 November 1966	Labour Party
		Leo de Block (1904–1988)	State Secretary	Foreign Affairs)	• European Union • Benelux	3 September 1963 – 5 April 1967 [Retained] [Continued]	Catholic People's Party
		Max van der Stoel (1924–2011)			• United Nations • International Organizations	22 July 1965 – 22 November 1966	Labour Party
		Dr. Wiel Hoefnagels (1929–1978)	State Secretary	Finance	• Fiscal Policy • Tax and Customs • Governmental Budget	31 May 1965 – 22 November 1966	Catholic People's Party
		Joop Bakker (1921–2003)	State Secretary	Economic Affairs	• Small and Medium-sized Businesses • Regional Development	3 September 1963 – 22 November 1966 [Retained]	Anti-Revolutionary Party
		Gerard Peijnenburg (1919–2000)	State Secretary	Defence	• Army	13 May 1965 – 5 April 1967 [Continued]	Independent Christian Democratic Catholic
		Vice admiral Adri van Es (1913–1994)			• Navy	14 August 1963 – 16 September 1972 [Retained] [Continued]	Anti-Revolutionary Party
		Colonel Jan Borghouts (1910–1966)			• Air Force	12 July 1965 – 5 February 1966 [Died]	Catholic People's Party
		Lieutenant general Heije Schaper (1906–1996)				22 June 1966 – 5 April 1967 [Continued]	Independent Conservative Liberal
		Dr. Louis Bartels (1915–2002)	State Secretary	Social Affairs and Health)	• Primary Healthcare • Elderly Care • Disability Policy • Medical Ethics	3 September 1963 – 5 April 1967 [Retained] [Continued]	Catholic People's Party
		Dr. José de Meijer (1915–2000)			• Occupational Safety • Public Organisations	15 November 1963 – 5 April 1967 [Retained] [Continued]	Catholic People's Party
		Hans Grosheide (1930–2022)	State Secretary	Education and Sciences	• Primary Education • Secondary Education • Special Education	3 September 1963 – 6 July 1971 [Retained] [Continued]	Anti-Revolutionary Party
		Siep Posthumus (1910–1987)	State Secretary	Transport and Water Management	• Rail Transport • Weather Forecasting	4 May 1965 – 22 November 1966	Labour Party
		Cees Egas (1913–2001)	State Secretary	Culture, Recreation and Social Work	• Social Services • Youth Care • Nature • Culture • Art • Recreation • Sport	10 May 1965 – 22 November 1966	Labour Party
Source: (in Dutch) Rijksoverheid.nl

^Resigned

^{Retained from the previous cabinet}

^{Continued in the next cabinet}

^Acting

^{Ad Interim}

^{Died in Office}

^{Medical leave of absence from 1 May 1966 until 30 June 1966}

External links

Official

• (in Dutch) Kabinet-Cals Parlement & Politiek
• (in Dutch) Kabinet-Cals Rijksoverheid