890F.248/5–345: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister in Saudi Arabia ( Eddy )
130. ReDepts 123, April 26, 7 p.m. The Legation is authorized, as soon as it has official knowledge that King Ibn Saud has been notified of withdrawal of British objections to open negotiations with the Saudi Government respecting an airfield at Dhahran including efforts to secure postwar rights as described in paragraph 4(c) of the memorandum cited (reLegs 122, March 24, 11 a.m.) and in Annex B88 thereto as amended by the following addition:
Beginning of addition and continuation of paragraph 10 c: 89 “Duly authorized United States airlines should also be granted transit rights in Saudi Arabia and the right of commercial entry at Dhahran.
Paragraph 10 d. In the event military air rights should terminate one year after the termination of the present war as provided in subparagraph a 90 above, United States civil airlines will continue to have transit rights in Saudi Arabia and the right of commercial entry at Dhahran, together with the use of the Dhahran airport and its facilities on a non-discriminatory basis, so long as any commercial air services are permitted to operate in or through Saudi Arabia.
Paragraph 10 e. More detailed provisions applying to United States commercial air transport services in and through Saudi Arabia may be included in a supplementary agreement.” End of addition and end of paragraph 10 Annex B.
The recommendation contained in last paragraph section 1 of Legation’s 122 that projects for military mission and improvement of roads be presented to Saudi authorities as matters in which the United States is prepared to act without reference to Dhahran airfield is approved.
The Legation is authorized to inform the Saudi Government that the United States Government is prepared to send a military mission to Saudi Arabia as described in paragraph 4–a of the memorandum referred to above and in Annex A thereto.
[Page 887]The Legation is further authorized to inform the Saudi Government that the United States Government is prepared to construct a road in Saudi Arabia as described in paragraph 4–b of the same memorandum.
The Department is not now in a position to give assurance that construction of the Riyadh–Jidda road will be undertaken when the Riyadh–Dhahran road is completed. Neither is it able to assure bequest to Saudi Government (on termination of mission’s air training activity) of training planes, training field and installations.
The Legation should take up the foregoing subjects with the appropriate Saudi authorities without unnecessary delay. The War Department is ready to despatch the proposed military mission and to begin construction of Dhahran airfield and Riyadh–Dhahran road on receipt of this Department’s official notice that satisfactory negotiations with the Saudi Government with respect to those projects have been completed. The Department’s official notice, in turn, will depend upon the outcome of the Legation’s negotiations.
For your information only: This Department has suggested to the War Department that in addition to military mission and road construction referred to above, the Legation be given discretionary authority to agree that the War Department will make improvements in the Jidda airport along the lines indicated in Legation’s 171, April 17, noon if, in the opinion of the Legation, such improvements are required to secure desirable permission for Dhahran field and air rights. Should the War Department approve the Department’s suggestion, bequest of training facilities recommended in Legation’s 122 would appear to lose its importance.
Sent to Jidda, repeated Cairo for General Giles.
- Not printed, but see last sentence of footnote 63, p. 868.↩
- Paragraph 10 reads: “It is concluded, therefore, that a substantial military necessity exists for the acquisition and development of a U.S. military air field at Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and”; subparagraph c read: “That it is desirable from a military standpoint that U.S. civil airlines be permitted to operate into, on and from the airfield at Dhahran, and to construct and maintain such installations or facilities as they might require, subject to controlling U.S. military authority if and whenever the airfield should be occupied by U.S. military forces.”↩
- Of paragraph 10, which read: “That permission of the Saudi Arabian Government should be sought immediately for U.S. forces to construct, maintain and occupy such an airfield, together with such appropriate housing, servicing, maintenance, weather and communications facilities as may be required for the duration of the war plus one year.”↩