Saudi Arabia


108. Memorandum from Director of Central Intelligence Colby to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)

Summary: Colby provided comments on NSSM 198 and the potential problems of a substantially widened U.S.-Saudi relationship.

Source: Washington National Records Center, OASD Files: FRC 330–78–0011, Saudi Arabia 1974. Secret; [handling restriction not declassified]. Hoskinson forwarded the memorandum to Schlesinger under an April 25 covering memorandum, on which Wickham wrote: “Suggest show to Mr. Clements.” A note on the memorandum reads: “Sec Def has seen.” NSSM 198 is Document 18.


109. Memorandum of Conversation

Summary: Kissinger met with Prince Fahd upon the latter’s arrival in Washington.

Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box CL 207, Geopolitical File, Saudi Arabia, April 30–June 5, 1974. Secret; Nodis. Drafted by Sober. The meeting took place at Blair House. Fahd visited Washington June 5–7. The Department’s prepared briefing papers for the visit focused on establishing the new economic and strategic relationship with Saudi Arabia. (National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 937, VIP visits, Visit of Prince Fahd June 6–7, 1974 [2 of 3])


110. Memorandum of Conversation

Summary: President Nixon and Kissinger met with Prince Fahd. Nixon told the Prince that Saudi Arabia would play a key role in the Persian Gulf in the future in view of the instability of new governments in that area.

Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Memoranda of Conversations, Box 4, Nixon Administration. Secret; Sensitive. The meeting took place in the Oval Office.


111. Memorandum of Conversation

Summary: Kissinger, Simon, Clements, and others met with Fahd, Yamani, and Nazir to discuss the need for a new relationship between the United States and Arab states beyond the Arab-Israeli dispute.

Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box CL 208, Geopolitical File, Saudi Arabia, June 6–August 9, 1974. Secret; Sensitive. Drafted by Dickman. The meeting took place in the Secretary’s conference room at the Department of State.


112. Memorandum of Conversation

Summary: Schlesinger, Clements, Admiral Moorer, and other officials from the Department of Defense, along with officials of the Department of State and the NSC, met with Prince Fahd to discuss the Joint Commission on Security Cooperation, military sales, and strategy in the Gulf region.

Source: Washington National Records Center, OASD Files: FRC 330–78–0011, Saudi Arabia, 092.112 1974. Secret; Sensitive. Drafted by Glenn E. Blitgen, Deputy Director, Near East and South Asia Region, International Security Affairs, Department of Defense, and Edward W. Schaefer, Country Director for Saudi Arabia, International Security Affairs, Department of Defense, approved by Ellsworth on July 9.


113. Memorandum of Conversation

Summary: President Nixon met with King Faisal to discuss bilateral relations, the Arab-Israeli peace negotiations, and the price of oil.

Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box CL 208, Geopolitical File, Saudi Arabia, June 6–August 9, 1974. Secret; Sensitive; Nodis. The meeting was held in King Faisal’s private office at the Royal Palace. Nixon visited the Middle East June 12–18, staying in Saudi Arabia for part of June 15.


114. Letter from President Nixon to King Faisal of Saudi Arabia

Summary: Upon his return from a visit to the Middle East where he met with King Faisal, President Nixon discussed the state of the region.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, box 761, Presidential Correspondence, 1969–74, Saudi Arabia, King Faisal 1972. No classification marking. Nixon met with Faisal on June 15 in Jidda. See Document 113.


115. Letter From President Nixon to King Faisal of Saudi Arabia

Summary: President Nixon provided King Faisal with an update on negotiations among Israel and the Arab states.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 761, Presidential Correspondence, 1969–74, Saudi Arabia, Faisal 1972. No classification marking. Kissinger forwarded this letter to Nixon under a July 30 covering memorandum, with the recommendation that he sign it. According to Kissinger’s memorandum, this letter was to be sent in response to the Embassy in Jidda’s report that Faisal was dissatisfied with the pace of negotiations, given recent Israeli military strikes in Lebanon, and had received renewed calls for an oil embargo. (Ibid.) Faisal’s June 30 letter to Nixon is ibid., RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P850086–2236.


116. Memorandum From Acting Director of Central Intelligence Walters to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)

Summary: Walters provided Kissinger with evidence of Saudi dissatisfaction in the wake of Nixon’s resignation and Riyadh’s decision to delay the establishment of the “new relationship” between the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Executive Registry Files, Job 80M01048A, Box 4, Folder S–34. Secret; [handling restriction not declassified]. David H. Blee, Associate Deputy Director for Operations, signed for Walters.


