Office of the Historian

411. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Yemen1

Washington, September 30, 1966, 12:02 p.m.

57200. AP ticker carries Cairo dateline story quoting Al-Ahram that Yemen President Sallal has accused ousted cabinet ministers of collaborating with US agents to sabotage Yemeni revolution. Story also cites reports harassment US officials in Yemen2 and distribution anti-American leaflets.

If queried re above Department spokesman will respond as follows: “The accusation of US activities against the Yemeni revolution is patently false. We are not involved in Yemeni internal affairs and have maintained normal diplomatic relations with the Republic since according it formal recognition in December 1962.3

While there have been incidents where local Yemeni authorities have delayed US officials in their travels, press reports of widespread anti-Americanism in Yemen are greatly distorted. We continue to discuss with the Yemen Government particular problems as they arise in a spirit of mutual respect.”4

  1. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964-66, POL 15-1 YEMEN. Limited Official Use. Drafted by Ollison (NEA/P), cleared by McCloskey (P/ON) and Moore, and approved by Daniel Brown (NEA/P). Also sent to Cairo.↩
  2. On September 28 the Yemeni Government declared U.S. AID contract employee Michael Harriz, a U.S. citizen, persona non grata.↩
  3. Telegram 55933 to Cairo, September 28, instructed the Embassy to approach Al-Khouli and state that Yemeni charges that Harriz was involved in disturbances in Taiz were patently untrue, as demonstrated by the fact that Harriz was in Sana’a at the time of the incident. Al-Khouli should be told that the United States had tried unsuccessfully to reach a responsible Yemeni official to discuss the Harriz case, and that it would be in their mutual interest if UAR authorities could persuade Yemeni officials to review the charges against Harriz with great care before ratifying the expulsion effort, which was bound to have a damaging effect on the overall U.S.-Yemeni relationship. (National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964-66, POL 27 YEMEN) Telegram 1671 from Cairo, September 29, reported that, since Al-Khouli was absent from Cairo, an Embassy official had made the presentation at the Foreign Ministry that morning. (Ibid.)↩
  4. Printed from an unsigned copy.↩