890F.00/67
Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. Gordon P. Merriam of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs
Mr. Twitchell said that yesterday he had talked with Mr. John Collier, Commissioner of the Office of Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior, with Mr. Donald F. Christy, Assistant Director of the Office of Foreign Agricultural Relations, Department of Agriculture, and with Mr. M. A. McCall, Assistant Chief of the Bureau of Plant Industry, Department of Agriculture, regarding the proposed mission to Saudi Arabia of United States Government experts on water resources, agriculture, and roads.
According to Mr. Twitchell, all of these gentlemen considered it improbable that any of the regular Departments of the Government have ordinary appropriations which could be used to finance such a mission. On the other hand, they stated that appropriations were available to the President under the title of “Emergency Funds for the President” which, under the circumstances, it would be proper to allocate for the mission to Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Twitchell was informed that an appropriate procedure would be for the Secretary of State to address a memorandum to the President requesting that the necessary funds be allocated to the State Department, for the purpose of reimbursing necessary expenditures incurred by the various Federal agencies which would furnish personnel.
[Page 658]Mr. Twitchell stated that all of these officials had informed him without hesitation that the men were to be had to send to Saudi Arabia and that they would gladly be made available. Mr. McCall, in particular, said that quite apart from the question of helping King Ibn Saud, the information and experience which an agricultural expert obtained in Saudi Arabia would be very valuable to the Department of Agriculture.