Office of the Historian

296. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Saudi Arabia1

Washington, February 2, 1974, 0135Z.

22523. Subj: Oil Embargo. For Ambassador Akins.

1. We know that you are pursuing on a continuing basis with Saudis the matter of the prompt lifting of embargo and production [Page 834] restrictions. We leave it to your judgment as to the most effective argumentation to reiterate in the days ahead. As you pursue your discussions we would like you at this juncture, if you agree, to underscore that failure on the part of the Saudi Government to bring about a very early end of the embargo and production restrictions will bring about an end to the US efforts to achieve progress towards an overall settlement. We know you have made this argument in the course of your discussions and our own feeling is that this is the time to begin to give more emphasis to it.

Kissinger
  1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 631, Country Files, Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Vol. V. Secret; Immediate; Cherokee; Nodis. Drafted by Sisco on February 1 and approved by Kissinger. Repeated Immediate to Cairo.↩