Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume XXI, Near East Region; Arabian Peninsula

261. Memorandum From the President’s Deputy Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Komer) to President Johnson¹

Washington, February 21, 1966, 4:30 p.m.

I’ll be giving Prince Sultan a sympathetic ear for an hour or so Tuesday. He’ll see Rusk, McNamara, and others too.

What the Saudis would really like is US backing if they resume the war in Yemen. We can’t go this far—it would put us right back in the middle between the UAR and Saudis. But we’ll all give the Saudis a sympathetic hearing—and gently try to dissuade them from doing anything foolish. To this end, I’d like to say the following sympathetic non-things on your behalf.

1. You greatly appreciate Feisal’s sending Prince Sultan here to discuss these matters directly.

2. You have ordered a prompt and careful re-examination of risk of Communist takeover in Yemen.

3. You will reply to King Feisal’s letter shortly.²

4. You want to send your warmest regards to his brother King Feisal and to reassure him of our continuing deep interest in the progress and integrity of Saudi Arabia—you feel as strongly on this as all of your predecessors since FDR met Ibn Saud in 1944 on the destroyer in the Red Sea.³

R. W. Komer

Approve⁴
Just Listen

1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Saudi Arabia, Memos, Vol. I, 12/63-4/67. Secret.
2. For the text of Faisal’s letter and Johnson’s response, see Document 262.
3. President Roosevelt’s meeting with King Ibn Saud was in February 1945. A memorandum of conversation recording the meeting is in Foreign Relations, 1945, vol. VIII, The Near East and Africa, pp. 2–3.
4. This option is checked.