Office of the Historian

124.90F/24

Memorandum by the Under Secretary of State (Welles) to the Chief of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs (Murray)

[Washington,] February 12, 1942.

Mr. Murray: I have noted that Mr. Kirk1 is due soon to leave for Saudi Arabia to present his letters of credence.

The President expressed to me two days ago his desire to establish a permanent legation in Saudi Arabia, presumably at Jidda. It was his thought that Mr. Kirk would remain as Minister accredited to both Saudi Arabia and to Egypt, but that we would have a Chargé d’affaires with a small legation staff at Jidda permanently on the spot.

Please let me have your suggestions as to appropriate Foreign Service officers to act in that capacity so that I may speak to Mr. Shaw.2

S[umner] W[elles]
  1. Alexander Kirk, Minister in Egypt and also accredited as Minister to Saudi Arabia.↩
  2. G. Howland Shaw, Assistant Secretary of State.↩