Foreign Relations of the United States, Diplomatic Papers, 1944, The Near East, South Asia, and Africa, The Far East, Volume V

890F.515/118: Telegram

The Minister in Egypt (Tuck) to the Secretary of State

Cairo, June 20, 1944—1 p.m.
[Received 4:55 p.m.]

1698. From Landis. Reference Moose’s 1670, June 18, 10 a.m., from Cairo.

1. I have pressed the British here twice to expedite reply on our Saudi Arabian proposals from London pointing out how delay threatens the ability to reach agreement.

2. I am checking recent imports to Saudi Arabia in order to gauge accuracy of Saudi Arabian official statement referred to in above cable.

3. One element possibly governing scarcity of foreign exchange is due to fact that all import licenses had been blocked for 3 months when I was in Jidda. Recent unblocking of these licenses may have caused an abnormal demand on foreign exchange. Note that exchange rates still have not brought riyal down to proposed 30 cents. [Landis.]

Tuck