711.90F27/12–3145: Telegram

The Minister in Saudi Arabia (Eddy) to the Secretary of State

448. Legtel 446, December 31. Foreign Minister states that he feels sure the 6 months’ notice before termination of air rights can be included in writing but must of course see King in Mecca. I will inform Dept when exchange of letters is complete which may not be for 2 or 3 days.

Only other outstanding difference is regarding date when operation of airfield would be turned over to Saudi personnel. SAG is writing into their reply stipulation that, if US and SAG differ as to competence of Saudi employees to assume operation at any given time, the matter be referred to the international aviation authority set up at Chicago.

Am pushing negotiations as much as possible and they are proceeding satisfactory now that signing of standard bilateral agreement is no longer required. In view of many pressures on King just now, it would be most unfortunate if any interruption of construction of the airbase took place.

Sent Dept as 448, repeated Cairo for Giles as 304.

Eddy

[On January 2, 1946, the Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, at this time Yusuf Yassin, sent a message No. 11/1/9/156 to the American Minister at Jidda68 which replied to the Minister’s No. 287 of December 20, 1945,69 wherein reference was made to the agreement reached through an exchange of letters on August 5 and 6, 1945, at Riyadh. This had concerned the construction of an airfield at Dhahran. Since the war against Japan had come to a close before the completion of the construction, the American Minister had suggested certain revisions in the original agreement, needed to meet legal [Page 998] requirements of the United States Government, so that the construction of this airfield could be finished. The Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs made these points in reply:

1.
The Government of Saudi Arabia had given permission for the construction of the airfield as a contribution to the war effort against the common enemy.
2.
That Government was pleased that the war against Japan had ceased before the construction of the airfield had been completed.
3.
That Government did not object to the operation of the field by the United States Army for a maximum period of three years after its completion, if required by the Army to close its military operations and to demobilize its soldiers. The hope was expressed that the Army authorities, who would be operating this field, would give to Saudi Arabian subjects during this time the broadest possible training in the operations so that they would be prepared to run and administer the airfield when the time came for them to take it over.
4.
The Saudi Arabian Government wished the airfield to be used for civilian purposes by civilian planes of the United States, or by planes of any other country granted landing rights by that Government in accordance with the regulations which it would prescribe.
5.
It was likewise desired that civilian planes would have use of the airfield upon its completion to the extent that such usage would not interfere with the needs of the United States Army. This civilian use would be in accordance with Saudi Arabian regulations for taxes and control.
6.
When this airfield should be delivered to the Saudi Arabian Government, the United States could be assured that the field would be operated with all the best international standards, either by the Saudi Arabian personnel, or by American employees under Saudi Arabian control, or under an agreement with a qualified American company. The competence of Saudi Arabian employees for the safe operation of the field would be attested by certificates issued by United States Army specialists in the operation of this airfield, or by certificates from the appropriate authorities of the International Aviation Conference of Chicago, who were specialists in flight operations.
7.
The Saudi Arabian Government anticipated that this airfield would be kept open for ten years provided that its facilities were not disabled by an Act of God and that the field did not become a burden on the treasury of the Government at any time by causing a deficit.
8.
The Saudi Arabian Government repeated its agreement to the use of the Dhahran airfield by civilian airplanes of the United States along routes authorized by that Government.

The Saudi Arabian Government stated that it had no objection to the enjoyment of Fifth Freedom rights for the present by United States airplanes over routes authorized by the Saudi Arabian Government for them to fly for as long as this did not injure the interests either of the Saudi Arabian Government or people. The right was reserved by the Saudi Arabian Government to cancel the permission whenever it desired, after having given six months’ advance notice to the United States Government of its desire to terminate this right.]

  1. Copy transmitted to the Department in despatch 198, January 3, 1946, from Jidda, which noted: “While the reply of the Saudi Arabian Government is not all that was to be desired, the Department will observe that some points which appear to be touched inconclusively are wholly covered by the original agreement of August 5–6, 1945, which remains binding except where specifically modified by an amendment.” (890F.248/1–346)
  2. See the bracketed note, p. 983.