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

419. Information Memorandum From the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs (Davies) to Secretary of State Rusk¹

Washington, January 4, 1967.

SUBJECT

• U.A.R. Planes Overfly Saudi Border Area

1. Saudi authorities have informed us that U.A.R. planes overflew the province of Najran, on the Yemen border, on December 27 and January 1 but that earlier reports of bombings and strafings on these dates were incorrect. Taken together with a U.A.R. bombing sortie against a hamlet just inside the Yemen-Saudi border on December 26, these overflights are probably intended as a warning to Saudi Arabia against encouraging any renewed large-scale fighting by Yemeni royalists.

2. These incidents mark another phase in the war of nerves between Saudi Arabia and the U.A.R. By immediately publicizing an earlier series of explosions within Saudi Arabia, the U.A.R. press has sought to create an impression of growing popular dissidence and discontent with the rule of King Faisal. For their part, U.A.R. authorities are no doubt concerned over recent apparently successful Saudi efforts to bring Yemeni royalists and republican dissidents together into a single coalition, as well as by the threat of renewed royalist military action in the Sanaa region and indications of wavering loyalty on the part of a key tribal leader.

3. While not of a serious nature, the U.A.R. overflights are likely to strengthen rather than weaken the hand of those in Saudi Government councils who advocate a general renewal of organized hostilities in Yemen and a consequent showdown with the U.A.R. King Faisal has thus far resisted growing pressure in this direction from his advisors. It seems likely he will continue to move cautiously at least until work on air defenses in southern Saudi Arabia is completed, probably sometime this spring.

4. We are authorizing Ambassador Eilts to tell King Faisal that we have been impressed by his statesmanlike restraint and to urge him to continue to follow this policy. The Ambassador may confirm our earlier assurances with respect to unprovoked aggression against Saudi Arabia but at the same time is to stress our hope that the current psychological warfare between the U.A.R. and Saudi Arabia will not be a prelude to new outbreaks of tribal fighting in Yemen.²

1. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1967-69, POL 31-1 SAUD-UAR. Confidential. Drafted by Korn and Brewer. The initials “DR” on the memorandum indicate that the Secretary read it.
2. Telegram 111756 to Jidda, January 3, authorized Eilts, when meeting with Faisal, to express U.S. concern over recent reports of UAR bombings of the Najran frontier area, and to state that the Department was impressed by the King’s statesmanlike restraint in face of this and other provocations, all of which appeared to be part of a propaganda war rather than a renewal of serious hostilities. Such restraint still remained in the U.S. view the best course. The Ambassador was also authorized to confirm earlier U.S. assurances regarding unprovoked aggression against Saudi territory. (Ibid., POL 15-1 SAUD)