Office of the Historian

277. Memorandum of Conversation1

Washington, June 22, 1966, 10 a.m.

SUBJECT

  • Secretary’s Meeting with King Faisal

PARTICIPANTS

  • The Secretary
  • King Faisal
  • Mr. Isa Sabbagh, Interpreter
[Page 531]

Before leaving, Secretary Rusk asked His Majesty for a private audience which would take up only a few minutes. The interpreter was asked by the Secretary to remain.

The Secretary then told His Majesty that, as His Majesty was doubtless aware, our PL 480 Agreement with the U.A.R. would come to an end by the end of this month. It was, however, unfortunate that the decision the U.S. Government has come to with respect to that agreement coincided with His Majesty’s visit to the United States. The decision is that the U.S. Government was not going to renew the PL 480 Agreement with regard to wheat for Egypt, but that instead we would be inviting the Egyptians if they so wished to buy what they want, like anybody else, according to the C.C.C. system (Commodity Credit Corporation).

The Secretary expressed his belief that the reaction in Cairo will be a violent one and that not only the U.S. but also King Faisal himself would in all likelihood be subjected to a fresh tirade of propaganda from Cairo. The Secretary wished His Majesty to know of this development straight from him (the Secretary) rather than via Cairo’s propaganda.

The King said that he had been so hardened to the Cairo propaganda outbursts and attacks against him personally that he was not worried. “They could not possibly say worse things than they have already said.” Faisal added, “As I said yesterday, as a person and a human being I do find it very difficult to actually suggest that people be deprived of food in any way, but I also added that it was up to the giver to determine in his own best interests what to give, to whom, how much and when.” King Faisal expressed the opinion that, of course, this kind of human sentiment President Nasser would not understand nor would he believe it as having been expressed by Faisal. On the contrary, Nasser was most likely to accuse Faisal of all sorts of wicked designs which he, according to Nasser, would suggest to the U.S. to carry out.

[1 paragraph (8 lines of source text) not declassified]

  1. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964-66, POL 7 SAUD. Secret. Drafted by Sabbagh and approved in S on July 14. The meeting was held at Blair House. The time and place of the meeting are from Rusk’s Appointment Book. (Johnson Library) The memorandum is Part II of II.↩