117. Memorandum From Acting Director of Central Intelligence Walters to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)

[Source: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box CL 208, Geopolitical File, Saudi Arabia, August 10–October 28, 1974. Secret; [handling restriction not declassified]. 2 pages not declassified.]


118. Information Memorandum From the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Jordan) to the Deputy Secretary of Defense (Clements)

Summary: Jordan updated Clements on FMS sales to Saudi Arabia, expedited shipping of weapons to Saudi Arabia and the Yemen Arab Republic, the status of the F–5 Peace Hawk programs, and other matters related to the U.S.-Saudi security relationship.

Source: Washington National Records Center, OASD/ISA Files: FRC 330–77–0054, Saudi Arabia, 1974 000.1–121. Secret. Attached at Tab A is telegram 5563 from Jidda, September 24. Attached but not published at Tabs B and C, respectively, are a memorandum entitled “Current DOD actions to speedup FMS Cases for Saudi Arabia,” and telegram 5736 from Jidda, October 12, relaying Prince Fahd’s request for expedited U.S. arms deliveries to Saudi Arabia. Atherton’s December 18 memorandum to Kissinger laid out the status of deliveries into 1977. (Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box CL 208, Geopolitical File, Saudi Arabia, October 29, 1974–February 4, 1975) For the records of Fahd’s June 5–6 conversations with U.S. officials, see Documents 109112. The Peace Hawk programs involved the sale of services and training of pilots and support personnel for the F–5 fighter to Saudi Arabia and were divided into phases, such as “Peace Hawk IV” or “Peace Hawk Phase V.” Each was a separate sale of equipment and services to Saudi Arabia.


119. Memorandum From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft) to President Ford

Summary: Scowcroft relayed to President Ford a summary from Kissinger of his October 13 meeting with King Faisal.

Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Trip Briefing Books and Cables for Henry Kissinger, 1974–76, Box 1, Kissinger Trip File, October 8–13, 1974—Middle East, HAK Messages for the President. Secret; Sensitive. Ford initialed the memorandum. The record of the meeting is in the Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Kissinger Papers, Box CL 208, Geopolitical File, Saudi Arabia, August 10–October 28, 1974.


120. Memorandum From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Scowcroft) to President Ford

Summary: Scowcroft provided President Ford with Kissinger’s report of his November 6 meeting with King Faisal.

Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Trip Briefing Books and Cables for Henry Kissinger, 1974–76, Box 2, Kissinger Trip File, October 20–November 9, Europe, South Asia, Middle East, HAK Messages for the President (2). Secret; Sensitive. Sent for information. Ford initialed the memorandum. No record of the meeting with Faisal has been found.


121. Memorandum for the Record

Summary: The memorandum provided notes of a discussion among Prince Turki, Schlesinger, and Clements regarding military supply.

Source: Washington National Records Center, OASD Files: FRC 330–78–0011, Saudi Arabia, 091.112 1974. Secret; Sensitive. A copy of the memorandum was provided to Prince Turki’s delegation, as per the attached November 25 written note from Wickham to Ellsworth. A note on the attached addendum reads: “Dep Sec has seen.”


122. Airgram From the Embassy in Saudi Arabia to the Department of State

Summary: The Embassy assessed the impact of corruption on Saudi Arabia’s relationship with the United States.

Source: National Archives, RG 84, Jidda Embassy Files: Lot 79F80, POL 15–4, Denmark File (corruption). Secret; Exdis; Stadis. Drafted on December 10 by Nicholas M. Murphy (POL), with contributions in draft from Akins, Horan, Bird, Close, Butcher, Cecil, and Samuel Wyman (COML). Approved by Horan. Repeated to Abu Dhabi, Amman, Beirut, Cairo, Damascus, Dhahran, Doha, Kuwait City, Muscat, and Tehran.


123. Letter From the Deputy Secretary of Defense (Clements) to Saudi Deputy Minister of Defense and Aviation Prince Turki

Summary: Clements reassured Turki regarding Saudi requests for expedited arms shipments and the modernization of the Saudi armed forces.

Source: Washington National Records Center, OASD/ISA Files: FRC 330–77–0054, Saudi Arabia 000.1–121 1974. Confidential. Clements wrote a brief postscript: “It was great having you in the USA—Come again soon!” The record of Turki’s November 22 meeting with DOD officials is published as Document 121. Turki’s December 2 letter to Clements was not found.


