890F. 51A/3a: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister Resident in Saudi Arabia (Moose)
65. In view of the developments reported in your 90, March 30, 11 p.m., 97, April 8, 6 p.m., and London’s 3073, April 15, noon,77 to Department, it is suggested that King Ibn Saud may wish to avail himself, at the expense of this Government, of the services of Colonel Eddy78 as financial and economic adviser, as well as military adviser with respect to such matters as the King may wish to discuss with him. (This arrangement would be permissible under the provisions [Page 688] of Public Law 722, approved October 1, 1942,79 authorizing the President to designate military and naval personnel to advise with respect to military and naval matters such countries as he considers necessary to assist in the interest of national defense.)
Please state whether you consider it advisable to suggest the foregoing arrangement to the King during your forthcoming visit to Riyadh, provided in your judgment it should appear opportune to do so. If you concur in principle with this suggestion but in the event that the time of your visit should not appear propitious for discussing the matter with the King, do you believe, in view of Amir Faisal’s80 invitation to Eddy to visit Riyadh, that arrangements could be made for Eddy to stay on there for a while and that the suggestion should be made to the King subsequently after he has had an opportunity to become better acquainted with Eddy?
Unless you consider it inadvisable to make this suggestion to the King, please discuss the matter with Eddy and report whether he would be willing to undertake this important mission. If he should be unwilling, please express your opinion as to whether the King might wish to avail himself of the services of Colonel Hoskins81 in a like capacity.
If you concur, the Department will recommend to the President that he designate either Eddy or Hoskins, as circumstances warrant, to serve as an adviser to King Ibn Saud.
- Telegrams 90 and 97 not printed.↩
- Col. William A. Eddy, former college president and Arabic scholar, had been detailed from the United States Marine Corps in December 1943 for duty with the Department of State. Colonel Eddy had been instructed by the Department on January 28 to proceed to Saudi Arabia where he was to serve at the United States Legation as Special Assistant to the Minister Resident; it was contemplated that he would also visit other parts of Arabia and other countries of the Near and Middle East. Colonel Eddy’s duties on this special mission were “in general, to establish contact with both official and nonofficial persons for the purpose of acquainting yourself with local personalities, problems, currents of thought, wants, needs, and aspirations, both political and nonpolitical, with particular reference to American interests, friendly and helpful relations between the United States and the local governments and peoples, and the attitude of their governments and their respective nationals regarding these matters”. (123 Eddy, William A./1)↩
- 56 Stat. 763.↩
- Second son of King Ibn Saud and Saudi Arabian Minister for Foreign Affairs.↩
- Lt. Col. Harold B. Hoskins; with regard to Colonel Hoskins’ missions to the Near East in 1942 and 1943, see bracketed note, Foreign Relations, 1943, vol. iv, p. 19.↩