890F.248/12–2245: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 23—6:47 a.m.]
13407. We have been in touch with Under Secretary Sargent (rather than McNeil who as Parliamentary Under Secretary does not assume charge in absence of Bevin and Cadogan) and also with Under Secretary Ronald following receipt of Dept’s 10927 of December 19 regarding completion of Dhahran airfield. They said written reply to our earlier representations had just been sent which they thought covered question quite adequately. Following is quotation of essential portion of their subsequently received letter:
“His Majesty’s Government have taken due note of the US plan for the completion of the airport and for its operation and maintenance for a maximum period of 3 years by the US Army. His Majesty’s Govt, however, assume that during that period the civil airlines of other countries would enjoy the same facilities as would be accorded to the US airlines.
We should like to make a comment on the proposal that upon termination of control by the US Army, an American Company should be permitted to operate the airfield for the Saudi Arabian Govt until the latter are competent to operate it themselves according to minimum international standards. It is said that we would much prefer that the Saudi Arabian Govt should be advised to sign the Chicago Interim Agreement57 and thus be enabled to invoke under article 11 of that agreement the assistance of the provisional international civil aviation organization in maintaining and operating the airfield until they themselves are fully capable of taking over.
As regards Fifth Freedom rights, Ibn Saud has been made aware of the conflicting US and British views on this vexed question and it is the opinion of His Majesty’s Govt that he should exercise his own discretion as to whether he should grant full Fifth Freedom traffic rights to US airlines in the terms of the standard American bilateral air transport agreement. Commercial airlines enjoying full Fifth Freedom at Dhahran would, of course, not be able to exercise this privilege between Saudi Arabian and British territory.
In your letter of December 3, you said that the State Dept did not [Page 987] perceive how these specific airfield negotiations would be affected by the United Nations Charter. I should explain on this point that we thought that this Govt might possibly be contemplating that under article 43 of the Charter, the Saudi Arabian Govt should offer as their own contribution to the Security Council the fact of an already established American base in their territory. If in fact that is what the US Govt have in mind we trust that the implication of the proposal is that the airfield would be in perpetuity under American control should be clearly explained to the Saudi Arabian Govt.”
Since Foreign Office letter did not make clear basic point regarding instructions which Foreign Office had sent or proposed sending to British Minister in Jidda, we again approached Ronald today and obtained assurance from him that telegram would be sent immediately instructing British Minister in Jidda to advise the Saudi Arabian Govt following the approach of the American Minister that the proposals of the US Govt had been made with the foreknowledge and concurrence of the British Govt and that their early acceptance in principle would be in the interests of all concerned subject to clarification of the points in the quoted excerpts above. The British Minister would also be told to advise his American colleague of his instructions in order to facilitate coordination of action.
Ronald asked that we let him have as soon as possible Dept’s observations on point raised in Foreign Office’s letter as requiring clarification.
Sent Dept as 13407, repeated Jidda 11.
- The Interim Agreement on International Civil Aviation, opened for signature on December 7, 1944, Department of State Executive Agreement Series No. 469, or 59 Stat. (pt. 2) 1516. This was one of several agreements made at the International Civil Aviation Conference which met from November 1 to December 7, 1944; for documentation on this Conference, see Foreign Relations, 1944, vol. ii, pp. 355 ff.↩