No. 316
Editorial Note
Despatch 80 from Jidda, August 16, informed the Department of State that the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Aramco went to Jidda on August 15 for discussions with the Crown Prince and Minister of Finance. He informed them that Aramco’s new price proposals were ready, and the company was prepared to resume negotiations at the convenience of the Saudi Arabian Government, provided Aramco was given 2 week’s notice to enable company officials to make the trip from New York. Telegrams 101 from Jidda, September 10; 120, September 23; and 125, September 26, reported first that Prince Faisal wanted to reconvene the negotiations on September 24 and Aramco had agreed; then the Saudi Arabian Government postponed them, and finally that negotiations would begin again on November 8. According to telegram 195 from Jidda, November 1, the Saudi Arabians requested the discussions be postponed to December 8; and telegram 268 from Jidda, December 8, reported the pricing discussions had again been put off, probably until late in January. (King ibn Saud died on November 9, 1953.) Additional information on the discussions between Aramco and the Saudi Arabian Government on oil pricing is in Department of State file 886A.2553.