Hopkins Papers
The Prime Minister’s Private Secretary
(Martin) to the
President’s Special Assistant (Hopkins)
secret
[Cairo,] November 23, 1943.
Mr. Hopkins. (Private)
Colonel Warden1 asked me to send you this
telegram to see. Could you please let me have it back.2
[Enclosure]
The British Minister in Saudi Arabia
(Jordan) to the British Foreign Office
secret
Jedda, 15 November 1943.
War Cabinet Distribution—Repeated to Minister of State
Cairo.3
475. My telegram No. 455.4
Ibn Saud has sent me a
message from Mecca to the effect that United States
representative in Jedda asked him the following questions on
November 13th.
- 1)
- Has Saudi Arabian Government asked His Majesty’s
Government for arms?
- 2)
- If so when did they make their request to His Majesty’s
Government?
- 3)
- What arms did Saudi Arabian Government ask for?
- 4)
- Has anything been promised by His Majesty’s
Government?
- 5)
- What has arrived?
- 6)
- Are arms being supplied by His Majesty’s Government as a
gift or against payment?
- 7)
- Did His Majesty’s Government offer to supply arms or did
the question arise out of a demand from Saudi Arabian
Government?
- 2.
- Ibn Saud informed my
United States colleague that His Majesty’s Government had
promised to supply 50 light reconnaissance cars but that
none had arrived to date. He did not know if payment was
expected or whether they were being supplied under Lease
Lend in accordance with the list of Saudi Arabian arms
requirements submitted to His Majesty’s Government by Saudi
Arabian representative in London for supply under Lease
Lend.
- 3.
- I feel my United States colleague’s action in putting
these questions to Ibn
Saud is unfortunate as it would appear to
show 1) a lack of collaboration between His Majesty’s
Government and United States on this question and 2) United
States distrust of any information given them by His
Majesty’s Government.
- 4.
- I venture to suggest that we should come to some agreement
with United States over the quantities of war material to be
supplied to Saudi Arabian Government as soon as possible and
inform Ibn Saud
accordingly.