890F.7962/1–2649

The Minister in Saudi Arabia (Childs) to the Saudi Arabian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs (Yassin)1

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Excellency: I have the honor, acting under instructions from my Government, to request, in consideration of the friendly ties existing between the United States and Saudi Arabia, renewal of the existing Dhahran Air Base Agreement, embodied in exchanges of notes of August 5, August 6, and December 20, 1945 and January 2, 1946,2 as amended, which expires on March 15, 1949.

Renewal of this agreement will permit the United States Air Force to continue to discharge its existing long range communications commitments and will at the same time afford an opportunity for continuation and possible expansion of the training program for the Saudi Arabian students at Dhahran and in the United States. It is my Government’s view, which it is believed the Saudi Arabian Government will share, that maintenance of the Dhahran Airbase Agreement offers a particularly practical means for continuation of the friendly collaboration already existing between the two Governments. The existing Airbase Agreement provides that the United States Government will turn over these installations in sound condition to the Saudi Arabian Government for operation, control and maintenance upon expiration of the Agreement. My Government interprets such provision as a continuing obligation to maintain the Dhahran Airbase in a state to insure its delivery in sound condition to the Saudi Arabian Government upon expiration of the Agreement with the expenditure of such funds as may be necessary for that purpose. The amounts to be expended will naturally depend upon the use which it may be desired to make of the Base in agreement with the Saudi Arabian Government.

It is understood that renewal of the existing Dhahran Air Base Agreement includes renewal of those provisions of the Agreement which pertain to civil air rights which are set forth in this Legation’s note of December 20, 1945 and the note dated January 2, 1946 of the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is further understood that if a civil air transport agreement between the United States and [Page 1577] Saudi Arabia should come into effect during the existence of the Dhahran Airbase Agreement, as renewed, the provisions of such civil air transport agreement would supplant those provisions of the Dhahran Airbase Agreement which pertain to civil air rights.

My Government requests the existing Air Base Agreement to be extended for a period of at least one year and that its life after March 15, 1950 be subject to annual extensions of twelve months in the absence of notice from either Government to the other of intention to terminate the Agreement upon twelve months notice.

I avail myself of this opportunity to renew to Your Excellency the assurances of my highest consideration.

J. Rives Childs
  1. Transmitted to the Department as an enclosure to despatch 19, January 26, from Jidda; not printed.
  2. For summary, see bracketed notes, Foreign Relations, 1945, vol. viii, pp. 983, 997.