124. Minutes of the Secretary of State’s Staff Meeting

Summary: Secretary Kissinger and his staff discussed the functioning of the Joint Commissions with Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Transcripts of Secretary of State Kissinger’s Staff Meetings, 1973–77, Entry 5177, Box 3, Secretary’s Analytical Staff Meetings. Secret. Kissinger chaired the meeting, attended by all the principal officers of the Department or their designated alternates.


125. Telegram From the Embassy in Saudi Arabia to the Department of State

Summary: After Secretary Kissinger gave an interview in Business Week and referred to the possible use of military force in the event of another oil embargo, Ambassador Akins informed the Department of the importance with which the Saudi Government viewed the matter.

Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Presidential Country Files for the Middle East and South Asia, Box 29, Saudi Arabia—State Department Telegrams, To SecStateNodis (3). Secret; Niact Immediate; Cherokee; Nodis. Reference telegrams C and D were not found. Telegrams 32 from Jidda, January 4; 67 from Jidda, January 5; and 137 from Jidda, January 7, are in the National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D750004–0636, D750004–0773, and [no film number], respectively. Kissinger’s interview with Business Week appeared in the January 13, 1975, issue. A transcript is in the Department of State Bulletin, January 27, 1975, pp. 97–106.


126. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Saudi Arabia

Summary: Responding to Ambassador Akins’ message on the Business Week interview, the Department transmitted a letter from President Ford to King Faisal referring to the matter.

Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Presidential Country Files for the Middle East and South Asia, Box 29, Saudi Arabia—State Department Telegrams, To SecStateNodis (3). Secret; Immediate; Cherokee; Nodis. Drafted by Atherton; approved by Kissinger. Faisal’s January 7 letter to Ford was transmitted in telegram 136 from Jidda of the same date, and concerned discussions of an energy consumer-producer conference. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P850106–1424) On January 13, Akins delivered a similar message from Kissinger to Sultan, as transmitted in telegram 7266 to Jidda. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P850106–2309) On January 14 the Embassy transmitted Faisal’s reply to Ford’s letter, requesting that Kissinger “set straight” U.S. policy regarding a second oil embargo “in a way which would not leave room for any misinterpretation.” (Ibid., P850014–1470) Akins’ message on Kissinger’s interview is published as Document 125.


127. Memorandum of Conversation

Summary: Kissinger met with Prince Fahd to discuss the Joint Commissions; the Soviet base at Berbera, Somalia; and South Yemen.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P820123–0938. Secret; Nodis. No record of the conversation between King Faisal and Kissinger has been found.


128. Telegram From the U.S. Delegation to the Department of State

Summary: Newly-appointed Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Charles Robinson discussed military and agricultural matters with Prince Fahd, including the potential Saudi purchase of the F–15 fighter jet.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D750056–1111. Confidential; Exdis. Also sent to Jidda. Robinson and Akins accompanied Secretary Kissinger to Riyadh to meet with King Faisal and Prince Fahd; they remained after the Secretary’s departure. The record of Kissinger’s February 15 meeting with Prince Fahd is published as Document 127.


129. Minutes of the Secretary of State’s Staff Meeting

Summary: Kissinger, Sisco, Robinson, and other Department principals discussed the Arab boycott of companies doing business with Israel as it pertained to U.S. companies performing work on Joint Commission projects.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Transcripts of Secretary of State Kissinger’s Staff Meetings, 1973–77, Entry 5177, Box 3, Secretary’s Analytical Staff Meetings. Secret. Kissinger chaired the meeting, attended by the Department’s principals or their designated alternates.


130. Telegram From the Embassy in Saudi Arabia to the Department of State

Summary: Akins reported on the Saudi reaction to a perceived “anti-Saudi” campaign in the U.S. press.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D750073–0428. Secret; Stadis. The reference telegram was not found. The Department responded that it gave Akin’s comments “serious consideration” in telegram 48750 to Jidda, March 5. (Ibid., D750076–0380) In its March 1975, issue, Harper’s ran an anonymous article entitled “Seizing Arab Oil.” The article formed the subject of telegram 1887 from Jidda, March 17, in which Akins described Saudi concern—as expressed to IBRD President Robert McNamara—that no U.S. official had condemned the article. (Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Presidential Country Files for the Middle East and Africa, Box 29, Saudi Arabia—State Department Telegrams, To SecStateNodis (6)) Akins repeated the substance of Saudi concerns in telegram 2407 from Jidda, April 3. (Ibid.) On April 13, he sent a paper, entitled “War for Oil: Armageddon as Fun City” to posts worldwide, expanding on these points. See Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, vol. XXXVII, Energy Crisis, 1974–1980, footnote 3, Document 52.


