Office of the Historian

786A.5 MSP/3–1453

No. 1451
Memorandum by the President to the Director for Mutual Security (Stassen)

confidential
[Washington,] March 14, 1953.

In accordance with the recommendation contained in your memorandum of March 2, 1953,1 I hereby determine, pursuant to the authority vested in me by Section 202 of the Mutual Security Act of 1951, as amended, that it is essential for the purpose of that Act that the Government of Saudi Arabia be provided military assistance, pursuant to the provisions of the Mutual Defense Assistance Act of 1949, as amended. In making this determination, I find that (1) the strategic location of Saudi Arabia makes it of direct importance to the defense of the Near East area, (2) the assistance to be furnished is of critical importance to the defense of the free nations, and (3) the immediately increased ability of Saudi Arabia to defend itself is important to the preservation of the peace and security of the Near East area, and to the security of the United States.

The Secretaries of State and Defense are to be notified by you of this determination.2

  1. Not printed. The memorandum under reference here transmitted the letter by the Under Secretary of State, supra, and concurred in the recommendation that Saudi Arabia be declared eligible for military assistance. (786A.5 MSP/3–253)↩

  2. A letter by the Director for Mutual Security to the Secretary of State, dated Mar. 14, transmitted a copy of this memorandum to the Secretary of State. Telegram 533 to Jidda, Mar. 16, informed the Ambassador of the decision on grant military aid to Saudi Arabia, and authorized him to so inform the Government of Saudi Arabia. Telegram 716 from Jidda, Mar. 20, reported that the Saudi Arabian Foreign Office had been informed on Mar. 17.

    Instruction No. 5 to the Ambassador in Saudi Arabia, dated Apr. 3, transmitted a copy of this memorandum and a copy of a draft agreement to be concluded with Saudi Arabia, incorporating certain assurances required by law. The Ambassador was informed that consideration would be given to any modifications he might propose in the draft agreement, and that if he considered it inadvisable to proceed with negotiations at that time implementation of a training program involving no equipment could be based on a much shorter agreement, a draft of which was also enclosed. Documentation on this topic is in Department of State file 786A.5 MSP.

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