131. Letter From the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Ellsworth) to Prince Sultan ibn Abd al-Aziz Al Sa’ud of Saudi Arabia

Summary: Ellsworth informed Prince Sultan of the $45 million commission fee payable to Adnan Khashoggi’s Triad Financial Establishment as part of the Peace Hawk V program.

Source: Washington National Records Center, OASD/ISA Files: FRC 330–78–0038, Saudi Arabia, 1975, 461–702. No classification marking. Copies were sent to Ellsworth and Jordan.


132. Telegram From the Embassy in Saudi Arabia to the Department of State

Summary: Ambassador Akins reported on Saudi fears of U.S. intervention in Saudi Arabia in the wake of King Faisal’s assassination.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D750110–0724. Secret; Stadis. Telegram 2120 from Jidda, March 25, is ibid., D750103–1020. On the “anti-Saudi” campaign, see Document 130. At a March 19 press conference in Riyadh, Kissinger noted: “Our relation with Saudi Arabia is based on friendship and cooperation in which threats, military or otherwise, play no part.” See Document 141.


133. Telegram From the Embassy in Saudi Arabia to the Department of State

Summary: Akins approved the Saudi request for help with the investigation of King Faisal’s assassination.

Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Presidential Country Files for the Middle East and South Asia, Box 29, Saudi Arabia—State Department Telegrams, To SecStateNodis (3). Secret; Immediate; Nodis. The Saudis asked for U.S. Government help with the investigation on March 29. (Central Intelligence Agency, Executive Registry Files, Job 80M01066A, Box 10, Folder S–34)


134. Memorandum From Director of Central Intelligence Colby to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)

Summary: Colby provided Kissinger with a report on the April 8 meeting between Prince Fahd and a U.S. official on the U.S.-Saudi relationship in the wake of King Faisal’s assassination.

Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Executive Registry Files, Job 80M01066A, Box 10, Folder S–34. Secret; [handling restriction not declassified]. Deputy Director for Operations William E. Nelson signed for Colby.


135. Telegram From the Embassy in Saudi Arabia to the Department of State

Summary: The Embassy requested up-to-date information on investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission of military contractors operating in Saudi Arabia, including Northrop, Lockheed, and Raytheon.

Source: National Archives, RG 84, Jidda Embassy Files, Lot 79F80, DEF 12–5.13, Northrop. Confidential; Exdis. Drafted by Butcher; cleared by Bird, Murphy, and Akins; approved by Horan.


136. Telegram From the Department of State to Secretary of State Kissinger in Cairo

Summary: The Department repeated telegram 3543 from Jidda, May 19, in which Akins asked for the text of Schlesinger’s recent remarks on the possible U.S. responses to a new oil embargo.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D750176–0032. Secret; Priority; Stadis. Drafted and approved in S/S by Jay Moffat. Schlesinger’s comments are in telegram 116290 to multiple posts, May 21. (Ibid., [no film number]) Schlesinger also gave an interview to U.S. News and World Report, published in the May 26 issue, in which the following exchange occurred: “Q: What do you mean by less tolerant [of a renewed oil embargo]? A: . . . I’m not going to indicate any prospective reaction other than to point out there are economic, political, or conceivably military measures in response.” (James Schlesinger Interview, U.S. News and World Report, May 26, 1975, 38–39) Schlesinger also made similar comments on May 18 on the ABC television program, “Issues and Answers.” See Document 54.


137. Telegram From the Embassy in Saudi Arabia to the Department of State

Summary: The Embassy forwarded a letter from Prince Sultan to Ellsworth regarding Northrop’s contracted commission payment to Triad, included in the F–5 Peace Hawk program.

Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D750176–0884, D750175–0706. Confidential. Also sent to the Department of Defense. Repeated to CHUSMTM, USCINCEUR, and Dhahran. Lt. Gen. H.M. Fish replied for Ellsworth on May 23, informing Sultan of a further $23 million payable to Triad included in the letters of offer for Peace Hawk IV, signed by Sultan on January 4. (Ibid.) For Sultan’s June 10 reply, see Document 147.